A lesson in Sound - Landmarks speak out.

Go for a ride a few km's off the shore of Lake Ontario then shut down your sail or motor and just sit there for a moment drifting. Relaxing? More than likely.

So you are a sitting - drifting - looking at the city line in front of you - buildings, skyscrapers, chimney stacks, etc. All of a sudden things start to dissapear. a cold front moves in, creating a fog that obscurs everything. You are a few km's out and all that you have around you is thick fog. You are blind.

Your running radar? Cool, might help you out a little, let you know where the land and those big ships are. Autohelm - thats cool, if your moving, but you have shut down and you are just sitting there.

Moments later you hear the sound from the local lighthouse. That good 'ol foghorn. Wait a moment, what direction did that sound come from?

It's there. The sound is familiar....As long as you can hear it you are safe. Kinda. Or maybe not. But there is the comfort factor. "You can hear it"....

That speaks VOLUMES. Excuse the pun, but even though you can't tell where that ol' foghorn is coming from, a quick glance at the compass or the GPS will put things into perspective - after all, that lighthouse never moves, right? Right.

Yes, as far as I am concerned - Right. We hear the lighthouse foghorn. We look at the GPS or compass. We can relate from the readings the estimated position of that lighthouse - and all is well. We are good to go.

Now, take that sound you heard in the bush and link a GPS or compass to it. You cant. You dont know where it origintated from. You heard it but there is no definitive point of creation. The sound might have echoed and come from all over the place. It's confusing and possibly overwhelming. You just dont know.

So when it comes to landmarks that you are familiar with, whether it be sound, light, or anything that gives it a unique identity, remember that. The simplest things that we "bypass"in our day to day lives can provide us with the information we need to get through a tough situation.

I've been through it. 1km off shore in Lake Ontario. Fog, thick fog. Nothing to be seen 5 feet in any direction. Radar is scattered. Then the foghorn sounds. Grab that waypoint out of the GPS an set your focus on it. It's your local harbour. Wait for the fog to subside then you are home-free. (Watch those shipping lanes!!! :)