Mentone/Ricketts today...A lesson learned

[gom]

You could always invest in a $30 boat compass - no batteries to go flat.

An old fashioned compass is good investment even if it's only needed once every couple of years. A cheap way to avert a potential tragedy.

[maverick]

Pity about the fish, looks like the bay for the moment has pretty much shutdown.

Don't tell loboloco that - think he did ok today.

[wokka1]

Oh well you were prepared.
I bought a Hand held Garmin from Rays on special for $149 was the best investment i bought
for out in the bay.I havent found a problem with that running batteries dead if that is any help.
The idea of using the phone with compass is a great idea and good to see it got you out of trouble.

I've been checking out run times for the cheaper garmins. Much better than the colour touch screen I'm using and I'm only using this one because it's already "in the family" so to speak so it cost me nothing. The touch screen is actually a pain in the proverbial as you have to scroll through menus to mark a waypoint if you are on the map screen. So if you are on the move, either sounding or trolling by the time you hit mark you are well past the point anyway. Instant push button on the cheaper models seems a better way to go.

[Bozzie]

Saw the fog at Port Melbourne and thought WoW!
Never expected to read a report like this.
Yes, I did watch both videos and they explained the gps, foghorn situation well.
Having a good mechanical compass is only useful if you have any idea about reading a map. Knowing where you want to go is the hardest part.

[maverick]

Having a good mechanical compass is only useful if you have any idea about reading a map. Knowing where you want to go is the hardest part.

I disagree. If wokka1 was sitting in his yak and saw the fog coming, in the space of 5 seconds, he could of looked at the direction of the land on his compass and then paddled straight in.

[vikodin]

Oh well you were prepared.
I bought a Hand held Garmin from Rays on special for $149 was the best investment i bought
for out in the bay.I havent found a problem with that running batteries dead if that is any help.
The idea of using the phone with compass is a great idea and good to see it got you out of trouble.

I've been using that 150 buck garmin hh for a little while now, the only problem i have had with it is that it randomly powers off although that is rare. At least the battery aint flat and as long as you mark the start point finding the way back is ok.
Wonder if anyone else has had this happen although it could be me leaning on it or something.

[loboloco]

Would be pretty scary to be lost out there! Fortunately I have a sounder/gps combo that has basic maps which would easily get me out of trouble.


Cheers
Loboloco

[Dognut]

Oh well you were prepared.
I bought a Hand held Garmin from Rays on special for $149 was the best investment i bought
for out in the bay.I havent found a problem with that running batteries dead if that is any help.
The idea of using the phone with compass is a great idea and good to see it got you out of trouble.

I've been using that 150 buck garmin hh for a little while now, the only problem i have had with it is that it randomly powers off although that is rare. At least the battery aint flat and as long as you mark the start point finding the way back is ok.
Wonder if anyone else has had this happen although it could be me leaning on it or something.

Yeah they do that. Its fairly well known that they power down after any small knock. There is a fix on the web somewhere involving a a small capacitor across the batteries. Fairly easy mod.

MMMmm fog is no fun at all/// So easy to get lost.

[kads]

I was off fishermans beach in morno when the fog came in, luckily I was just hanging around the reef where there are 3 poles/channel markers, so I knew where I was, but i couldnt see the beach.
When I was heading in and left the safety of the channel marker poles, I just pointed the nose at the beach and just paddled in, when I was 1/2 way from the markers to shore, I couldnt see any further than about 5o metres in any direction, I wouldn't of liked it if I was any further out. When I was about 200 metres from shore, a small stinker appeared out of the fog coming from the boat ramp just idleing along, luckily he was only putting along because he was heading for the reef, which I noticed earlier that some parts were only about 1 to 2 feet under the surface, he had to dramatically change direction after he saw where the channel markers were.
I was throwing around a SP (nuc chook) for some flatty, and threw a squid jig also, but nothing around. So I packed it up and hit the morno jetty for awhile chasing squid, they were following my orange yamashita , but only sniffing it...no attacks...its soooo frustrating when you can see them just sniffing it.

[wokka1]

I didn't post this story lightly, it's embarrassing to admit you've screwed up but it really bought the safety message home to me in a big way. I appreciate the input and in truth I actually thought I'd cop much more of a bagging so thanks for taking it easy on me

Mav probably nailed my biggest screw up. Put simply I lost my spatial awareness. That is to say I didn't know where I was in relation to what was around me. I was anchored up probably 200 metres outside the marine reserve boundary off Table rock. I had taken note of my position in relation to the shore and the marker poles (I always do to see if I'm dragging anchor) and I was aware of the wave direction but in the space of perhaps 10 minutes my inattention to the bigger picture cost me.

Firstly I was head down concentrating on the rod tip and I just figured that at 3 pm the fog was another short term cloud that had been happening most of the day. I started to pack up then in case it wasn't. I did a lap of my snagged anchor and in the time it took to complete that lap the poles inside me were gone and the boat outside me a vague shadow. I cut my anchor ( I use a 20 lb mono breakaway but it wouldn't budge) and using the wave direction started to follow it to the shallows. Problem was the wind had continued to swing to the south AFTER I'd lost my bearings so by following the waves I was heading toward the beach but at an angle and toward Sandy rather than Mentone. I doubted what my mobile phone compass was telling me because I fired it up once I was blind and it seemed to contradict what I thought the waves were saying. Once I hit shallows and got a bead on the beach I knew all I had ahead of me was a long paddle. My biggest concern then was other boats and as you can see in the second video I reached for the fog horn at one stage as a tinny on the plane crossed my bow about 50 m away and had to pull up real quick as they saw the cliffs in front of them. They WERE going to fast in the conditions and by the looks on their faces had no idea where they were.

No doubt the more experienced among you have been in these conditions so this heads up is aimed at the new players out there of which I still consider myself one. For those that haven't don't underestimate how disorientating fog can be. when your senses are restricted to a 100 m circle of choppy water your mind can start playing funny buggers.
I'll now be checking fog, along with tides ,wind and waves when planning a bay trip.