National Safe Boating Week Continues
Boating in Sea Fog
Try not to be caught in the fog, especially on the water. You may lose your life.
Fog can create very low visibility making safe navigation difficult for boaters. Fog is formed when warm and moist air moves across cooler waters...and changes form...creating a clouds at the Earth's surface.
In dense fog, the visibility can be reduced to less than a boat length, significantly increasing the risk of collision or grounding your boat.
If your boat is shrouded by fog, reduce your boat speed. Remember, you should always wear your life jacket whether it is foggy or not. But double check to make sure that everyone is wearing a United States Coast Guard approved life jacket in situations with fog. Display all boat lights and sound warning signals for limited visibility if you encounter fog.
You can always anchor your vessel in a safe location until conditions improve.
Other precautions boaters take in low visibility include posting lookouts to see and listen for signals or sounds from other vessels or to listen for the sound of breaking waves.
Remember that safe boating is no accident. Consider staying in port when dense fog is occurring or expected. Listen to NOAA Weather Radio all hazards for the latest forecasts and observations before you consider setting sail.
When on the open waters, set you frequency to NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards for alerts on dense fog or even sudden severe thunderstorms that might cross your path. Be prepared and not sorry.
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