Boating in fog

Staying safe when the fog rolls in

Fog can develop quickly, reducing visibility to just a few yards and leaving boaters confused about their position and the obstructions around them.

Limited visibility raises the risk of a collision, so it’s important to take preventive action, including slowing down, using navigation lights and sounding the appropriate sound signals required by the Navigation Rules.

If you see fog moving in, do the following before visibility becomes seriously reduced:

• Fix your position on a chart or mark it on an electronic plotter.
• Reduce your speed so you can stop your vessel in half the visible distance.
• Turn on your navigation lights.
• Instruct passengers to help keep watch by sight, sound and smell preferably in the bow.
• Begin sounding one prolonged (four- to six-second) blast on your horn every two minutes while under way and making way, and sound two prolonged blasts every two minutes when under way and stopped. Continue until the fog lifts and visibility significantly improves.

Heaving line knot

Occasionally, you might need to weight the end of a line to throw it farther than you could unweighted.

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