Going out of a harbour or coming into a harbour can be like night and day or like sun and fog as the case may be. Sometimes there are many shades of grey in between so honing and learning skills to accomodate different situations while paddling is crucial especially when paddling alone. Being able to read a compass, take bearings, plot a course and determine a heading will take you where you need to go. Referencing nautical charts at hand and /or a GPS will make your life much easier. Never depend on electronics to see you thur. Though they will a back up such as charts are indispensible when paddling near or offshore. I keep a spare set of batteries for my electronics close at hand in a water tight bag for use if current batteries die.I find it amazing how the eyes constantly search for reference areas in the fog. When paddling near cliffs...everything looks like a cliff. You may catch a glimpse of a cliff and then loose it in the fog and when you look around you see that blasted cliff everywhere, even in the fog from seaward. The compass.....ever mariner's tool.
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