Fog is a fisherman’s worst enemy, according to Ray Bugeja, fisherman for the past 25 years and president of the National Fisheries Cooperative.
Fog is the worst thing that can happen to a fisherman
“It is the worst thing that can happen to a fisherman while out at sea, as even flares have a minimum effect in thick fog. And if you do get lost, it is important to remain calm because if you panic, you’ve had it,” Mr Bugeja said.
Speaking to The Sunday Times following the rescue of a man found two nights after he got lost in the fog, Mr Bugeja provided a quick recipe for survival.
If a fisherman gets lost he must first control his fear, then try every means of communication he has onboard and ration his food and water portions.
“Before you sail out, make sure you take double rations of food and water. Don’t assume you’ll just spend an afternoon fishing, because you never know what happens out at sea.
“My father, a fisherman for 68 years, always warned me that if I’m sailing out for two days, I have to take enough food for four days, and even more water,” he said.
Other essential things one should never leave without are a compass and a satellite phone, because a regular cellular phone and VHF radios do not always work when out at sea.
He admitted some enthusiasts seem to be more interested in spending money on their tackle than safety, and set off fishing without any form of training.
“Once I was with some other fishermen about 20 miles out at sea, and we came across a man fishing in the fog. We told him he should go back to shore with us, but he said he knew which direction to take, because the wind was blowing inland.
“I reminded him the wind could change direction... which was enough to make him change his mind. You can’t take anything for granted,” Mr Bugeja added.
Small boats should also sail out in twos, and have more than one engine, while larger boats with cabins – 10-metre vessels and larger ones – should possess a radar. Despite numerous stories of people getting lost at sea, the prospect of catching a fresh supper seems to make people forget about the potential dangers.
When Prof. Carmel Pule` was asked to navigate a boat on a fishing trip some 30 years ago, he set off with a magnetic compass, paper, a pencil and a pair of dividers, to the amusement of the two accompanying fishermen.
The men set off from Kalkara, planning on returning 18 hours later. But they only made it home 36 hours later, after getting lost.
Prof. Pule, 72, who comes from a family of boatmakers, now heads the Electronic Systems Engineering Department.
“I have spent my life in the sea, and on that day I knew I could not take anything for granted. I plotted our position every 10 minutes, taking into consideration the currents, which the two other men laughed off.”
However, when they finished finishing and Prof. Pule` suggested following his estimates, the others ignored him. They sailed towards where they thought they had left from, but eight hours later no land was in sight.
To make matters worse, two of the three engines stopped working. The men finally decided to let Prof. Pule` navigate the boat and he reduced the speed of the boat to save fuel.
He decided to follow his mathematical calculations and turned the boat a full 180 degrees back. Eight hours later, they made it to Grand Harbour just as their third and last engine stopped.