Sea Fog

[boristhebold]

Anyone around Old Harry on saturday and experienced the sea fog, my first experience, very exciting trying to dodge other boats when visibility was only a hundred yards or less. Could not even see the fast cat coming out of Poole Harbour from 100 yards.

[biffer]

Originally Posted by boristhebold

Anyone around Old Harry on saturday and experienced the sea fog, my first experience, very exciting trying to dodge other boats when visibility was only a hundred yards or less. Could not even see the fast cat coming out of Poole Harbour from 100 yards.

that's a funny bay just there, i've had that there and as soon as i got into poole harbour it was gone

[zookeeper]

we had it hythe (kent) on friday too came in really quickly,dover coast guard on radio said vis was down to 50m ..not very nice, good arguement for radar reflectors and loud voices!

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by zookeeper

good arguement for radar reflectors and loud voices!

Good idea to have AIS fitted too

Pete

[Steve_B]

We were on our second full boat of the day and we came past Ballard Down on the way back to Poole, there were some clouds forming on top, but otherwise just fabulous.

40 mins later out with the next trip and as we left the harbour entrance, Old Harry was no where to be seen and the cloud was rolling off the top of the Down and over Old Harry, then forming a fog bank to Sandbanks. Thinking it might be only locallised, we proceeded (with radar on) along Ballard Down (5kts) hoping to pop out in Swanage.

However we never popped out and vis was down to 50m with water droplets soaking everything. As we turned for Poole, there was a Mayday call from the dive boat Skua, stating that they had lost two divers on the surface. The position given was less than 500m away, so with the pemission of the passengers, we started a search (coastguard & Skua informed). Fortunately divers found by another dive boat 15mins later.

As we popped out again at Old Harry, it was once again a fabulous day! The strange thing was, the fog was drifting against the wind! So my assessment of the siuation was that a large area of cold water was flowing up the Channel and the hot humid air mass was quickly chilled allowing the water vapour to condense out.

Steve

[boristhebold]

I think your right, I was out on Sunday as well, no sea fog but just past swanage bay the air temperature suddenly dropped considerably until I was past Chapmans pool. No radar on my boat so saturday was scarry especially when the fast catamaran zoomed out of the fog.

[Cookee]

we often get that down Salcombe way - no fast ferries round here luckily!

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by 250kts

As we turned for Poole, there was a Mayday call from the dive boat Skua, stating that they had lost two divers on the surface. The position given was less than 500m away, so with the pemission of the passengers, we started a search (coastguard & Skua informed). Fortunately divers found by another dive boat 15mins later.

How far away from their boat were the divers when found?

That's exactly why I don't dive in fog. My buddies think I'm scared (though I usually talk them out of it as well), but I've missed the anchor line too many times to rely on it. I want to be able to see the boat when I hit the surface...

jky

[Steve_B]

JKY

About 400m, no more.

These guys did not set off to dive in fog. There was nothing forecast and they just got caught out. It was so sudden and I really mean quick, that they surfaced in unlimited vis and brillant weather, but before they were recovered, it was less than 50m.
The dive boat skipper did exactly the right thing, by calling the Mayday and having a lat & long for the last sighting and a bearing and speed of drift.

It was an amazing sight and experience

Steve

[Jon.esp]

Mist and fog are not uncommon around Cabo de Creus and the Golf de Rosas in the summer. It doesn't make for good photos though.