Not a bad answer, all things considered.

It turns out anchoring would be a bit problematical. The depth is 70 to 90 feet, there's
a strong current (up to 3 knots, depending on where you are), and although the traffic
isn't heavy (compared to major harbors), there is a steady stream of all manner of
vessels.

Its easy to say you'll stay in port when there's fog, but very often the fog lurks
outside, while its clear in port. Or it can come in fast - my last experience (which I
recounted here a few months ago) Boston Outer Harbor went from 3 miles vis to total
whiteout in 10 minutes.

Radar, of course, is now essential, but I see a lot boats, mostly smaller, but a few
larger, that do not have it fitted.

The correct answer, is that you should (shall!) reduce speed to a minimum. In this strong
breeze you should already be on reduced sail. You should sound your whistle and approach
as slowly as possible. Turning may be counterproductive - if the other vessel is coming
towards you're presenting a larger profile and may be turning right across his path.

And before you go to the Black Dog, you should change your pants.


--
-jeff
"Assumptions shall not be made on the basis of scanty information" ColRegs, Rule 7(c)


"Simple Simon" wrote in message
...
I'm not familiar with that area but if it's shallow enough for two
hundred feet of anchor rode to reach bottom I would have struck
the sails, anchored and sounded the proper signals for a vessel at
anchor.

A pea soup thick fog is simply too dangerous to muck around in
without radar. I would not start such a journey in a pea soup
thick fog and if one developed along the way I would do the above.

S.Simon


"Jeff Morris" jeffmo@NoSpam-sv-lokiDOTcom wrote in message
...
So here's a simple question for Neal:

By some miracle you sailed your boat up to New England where we have real fog. You're
crossing Vineyard Sound in a pea soup fog, with a 20 knot SW breeze. I assume you're
carrying full sail, since you've often said that anything less would be unsafe.

You now hear a fog signal close by, roughly off the bow. It is a
"prolonged-short-short".
What do you do?