Whistle, gong, bell, or aerosol can of refrigerant?

[jen1722terry]

This is interesting.

We sail in mid-coast Maine June to October each year. Lots of fog and it can come and go quite suddenly. We have learned that many boats (pleasure or commercial) fail to comply with fog signaling requirements. Hence, one of us mans the radar at the helm and the other sits on the bow with the horn watching, listening and sounding at the required intervals.

I guess my point is, don't rely on the other guy to signal, even if you have recently signaled. Some folks don't care, some are not aware of the requirements, some folks resent you're tooting at them, some folks are too busy fishing or doing other things. Use that radar if you have it!

One thing we do always try to do in fog is vary a bit from the recommended bearing on the chart, hoping to avoid most of the traffic. Not always possible in narrow thoroughfares, but usually doable. There's lobster trap floats just about everywhere in coastal Maine, so leaving the route a bit doesn't matter.

Good luck to all. Be safe out there.

Jenn and Terry

[Kokanee]

I don't know if my bell is compliant or not, but in my cruising grounds it isn't really an issue.
I only ring it to make little kids smile.

I've seen fog on the water once in 30 years, and I avoided going out. Boating traffic is almost non existent compared to most parts of the world.
If I boated in Maine or Newfoundland or San Francisco, I'd get serious about a sound making device, but here it's rare for a boat to use their horn for any reason.

[stainless guy]

If you have a scuba compressor aboard plumb a horn in with a spare tank and change it out as needed

[Howler]

Since the original question includes a gong as one of the options, that's fine for small vessels. But if you HEAR a gong following a pattern of bells from a different location, it could be a vessel over 100 meters announcing it's either anchored or aground in fog. The bell is rung forward and the gong is rung aft to give a sense of the position of the vessel.

[luckychucky]

Sound in fog can be a bit confusing but a signal cannon blast is more reliably homed in on than a horn.

[Lihuedooley77]

There are reasons for having a horn / ships whistle . Other than being a regulation.

One thing is fog and sound signals is restricted visibility. There are other sound signals in good vis as well.

We do have fog here in socal, sometimes zero vis, and we follow the col regs and sound the proper sound signal..and listen for other vessels fog sound signals, if they even have a horn, or know what the sound signals in restricted visibilty are.

Also, it can be used as a distress/ danger signal....any continuous blast on the whistle or horn.
.
One you may have heard is 5 short blasts, ( avoid collision ) : I doubt you are taking sufficient action to Avoid Collision.

The other sound signals ( good vis ) , as to passing, overtaking, turning, engines astern, leaving a dock, I used only when skippering a large motor vessel on charters, not a sailing vessel. ( Those were very infrequent , except for leaving a dock. )

However, in a harbor with large motor vessels, and tour boats, it might be a good plan to understand the sound signals one of those larger vessels make .

Leaving my dock : one prolonged blast

My engines are going astern : 3 short blasts.

You would hear, one prolonged blast, followed by three short blasts. Good plan is to start looking for that behemouth backing out of his slip.

Vessel leaving its dock has the right of way. They are backing out, and the skipper cannot see you from the bridge . I had a deck hand to advise of normal passing traffic. I still made those departing and backing out sound signals.

Ringing a bell used to be for when you were anchored in fog. Ring the bell for five seconds every one minute. Or, sound morse code letter A on your ships whistle.
We preferred the latter.

Good on ya, if you never have to navigate in fog. Those of us who do, understand.

On the sailing vessels, we just had the air can type. The large motor vessels , they had electric ships whistles, you just had to push a button.

I also advised people , never point that cannister type air horn at anyones face, it is extremely loud, hurts and is harmful to their hearing. Try it on yourself , and once will be enougth. Not good.

Lastly, as to a ships bell. ( aye, all shiny, there in the main saloon, with the inviting bell rope hanging down to trap the un- knowledgeable guest.

ring, ring, ring, laugh, laugh.

You as skipper announce :

HE WHO RINGS THE BELL IN JEST
BUYS A DRINK FOR ALL THE REST.

Tell em, it is a famous rule of the sea.....they can buy the first 'after sailing round ' at the dockside bar.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Main thing is that a sound signaling device, horn/ Whistle should be on board, and available, and the skipper should also know the different sound signals that are required.

Actually, a copy of CG-169 , should be on board as well, and the skipper should be knowledgeable of its contents.

Does that happen very often. Nope, it does not.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

My sounder is a ships bell. It is a large bronze bell which (I think) can be heard further and better than most horns. It’s also far less abrasive to me on board.

Since I only use a horn when someone is doing something dumb (every time has been port tack, no bow watch, deck sweeper) I WANT it to be abrasive!

[Peeew]

I do carry an aerosol can horn. It met the USCG requirements when I was inspected. I have only used it once and I was really glad to have fast access to a really loud horn.

[Scott Berg]

I'm glad someone mentioned Colregs Rule #36; you may indeed use any signal (under 12m) that CANNOT be confused with an official signal in the rules, hence no tintinnabulation while underway.

As we are over 12 m and just under 20m we do carry a bell. We also have a whistle (horn) that is operated by a wonderful device called a SignalMate. We can either blow the whistle by manually from the helm OR set it to automatically blow from the nav station per our Colregs situation (making way, underway not making way, RAM, NUC, etc. So much better than having to manually blow every 2 min or so. Local company in MD makes them. If we all follow the Colregs it would be a much easier world!

https://www.google.com/search?q=sign...c_Qb5xNOpvydM:

[David Mathis]

You didn't indicate the boat length. If less than 39'4" you're ok with the devices you mentioned but if longer, you need a real horn and a bell. Rather than expound here, your advice is to check the regs which are readily available on the Internet.

[ikebartlett]

The Standard Horizon radio/hailer up on the mast, beneath the radar works great for me. I have a remote Mic at the helm, easy to use in horn mode or as I have done in the past as a hailer in heavy traffic ( kids from the sailing school) or when docking to co-ordinate with line handling so I'm sure the person on the dock is in synch with what I'm doing.

[Scott Berg]

Originally Posted by David Mathis

You didn't indicate the boat length. If less than 39'4" you're ok with the devices you mentioned but if longer, you need a real horn and a bell. Rather than expound here, your advice is to check the regs which are readily available on the Internet.

David, the Bell requirement has been moved to vessels over 20m now. I don't agree but I don't write the Colregs. The issue several were referring to is that a Bell can't substitute for a whistle (Colregs term for what most call a horn, a term not in the Regs) because under rule 36 it can be confused with another signal under the rules.

Otherwise, your are correct for vessels under 12m

[SV_Harbinger]

On Harbinger I have an electric horn, quite a small little thing, up just above the steaming light, not sure who made it any more but it is definitely loud. It can be sounded either at the helm via a button on the pedistal or at the nav station with an identical button. I also have an aerosol canned horn, that lives in the nav desk, never used it but it's there and has been for quite some time (I'm not even sure it'll work it's been there so long, I'll have to give it a try tomorrow) I also have a smallish bell on a piece of once pretty oak that is clamped to a sanction.
I tend not to use it when dealing with other boaters as a rule since most have not a single clue in the world what I'm trying to tell them. About the only signal I use in meeting other boats is the 5 shorts as it gets their attention even if they have no idea what it means.
As to fog, I am pretty reliable at sounding fog signals on the electric horn while underway, at anchor however, I would have to admit to being negligent at best with ringing the bell, unless I hear a signal of a vessel underway then I'll ring it if I'm anywhere near where some one could reasonably be expected to be navigating, (Not tucked way up some cove) but as a rule no I don't sound while anchored.
As far as bridges, I just dial them up on the VHF I haven't had any problems that way yet....

Anecdotally the one time I did have an issue in some very thick fog, it was a couple years ago involving a SUP drifting not far from my mooring. I came enormously close to running him down but I heard the hollering and saw him just in time to go hard to starboard.... what the fool was doing was and still is beyond me ... they've also been a recurrent issue after dark as well but that's a rant for some other time lol

[Tillsbury]

Just the other day I found this in a local shop:

https://www.amazon.com/Super-Blast-7.../dp/B00450FLAU

I can heartily recommend it. Produces the right kind of noise for a fog warning (or 5 hoots) which means people are expecting a boat. I don't think whistles nor gongs are a good idea on a yacht for reasons given above.

Sounds pretty much like one of the aerosol versions, but is completely manual and hence can't run out. And, of course, eco-friendly. It can be dismantled and appears fairly robust with a large piston generously greased inside.

You simply turn the bottom and it comes out like a bicycle pump. Each press gives you a decent volume horn sound. To store it, you can screw it back in if you like or just leave it out and ready to go. I will be mounting a clip inside the cockpit table locker so it has a permanent home within easy reach of the helm.

[paul2884]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

But a bell does not meet the requirement for a horn/whistle for signalling, does it?

Jim

Perhaps things are different in Europe but my understanding of the regs was. bell or gong when at anchor, fog horn in fog and short blasts on horn/ships whistle for changes of direction etc. as for personal whistles you would put in your pocket I have only seen them on lifejackets and wouldn’t want to cause panic using them in for at getting all the vessels in the area looking for a MOB.