Fog Signals

[johngsandusky]

What do you use? I've always had mouth horns on my boats. The power vessels I operated had loudhailers with automatic horns. Do you sound signals (as required) in fog? Or only if you hear another?

[Thorne]

A very loud recording of a freighter entering the channel....naw, just kidding.

I stay out of the fog these days, but used to fire off a handheld air horn on my larger sailboat when I heard an engine thru the pea soup.

[SchoonerRat]

Mouth horn, air horn, electric horn, steam whistle---don't really matter--just sound it loud and sound it often. Don't wait to hear somebody else's fog signal. If he hears my signal before I hear his, then I win.

[ssor]

A loud barking dog is best and next is the sound of cows.

[paladin]

8 large tractor inner tubes, partially inflated and taped side to side with a couple of diving weights on each one to look like a sea serpent in the water....a chinese new years dragon head on a long pole with glowing lights for eyes, a really weird low growling whistle, and then scoot it along late at night through an anchorage....

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

Less imaginative than Chuck's sea serpent are the International Regulations, which stipulate (broadly) a horn if the vessel is under way, but a bell if moored.

"Fog signals are now laid down in the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. Vessels of less than 12 metres (39 ft) in length are not obliged to give any of the following signals, though they must make some other efficient sound signal at intervals of not more than two minutes.

1. A steamship under way sounds one prolonged blast on its steam whistle or foghorn not less than every two minutes.

2. A vessel under way but stopped sounds two prolonged blasts not less than every two minutes with two seconds between each blast.

3. A vessel not under command, a vessel restricted in its ability to manoeuvre or constrained by its draught, a sailing vessel, a vessel engaged in fishing, and a vessel engaged in towing or pushing another vessel, shall sound, at intervals of not more than two minutes, one prolonged blast followed by two short ones.

4. A vessel at anchor shall, at intervals of not more than a minute, ring its bell rapidly for about five seconds. In a vessel exceeding 100 metres (328 ft) the bell must be sounded in the forepart of the vessel and immediately afterwards a gong must be sounded rapidly for about five seconds in the after part. In addition, a vessel at anchor may sound one short blast, then one prolonged one, then another short one, to warn an approaching vessel of possible collision.

5. Blasts, not just in fog, are also used by vessels to indicate a change of course. One short blast indicates that the vessel is altering its course to starboard; two short blasts indicates that it is altering its course to port; and three short blasts indicates that it is going astern."
.

[johngsandusky]

I know the rules. I have a mouth horn, I'm not sure it's practical to blow it three times every two minutes all night.
I'm going with the inner tubes.....

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

Well, apparently you don't have to blow anything these days. You just get this CD (http://cdbaby.com/cd/rdjansen6), select the right combination, and play it through your boom-box....
.

[Torna]

I used a bugle. Got a $10 cheapy from Harbor Freight, worked fine.
-leif

[johngsandusky]

Fittings, that is a cool idea. Best I've heard. Thanks.