.... sailing at about 6-7 knots with autopilot set to track wind, the Admiral and I were distracted long enough that we looked up to see a full-sized green gong about 6 boat lengths dead-ahead! It was an oh-sh#t moment. Fortunately I had time to kill the AP and swing the wheel. This thing looked about 12 feet tall and 10 feet wide (maybe not, but it sure would have cut my sailing season short. I have scary images in my mind about the consequences of such an impact).

I knew it was out there, too. Last time I looked we weren't tracking toward it, and I hadn't noticed the wind shift or appreciated how much distance we had covered since last scanning our surroundings.

I think this kind of thing happens to boaters because boats move slowly in relation to the visual distance to the nearest hazards. Crews get distracted with all kinds of things -- whether it's the smart phone or checking the weather online, going below for a "quick trip to the head", eating or food prep, group conversation (especially if entertaining guests), trimming sails or organizing things in the boat. Unfortunately the consequences can be disastrous.

I think this kind of lapse of attention is what might have happened to the crew of Archangel as she drifted off course by the current.

After another close call a few years ago I started setting a timer that vibrates my belt or beeps every 2 minutes. (In the crowded waters of LIS that's not too frequent to check surroundings.) I'm going to dust that off and start using it again.