The Fog Knife and Other Wondrous Devices
by Karen Sullivan
One cold February day I walked sense of adventure, and a fondness for
POTATO RADAR
into Brion Toss’s rigging shop in Port a good yarn.
This is the only organic,
Townsend, Washington. As usual,
biodegradable radar there is, except
he was in a jovial mood and busy THE FOG KNIFE
perhaps for Yam Radar in southern
making something; on this day, it was My first fog knife was given to me
states. Position a crew member on the
a gorgeous plaited lanyard for a lead in 1982 by a 90 year-old New England
bow, with a small supply of potatoes.
line. It was almost too pretty to think shellback who loved to spring it on the
It works best if he/she has a good
of throwing over the side to bring up gullible. Make one out of a piece of
throwing arm. Have the crew throw a
blobs of mud. But there is something wood, as shown. Do not label it. Simply
potato as far forward as possible. As
tactile and direct about lowering a lead hang your fog knife in a prominent place
long as you hear a splash, everything’s
line with tallow inside its end, feeling in the cabin and wait for someone to
fine. If you don’t hear a splash, it’s time
it thump hard or soft on the bottom, ask, “What’s that?” Keeping a straight
to say “Ready about!” If you’re
reading the depth, retrieving
following a vessel equipped
and coiling the wet line, and,
with Potato Radar, be sure to
finally, rubbing a pinch of the
bring a net scoop to recover the
sand, mud, or clay between
pre-washed starch portion of
your fingers and smelling it.
your dinner.
You will know what’s down
there for your anchor. It’s
CENTERBOARD SONAR
simple and satisfying. And you can
Years ago when I sailed a
still use your depth sounder! The patented Fog Knife
Chesapeake Bay Bugeye centerboard
Brion is the only person I know has been used for decades
schooner equipped with a trawl net,
with a full arsenal of lead line jokes. on the gullible. Be sure
there were occasions when I had to
We began a mutual lamentation on the to explain that the tip is important for
venture across shallows. Whenever
mariner’s lost arts and the electronic hooking the wedge of fog, and the holes,
I did, I would lower the massive
usurpation of cheap, practical, time- in descending size order, are to allow
centerboard, which gave the boat a 9
tested old methods that used humble different thicknesses of fog to flow through
foot, retractable draft. A second chance
materials to make simple, useful and so as not impede its operation.
before grounding is always nice. When
occasionally beautiful things. And
the cable, which we’d measured and
did I mention cheap? When I asked
marked for this purpose, would go
Brion if he’d ever used a Fog Knife, face, casually give these directions for
slack, we’d pull on it to gauge the
he guffawed himself out of his chair. its use: Stand on the bow and face 45
remaining amount of centerboard
His riposte was to ask, had I ever used degrees to starboard. Extend the knife
down and thus our depth. The nice
Potato Radar? I admitted that I hadn’t. and make a slice in the fog. Turn 45
thing about centerboard sonar is the
We then launched into the merits of degrees to port. Slice again, hook it
shallower you get, the slower you go,
Centerboard Sonar, which we’d both with the end of the knife, and lift the
especially with a heavy board. The
used. So, in the spirit of passing it all wedge of fog out of the way so that you
trick is not to stop. Centerboard Sonar
on, here are three more traditions for can see a few feet further. Okay, maybe
gives you time to figure all this out.
anyone who combines sailing in foggy there’s some slight exaggeration on
or shoal waters with a small budget, a practicality. But it is cheap.
★ ★
YACHT RIGGERS
presents
www.cwb.org
"RIG YOUR BOAT"
Port Townsend Weekend Workshops
Nov. 7-8 & Nov. 21-22
360.385.1080 www.briontoss.com
48° No r t h , No v e m b e r 2009 Pa g e 37
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