We continued to make our way down the west coast of Oregon when the forecast was favourable (but as we found out not necessarily accurate). However, we managed a couple of very good sails with the wind and the current both in our favour. That is of course if you don't mind being engulfed in thick fog and only being able to see 50 or 100 metres in any direction. It is a very unsettling feeling indeed until you cast your fate to the wind.

We had both the AIS and radar to help us identify other marine traffic, but it didn't help us in spotting the floats of the crab pots. The traps are not everywhere but when you encounter them, it is like trying to sail through a minefield (reminiscent of Japan). One difference is that these crab pots don't have one float but two, or even three. One float is attached directly to the trap and the line is heavier than water and therefore sinks. This float is tied to another float via a FLOATING line. Trouble is of course that this is also a perfect setup for hooking around a keel, and if you happen to be motoring at the time (and don't have a good quality rope cutter on your prop shaft), then it is possible that the line will wrap around your propeller and shaft. I've heard of instances where this has resulted in the breaking of a boat's engine mounts. A guy on another yacht told me that one day he had been motoring in his sailboat (aka yacht) due to no wind, 12 miles offshore. He didn't see a set of floats and his prop caught them - not hard to do. He wasn't able to clear the line from the prop so he called up for a tow back to port. This particular service is, if available, a commercial arrangement and it cost the guy $800 for a tow back to port. Keep in mind also that there are pots that are lost or abandoned and have been in the ocean for years in the middle of nowhere by themselves. So it pays to keep a good lookout.