---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sailors approaching the coast in a fog…"
description: "\"“Sailors approaching the coast in a fog can recognize the Santa Barbara Channel by the smell of bitumen which floats on the water.”\" — Caroline C. Leig..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/caroline-c-leighton-93589_california_sailors-approaching-the-coast-in-a-fog-c_2739829.jpg"
---

#  Sailors approaching the coast in a fog can recognize the…

![“Sailors approaching the coast in a fog can recognize the Santa Barbara Channel by the smell of bitumen which floats on the water.” quote by Caroline C. Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/caroline-c-leighton-93589_california_sailors-approaching-the-coast-in-a-fog-c_2739829.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/caroline-c-leighton-93589_california_sailors-approaching-the-coast-in-a-fog-c_2739829.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/caroline-c-leighton-93589_california_sailors-approaching-the-coast-in-a-fog-c_2739829.jpg)

> ““Sailors approaching the coast in a fog can recognize the Santa Barbara Channel by the smell of bitumen which floats on the water.””

Caroline C. Leighton

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Sailors can identify the Santa Barbara Channel in fog by the distinctive smell of bitumen on the water.

**In simple terms:** Bitumen smell signals Santa Barbara Channel in fog.

Key Takeaway

Use sensory cues for navigation.

Themes

navigation sensory perception maritime geography environment

Mood

observational practical

Type

California:1 Sailors:1 Santa barbara:1 Smell Bitumen:1 Sailors Approaching:0 Coast Fog:1 Bitumen Floats:1

When to use this quote

- sailing
- coastal travel
- environmental observation

Key Concepts

marine science cultural knowledge

Questions to Reflect On

- How do sensory cues aid navigation?
- What other natural signals exist?

A Different Perspective

Smell may be unreliable.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[California](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california/) [Sailors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sailors/)

## Related quotes

> [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/)

[Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/)

> [I stand with the Santa Barbara News-Press. How about you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-malkin/i-stand-with-the-santa-barbara-news-press-how-about-you/)

[Michelle Malkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-malkin/)

> [“Sam Temple was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Los Angeles, where there were specialists there in burn injuries. He wasn’t consulted: he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-grant/sam-temple-was-taken-by-helicopter-to-a-hospital-in-los-angeles-where/)

[Michael Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-grant/)

> [My family was lower middle class, and my parents both worked, so we couldn't take proper vacations. We'd go for three days to Santa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-shearer/my-family-was-lower-middle-class-and-my-parents-both-worked-so-we/)

[Harry Shearer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-shearer/)

> [My recent retirement from full-time teaching to the status of research professor at University of California-Santa Barbara (UCSB) encouraged me to come out, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/my-recent-retirement-from-full-time-teaching-to-the-status-of/)

[Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/)

> [My parents moved to American Samoa when I was three or four years old. My dad was principal of a high school there. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-stoltz/my-parents-moved-to-american-samoa-when-i-was-three-or-four-years-old/)

[Eric Stoltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-stoltz/)

> [Just as there are many more Californians now to be found in the temples of Kyoto or the villages of Bali or the mountains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/just-as-there-are-many-more-californians-now-to-be-found-in-the/)

[Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/)

> [Thirty years ago, my sister, Gale (so named because a gale hit Boston Harbor the night she was born), some friends and I stole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretel-ehrlich/thirty-years-ago-my-sister-gale-so-named-because-a-gale-hit-boston/)

[Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/)

> [I don't trust Santa Barbara as far as I can spit. I am afraid that if I went back there, it's possible that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-quaid/i-don-t-trust-santa-barbara-as-far-as-i-can-spit-i-am-afraid-that-if/)

[Randy Quaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-quaid/)

> [In 1995, I had been chosen to make a short presentation about the state of the TV business at a company retreat in Santa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/in-1995-i-had-been-chosen-to-make-a-short-presentation-about-the/)

[Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/)

> [Santa Barbara is a paradise; Disneyland is a paradise; the U.S. is a paradise. Paradise is just paradise. Mournful, monotonous, and superficial though it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/santa-barbara-is-a-paradise-disneyland-is-a-paradise-the-u-s-is-a/)

[Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/)

> [When I was in college, I wanted to be editor of 'Reason' when I grew up. It was an impractical ambition, especially since the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/when-i-was-in-college-i-wanted-to-be-editor-of-reason-when-i-grew-up/)

[Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/)

> [There's one Baldessari work I genuinely love and would like to own, maybe because of my Midwestern roots and love of driving alone. 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/there-s-one-baldessari-work-i-genuinely-love-and-would-like-to-own/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [Work takes me away from my wife, Sue, and my life in Santa Barbara.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/work-takes-me-away-from-my-wife-sue-and-my-life-in-santa-barbara/)

[Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/)

> [“TRAITS THAT DEFINE GREAT WORK Creativity: Ira Glass, for example, is pushing the boundaries of radio, and winning armfuls of awards in the process.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/traits-that-define-great-work-creativity-ira-glass-for-example-is/)

[Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/)

## More by Caroline C. Leighton

> [“The only way we know summer is coming is by the more chilling winds, the increased dust, the tawny color of the hills, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-c-leighton/the-only-way-we-know-summer-is-coming-is-by-the-more-chilling-winds/)

Caroline C. Leighton

Explore all 2 Caroline C. Leighton quotes

## More California quotes

> [Everyone in California is from somewhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wright-morris/everyone-in-california-is-from-somewhere-else/)

[Wright Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wright-morris/)

> [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/)

[Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/)

> [We need to incorporate that age-old concept of redemption into the work that we do in the criminal justice system in California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/we-need-to-incorporate-that-age-old-concept-of-redemption-into-the/)

[Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/)

> [The Urban Literate Southern California Sub-Group of the Early Atomic Period has not yet produced a distinct body of folk music of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hinton/the-urban-literate-southern-california-sub-group-of-the-early-atomic/)

Sam Hinton

> [California is a place in which a boom mentality and a sense of Chekhovian loss meet in uneasy suspension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/california-is-a-place-in-which-a-boom-mentality-and-a-sense-of/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [Many militarists would like to see California's votes vanish from the national electoral system, which would then become more Republican.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-swanson/many-militarists-would-like-to-see-california-s-votes-vanish-from-the/)

[David Swanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-swanson/)

> [When I started in California, people would say, 'Enterprise who?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-nicholson/when-i-started-in-california-people-would-say-enterprise-who/)

[Pamela Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-nicholson/)

> [Take one round-trip flight between New York and California, and you've generated about 20 percent of the greenhouse gases that your car emits over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/take-one-round-trip-flight-between-new-york-and-california-and-you-ve/)

[Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/)

> [These French-style caramels are handmade in California. It's always hard to give them away!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/these-french-style-caramels-are-handmade-in-california-it-s-always/)

[Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/)

> [The D.C. playbook is obsolete. It's time for the people of California to bring the agenda to Washington, not the other way around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/the-d-c-playbook-is-obsolete-it-s-time-for-the-people-of-california/)

[Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/)

> [While there is an attempt by the Trump people to say that California isn't really America. California certainly seems like America to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/while-there-is-an-attempt-by-the-trump-people-to-say-that-california/)

[David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/)

> [I'm from California, but my father, who passed away when I was young, was from Newark. When I was kid, we would go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-daly/i-m-from-california-but-my-father-who-passed-away-when-i-was-young/)

[Carson Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-daly/)

> [“God will break California from the surface of the continent like someone breaking off a piece of chocolate. It will become its own floating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ruby/god-will-break-california-from-the-surface-of-the-continent-like/)

[Laura Ruby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ruby/)

> [You could have a hit in California that no one had heard of in Oklahoma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wanda-jackson/you-could-have-a-hit-in-california-that-no-one-had-heard-of-in/)

[Wanda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wanda-jackson/)

> [My first encounter with yoga was in 1969 with my older brother Doug. I was thirteen years old, and he was eighteen. He'd learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-f-swensen/my-first-encounter-with-yoga-was-in-1969-with-my-older-brother-doug-i/)

[David F. Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-f-swensen/)

[Browse all 2,036 California quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Sailors approaching the coast in a fog can recognize the Santa Barbara Channel by the smell of bitumen which floats on the water.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Caroline C. Leighton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-c-leighton/sailors-approaching-the-coast-in-a-fog-can-recognize-the-santa/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "California"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-c-leighton/sailors-approaching-the-coast-in-a-fog-can-recognize-the-santa/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/caroline-c-leighton-93589_california_sailors-approaching-the-coast-in-a-fog-c_2739829.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/caroline-c-leighton-93589_california_sailors-approaching-the-coast-in-a-fog-c_2739829.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/caroline-c-leighton-93589_california_sailors-approaching-the-coast-in-a-fog-c_2739829.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Sailors approaching the coast in a fog can recognize the Santa Barbara Channel by the smell of bitumen which…” — Caroline C. Leighton",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Caroline C. Leighton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-c-leighton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Sailors approaching the coast in a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-c-leighton/sailors-approaching-the-coast-in-a-fog-can-recognize-the-santa/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-c-leighton/sailors-approaching-the-coast-in-a-fog-can-recognize-the-santa/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
