FOG

This blog is about fog...

I was stuck in fog for the past several days and had lots of time to reflect on fog.  I found this poem by Carl Sandburg - I hope you like it...



There are many different types of fog.  I won't bore you with a description of the different types and the origins of fog, but it's safe to say that when you're on a boat and the fog rolls in - it is an eerie experience.   When the fog was at it's thickest - most dense - I could not see more than a boat's length all around me.  I could see the moisture ('moys-ja' in New England accent) and I could almost taste the water vapor in the air. An interesting thing happens when you're in the fog.  All your other senses are heightened.  You hear sounds and you can smell things that might otherwise go unnoticed.  Your mind also plays tricks on you and you see things - some of which are there and others only in your mind.  Your sense of touch changes as you simply cannot get dry.  Everything is wet.  There is dampness all around - outside as well as inside the boat.  The interior of the boat glistens with water droplets.

I've been in fog before on a boat - but not when I'm alone in unfamiliar waters.  This recent bout of fog occurred while I was on a mooring in Scituate, Massachusetts.  I woke in the morning and could not see a thing.  The boat was consumed in the fog.  I knew there were other moored boats near me and I was moored in a harbor with a group of islands around me - I saw all this when I arrived the prior day.  But now I could not see any of these things.  Obviously, I opted to stay put and not go anywhere.  I was surprised to hear other boats as they exited the harbor and headed out to sea that morning.  I'm guessing they were fishermen.

Here's what it looked like when I woke up to the fog in Scituate...

I waited for a while and the fog began to lift around mid-day.  So, I made plans to head out to my next destination.  My past experience has been that once the fog lifts it is gone for the day.  Well - I was wrong.  I got underway and could see maybe a mile or so.  About an hour out on the water the fog came back in as thick as it was earlier in the day.  Now - I got a bit nervous.  I was not concerned about navigating cause I was in open/unobstructed water heading for Boston Harbor and my GPS shows the way.  But I was concerned about other boaters.  I couldn't see them and they couldn't see me.  I had no choice but to proceed and I slowed the boat to a crawl and went ahead with all caution.  I had a hand-held fog horn right at my side and blasted it when at one point I heard a power boat going way too fast for the given conditions.  I heard the guy and at the last second saw a ghostly image of his boat go zooming by me.  I'm sure he never saw me and had no idea how close he was to me.   That made me real nervous but I had to keep going.  I was also concerned cause with Boston as my next port of call I knew there would be lots of traffic in the area even though it was foggy.  The ferry traffic to and from all the islands does not stop for the fog.  I headed close to shore to stay out of the shipping lanes and even though I was only about a half mile from shore I couldn't see land.  Now - I was getting concerned about how to proceed in to the harbor with zero visibility....  Low and behold the fog lifted right about that time and I was able to see well enough to get to an anchorage off one of the islands and call it a day...  Whew.

Boston Light (first lighthouse built in the United States dating back to 1716) as the fog lifted and I approached the harbor...

So I figured tomorrow would be a better day - wrong again - the fog hung around for 3 full days and when it finally lifted for real I could see the amazing and picturesque skyline of the city of Boston and all the surrounding islands in Boston Harbor.

Speaking of the Boston Harbor Islands I had no idea that in the big city of Boston there is this group of about a dozen islands which are designated as National Park Land.  Despite the fog I was able to navigate and get around to several of the islands while I was waiting for things to clear up.  These islands all have historical significance specifically related to the Civil War.  Many of the islands have old forts on them that were manned during the war and intended as strategic defense for the city of Boston against the Confederate Navy.  I saw some real interesting stuff and learned lots of history from that awful period of our past.

Green Ayes in the fog while I explored Boston Harbor Islands...

Here's the remnants of an old pier on one of the islands...  see the dilapidated pilings in the distance...

Fort Warren (1850) on Georges Island

There was a moat around the fort similar to a medieval castle...  See the drawbridge in the fog?

The fort was also a prison where confederate prisoners were kept.

This was the hospital where wounded soldiers were treated...

And this is one of the reasons why soldiers were in the hospital...

Well - it was several days of fog but the sun finally did return and the sky did turn blue again.  So, I'm back underway headed to northern Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and ultimately Maine.