rhys wrote:


Agreed, and I know what you are getting at. But if seas are flat, wind
is calm, and you are on a misty seaway at dusk/dawn motoring at five
knots under autopilot, I can see where a trawler or small frieghter
doing the same on a reciprocal course would be nearly invisible to you
simply due to the fact that your radar's proximity alarm or "range
guard" or whatever they call it would not go off until the ship on the
collision course was on top of you...solely due to the mizzen
placement.

A person on watch on a calm, foggy night (say a 75 foot high bank of
fog, giving the impression it's clear "enough" overhead, but miserable
all around) *might( hear engine noise or see a dim glow. But with the
terrible watch-keeping on commercial traffic these days, I wouldn't
count on being seen, either.

G I'll avoid comment on commercial watchkeeping nowadays, as I've been
out of that loop for @15 years. However, since I "do" get involved with
a lot of recreational boaters, I'd call their average ..... not the best.
I.E., you don't rely on anyone but yourself to maintain a good watch.


I suppose the other side of the equation is that a mainmast mounted
radome on a ketch has poor coverage aft, meaning that a ship
overtaking you from dead astern would also be hard to notice in such
conditions, particularly over your own exhaust note.

But such conditions are exactly when one would use radar, no?

R.

You'll find that many vessels of many types and sizes have "blind spots"
associated with their particular scanner installation. As part of your
good watchkeeping, you should be aware of these "blind spots" for your
particular vessel, and act accordingly.

otn