Cruising the New England coast in the sumertime has a lot of
attractions: Good harbors, quaint little towns with much charm, fresh
sea food restaurants, decent fishing at times, fresh lobster, etc.

It also has something called fog. When the fog rolls in like a thick
heavy blanket everything changes in a minute. A crisp clear day with
blue sunny skies is almost instantly transformed into a cool white
cloud which surrounds everything, sometimes even obscuring boats that
are anchored nearby. It takes some getting used to, especially if you
are caught underway. Suddenly your entire frame of reference is
erased - landmarks, navigational buoys, channel marks, nearby boats
- everything. It can be very unsettling if you've never experienced
it before or are unprepared.

Radar, if you have it, suddenly becomes your best friend. It can
help to restore some sense of orientation and alert you to nearby
hazzards. It can also give you distances and bearings. In
conjunction with a good chart plotter, your radar and sense of hearing
tell you almost everthing you need to know. The loud horn that you
hear in the distance can be identified as either a fixed navigation
mark or a boat underway. If a boat underway, you can tell if the
relative bearing angle from your bow is increasing, decreasing, or
staying the same. If the bearing is constant you are on a collision
course with what ever is out there. It's time to go into high gear,
sound the fog horn, listen for a reply, attempt contact on VHF radio,
and remember all of those lessons on the Rules of the Road. It can be
nerve wracking but also challenging and exciting with all of your
senses racing along as you sort out the situation and determine a
course of action.

The good news is that there are only two locations in New England that
experience foggy weather. The first is north of Cape Cod and the
second is south of Cape Cod. We're south today in Edgartown Harbor
on the island of Martha's Vineyard. Our boat is securely tied to one
of the town moorings so navigation is not an issue as the fog comes
and goes, and the town disappears and reappears. It's all part of
the cruising New England experience.