Of Fog and Jellyfish

Mon Aug 19 2019 09:36:00 GMT-0700 (Pacific Daylight Time)

We’ve been motoring in the fog for hours. It’s been clearing up, not as dense as it was. I can now see two nautical miles out. I know this because the rock with a tower on it (as noted on the charts) is 2 nautical miles away and I can see it. The thing about fog is the dense, wet, heaviness of it. It coats everything and hangs in the air. You can feel it with your every breath. Fog brings with it a chillness that seems to seep into your skin; into your bones. I’m layered but still feel chilled and damp. Fog is tiring too. It takes extra effort and vigilance. You’re constantly scanning the horizon as far in front of the boat as you can see, while double checking the charts and your radar to see if you missed anything. The fog hasn’t been a constant on this trip but it has been a feature showing up at various times of day or night.

The jellyfish have been interesting to watch in the water the closer we get to Crescent City. They range from the size of salad plates to dinner plates. Mostly they’re clear and white but some of them have shades of pink or blue in their tentacles while others are clear with orange tentacles. The orange ones seem to be swimming upside down with their tentacles stretched up to the surface of the water. They look like orange gelatinous blobs just drifting by. -Karri