By Rear Admiral Phineas Fogg-Bottom

SAN FRANCISCO -- A plucky new Web site called FogWatch.com made its Internet debut this week, to much acclaim in San Francisco. The new site promises to lampoon the City by the Bay, while at the same time offering both locals and visitors a sample of the rich vibrancy of the City.

The centerpiece of the new site is its FogCam, a unique Web-based digital camera that is mounted on the deck of the HMS FogWatch, a British meteorological sailing ship that lies at anchor in a lake in Golden Gate Park.

The FogCam provides FogWatch visitors and residents with a much-needed view of weather conditions on the City's economically vital west side. Thanks to the FogCam, residents of San Francisco’s warmer neighborhoods can defer a visit to the Avenues if conditions prove less than optimal.

FogWatch.com also provides a host of other fog-related services. The site’s Emergency Fog Alert System provides both San Francisco residents and Auslanders (as non-residents are called) updated on weather conditions throughout the City. The site also provides an exhaustive explanation of the fascinating origins and regional dispersal patterns of fog.

But FogWatch.com isn’t just about fog: The site also provides a range of news and services related to its core mission of science, education, and public service.

FogWatch.com is divided into four main sections:

FogWatch.com is the brainchild of notorious seafarer cum Netrepreneur Rear Admiral Phineas Fogg-Bottom. A fixture on the San Francisco scene for decades, Fogg-Bottom leads a crew of old salts on the HMS FogWatch, a British weather ship that has been moored at various locations in the San Francisco Bay Area for the past 120 years.

Through an extensive – and at times stressful – retraining program, Fogg-Bottom’s leadership ability has helped the crew of the 19th century frigate learn the skills required to launch and maintain a Web site in the 21st century.

Fogg-Bottom reportedly launched FogWatch.com to combat what he saw as a paucity of fog-related information in San Francisco and on the Internet.

"Every day, the fog has a profound impact on the lives of the people of San Francisco, yet there is a vacuum of accurate, truthful information about this phenomenal climatic condition," Fogg-Bottom said. "FogWatch.com will meet this need."

City officials welcomed the new Web site at a ceremony today at City Hall.

"Mayor Willie Brown welcomes the launch of FogWatch.com with open arms," said Mayor Willie Brown, opening his arms in a welcoming gesture. "No longer will the citizens of the city and county of San Francisco be taken unawares by the arrival of an unexpected fog bank, which can wreak havoc with even the most prepared city defenses."