Foggy Time
Halcyon1929
Tue 22 Aug 2017 10:14
Around 10.30 we motored into a fog bank where visibility went from 20 miles to 50 metres and within minutes we found ourselves relying on radar and AIS for collision avoidance.
Theo decided it would be prudent to get the off watch crew into their foul weather gear and life jackets and assembled in the deckhouse ready for action if the worst should happen. Phileas Fog our tanker captain manned our foghorn with a long blast every 2 minutes. We heard nothing in reply.
Finisterre radio informed all ships of the position and course of a yacht which had no radar but he was 10 miles ahead of us and close inshore and we couldn't see him.
We saw plenty of fishing boats on radar and AIS but no visuals because of the fog. Around 2am the fog lifted and visibility was restored to allow us to see entire fleets of fishing boats in some sort of cooperation, (including flashing orange lights).
With dawn the sea remained calm with almost no wind and we motored South at around 7 knots. At this rate we will be in Portimao around Thursday lunchtime but we do expect the help of some northerly winds before then.