Fog, fleets, and safety (Open discussion)

Hey everyone,

It was foggy out on the Marin coast yesterday. Visibility was down to about 150 feet at the lowest, by my estimation. Given that I was near a very well known salmon trolling area (Duxbury buoy) intermixed with a fleet of other boats puttering along at 1-3 kts, I actually felt very safe. I saw other boats with plenty of time to react, wave, say hello, and adjust my course if needed. I also had an air horn within easy reach, and my radio was tuned to CH. 19, as were most others.

I posted up a report on Coastside, and one particular guy really made it clear that he didn't think I should have been out in those conditions.

I'm fully aware that this fishing addiction sometimes makes people do stupid things, myself included. With that in mind, I want to hear some other people's thoughts about fishing in the fog, and fishing near other trolling PBs.

Cheers,

Alex

I posted up a report on Coastside, and one particular guy really made it clear that he didn't think I should have been out in those conditions.



[/quote]That guy was probably jealous of you

I have since learned that the guy in question is well known to be abrasive, argumentative, and generally unpleasant. He's been banned from Coastside several times.

Paddling offshore, we are generally in boats from 12 to 16 feet long.  People trolling for salmon or even running between port and the fishing grounds are concerned about hitting crab buoys, right?  If they can watch for crab buoys they can watch for something about 100 times larger with bright colored paddle ends going up and down and a big net increasing visibility.

Look at the situation like this:  if there is no fog we go, and fog can move in any time - are we to abandon the mission right then or call the CG for help?  No.  We use instrumentation and navigate with care just like all boaters should be doing.

I say we're absolutely within our rights to be boating in thick fog, and if it's creating a hazard it's because larger, faster boats aren't using enough caution.

What if a careless powerboater hits a log?  Should the log have stayed home, flown a bright flag, or fired off a flare in order not to be hit?

All that said, your point of being in a known salmon trolling area is huge.  We go places where it can be expected that smaller craft are present.  I'm not going to hang out in a shipping channel in the fog and claim the freighters should've been watching more closely for me.

Being miles offshore in fog is one of the most exhilarating realities I've experienced.

Paddling Solo?

Well said, Eric. I made those very same points on Coastside, and that one guy kept replying that I was trying to put the burden of my own safety on other boaters.

The point I was trying to help him understand is that it's in everyone's best interest to navigate safely. I brought up a chunk of telephone pole that I'd seen floating around that day. Just like in a car, boaters need to be aware of their speed, stopping distance, and reaction time. That is the ONLY way to avoid collisions between boats or other hazards. Even the most sophisticated radar won't pick up a floating log, crab pot line, etc... Kayaks may or may not show up (probably not).

Google radar reflectors and sea kayaks. Guys in Maine on sea yaks have been using them for awhile. Small and light and a big help to alert PB,s especially when they are running. Most PB,s and all commercials have them.

CS guys can certainly be dicks. That was how Fullspeed got started. Ocean is not CS turf exclusively.

Google radar reflectors and sea kayaks. Guys in Maine on sea yaks have been using them for awhile. Small and light and a big help to alert PB,s especially when they are running. Most PB,s and all commercials have them.

That would require the PB to have a radar on board, operational & a user who knows how to understand it (and is watching it).  By all means, I agree that ANYTHING used to bring attention to yourself while otw in any condition is better than not.

Some common sense & awareness of your surroundings will do a lot for safety.  Don't forget a good whistle or air horn!

We do that all the time in Trinidad and at the cove. I will talk to them on the radio if they are on a plane and especially if I hear someone announce they are coming in from outside me where I'd be in line with where they are heading.

It's nice here because the PBs usually announce location and when they put the devil fish in the box.

PBers will also announce if they are having trouble seeing us.

I almost always fly a flag. It's some added safety that makes a big difference for being visible.

Google radar reflectors and sea kayaks. Guys in Maine on sea yaks have been using them for awhile. Small and light and a big help to alert PB,s especially when they are running. Most PB,s and all commercials have them.

Really popular in pugeot sound as well.

It's good to understand right of way as well, and knowing where the major traffic lanes are. Shipping channels the larger boats always have the right of way, it's up to the kayaker to notify them of position and wait until the channel is clear to cross.

And always remember the old saying, "always yield to things larger than you. They have the right of weight."

Going out in dense fog is a play at your own risk proposition. Don't expect everyone to be operating at the highest levels of awareness just because you are.

Whether they should have been  more attentive/considerate/competent/etc is something for the lawyers to figure out but it won't matter cause you'll be too dead to say I told you so.

From a safety prospective, a kayaker, IMHO opinion, is a safer boater than the average power boater.

Kayakers, NCKAer's  anyways, normally are better prepared to go in. Most boaters are not.
We carry small portable radios,a nd are dressed for the situation, most boaters are not.
We know how to use a compass if the elctro gizmo fails. I dare say I meet few fisherman who even have compass on their boats now adays.
We are more coginiscent of the surroundings and have a greater respect for nature and its powers.
We are in better shape than a lot of boaters, even the slowest of slow kayakers is still doing a better job than a PB.
We take what we need/ not  take everything we can because we have room for it.
We all wear a Wet Suit/Drysuit and can back in un assisted, can they?

We can be safe, we can be ready, and we can be good… But we can't control other people. We can't fix stupid.

From a safety prospective, a kayaker, IMHO opinion, is a safer boater than the average power boater.

Kayakers, NCKAer's  anyways, normally are better prepared to go in. Most boaters are not.
We carry small portable radios,a nd are dressed for the situation, most boaters are not.
We know how to use a compass if the elctro gizmo fails. I dare say I meet few fisherman who even have compass on their boats now adays.
We are more coginiscent of the surroundings and have a greater respect for nature and its powers.
We are in better shape than a lot of boaters, even the slowest of slow kayakers is still doing a better job than a PB.
We take what we need/ not  take everything we can because we have room for it.
We all wear a Wet Suit/Drysuit and can back in un assisted, can they?

How would any of that help you if a PB at speed runs over you in the fog?
We might be better prepared but that doesn't mean we are always safer.