Rules of the Road...

The white light shining forward is the light to indicate the vessel is under power.

In the case of a sailboat with sails drawing and the forward facing white light on, the vessel is 'motorsailing' and is a powerboat as far as the rules are concerned.

I would be very careful crossing such a boat, as the boat may be under sail alone, and the forward white, 'under power' light may be on in error. In addition, be cautious of sailboats in general, some of their operators think (wrongly) that they have 'right-of-way' at all times.

Note that under the rules, there is no such thing as 'right-of-way'.
There is only the 'stand on' vessel and the 'give way' vessel.

If the 'give way' vessel doesn't maneuver as needed to avoid collision, then the 'stand on' vessel must maneuver to avoid collision.

Always remember that the rules are not there to determine 'right of way' but to 'prevent collisions at sea'.
 
Good Topic Jim.

It may just be some good old boys tied up where they shouldn't be who are from an earlier, less structured time. (The good old days).
Not that that gives anyone a pass.

JT :thup
 
Boris,

Yes, a seaplane is below powerboats in the 'pecking order'.

International Steering and Sailing Rules
Rule 18e
"A seaplane on the water shall, in general, keep well clear of all vessels and avoid impeding their navigation. In circumstances, however, where risk of collision exists, she shall comply with the Rules of this Part.
 
Larry H":3jdl2461 said:
The white light shining forward is the light to indicate the vessel is under power.

In the case of a sailboat with sails drawing and the forward facing white light on, the vessel is 'motorsailing' and is a powerboat as far as the rules are concerned.

I would be very careful crossing such a boat, as the boat may be under sail alone, and the forward white, 'under power' light may be on in error. In addition, be cautious of sailboats in general, some of their operators think (wrongly) that they have 'right-of-way' at all times.

Note that under the rules, there is no such thing as 'right-of-way'.
There is only the 'stand on' vessel and the 'give way' vessel.

...
Click to expand...

OK, Larry, my sailing buddies might take exception with that "be cautious of sailboats in general" comment. :mrgreen: When you get a bunch of sailors together, it's almost a certainty that the conversation will come around to "stupid powerboater tricks." :twisted: Since we go back and forth, I think the skipper of ANY vessel ought to have a decent working knowledge of the rules to be safe out on the water.

I enjoy this "nautical knowledge quiz". And as long as we're discussing it, there IS a use of the words "right of way" in the CFRs. You can probably win a bar bet with this bit of knowledge. I'll give you a hint: look under the river rules.

50 Bonus Points to the first person who can tell us where "right of way" comes into play in the Rules of the Road.

And another sailboat vs powerboat question: who is the stand-on vessel when a sailboat overtakes a powerboat?

Best wishes,
Jim

PS - Bonus Points have no monetary value and cannot be cashed in for any prize or award. But they are yours and you can accumulate them over the next 12 months. :wink
 
This is a great topic. Jim, I have no answers to your last questions, but I am reading my copy of Chapmans and dang, if it isn't putting me to sleep. "72 COLREGS, IntRR, Annexes, etc. But before I nod off, I have a question. My copy of Chapmans is a 1985 edition. Do the same rules apply today? ie 1972 International Rules and the Navigational Rules Act of 1977?
Let's make this like school, multiple choice
A. Buy a new Chapmans
B. Try to understand the copy that I have
C. Buy a bigger boat
D. Take up flying

Robbi
 
Jim,

50 Bonus Points to the first person who can tell us where "right of way" comes into play in the Rules of the Road.
Click to expand...

Inland Rule 9----Power driven vessels in narrow channels or fairways on the Great Lakes, Western Rivers, proceeding downbound with a following current, shall have the right-of-way over an upbound vessel.

Note---this rule is not in the International rules.

Jim, Here in the Great Northwest, all salt water and Lake Union and Lake Washington are declared to be International Waters, so salt water boaters(that's me) are not concerned much with Inland Rules. Thanks for the reminder.

I did own and operate a 31 ft sailboat for 15 years and I know about the 'crazy power boaters', (now I are one!!), but I am very careful around sailboats, some of them still think they have 'right-of-way' all the time.
 
Going along with Robbi's question I've seen a smaller version of Chapman's somewhere anyone have any experience with this version. Incidently my Chapman's is a 1972 model and it's probably been that long since I opened it until today.
 
JIm, great topic. and good questions. thanks for the stimulation.
"And another sailboat vs powerboat question: who is the stand-on vessel when a sailboat overtakes a powerboat?"
Click to expand...

The overtaken vessel (power boat in this situation) is and remains the stand-on vessel. The overtaking vessel (sail boat here) is the give-way vessel, whether the sail boat is sailing or powering, it is still the overtaking vessel and thereby the giveway vessel.

Harvey
SleepyC
 
Typical conversation heading down the intercoastal waterway:
My wife shouting! "Boat coming up on your port side" me explaining. " I can't drive the boat behind me"

There are signals you are suppose to use when passing on the port and starboard. What are they?

Boaters rarely signal at all leaving the 1st mate shouting in the skippers ear and scaring him to death.

Like driving on the freeway. A huge amount of people entering and merging with the traffic have no clue how to do it. And you never get to tell them or swear at them. I am sure none of them are C-Brats or Tugnuts.

Great thread Jim . It isn't what you have learned, it is what you remember when you need it. I have to admit I forgot an awful lot since taking my tests going on 20 years ago.
captd
 
Larry H":6yrdooea said:
Jim,

50 Bonus Points to the first person who can tell us where "right of way" comes into play in the Rules of the Road.
Click to expand...

Inland Rule 9----Power driven vessels in narrow channels or fairways on the Great Lakes, Western Rivers, proceeding downbound with a following current, shall have the right-of-way over an upbound vessel.

Note---this rule is not in the International rules.

Jim, Here in the Great Northwest, all salt water and Lake Union and Lake Washington are declared to be International Waters, so salt water boaters(that's me) are not concerned much with Inland Rules. Thanks for the reminder.

I did own and operate a 31 ft sailboat for 15 years and I know about the 'crazy power boaters', (now I are one!!), but I am very careful around sailboats, some of them still think they have 'right-of-way' all the time.
Click to expand...

Ah-ha! Larry gets the Bonus Points! :wink In the grand scheme of things, the "blowboat vs stinkpotter" debate is more volatile than any political discussion. :mrgreen: Having said that, I find it quite interesting that many of the folks who own C-Dorys have a sailing background. Without any facts to back me up on this, I'm inclined to say that the percentage is larger than with most small powerboats. I've often said that I currently find myself a powerboater with a sailing sensibility. :wink:

I, too, am careful around sailboats... and powerboats... and kayaks... and freighters, tankers, etc, etc. 8) I've had powerboats try to run my ass over and a look back at our cruising thread and you can find the post about the arrogant idiot who ran into Wild Blue with his sailboat in Bellingham. Fortunately, people like that are the minority... but I still am careful.

Our cruising is inland as well as coastal. Get away from the Great Northwest, and there are a myriad of state nav aids that one needs to get familiar with if traveling through. I may have started this thread, but I don't consider myself any kind of expert on "the Rules"... since there seems to be some general interest, I'll ask more questions.

But, I didn't sign on to be the "Ask the Rules Guy"... let's keep this going; if you answer a question, then it's your turn to come up with the next question. Have a question about "the Rules" but don't know the answer, jump right in and ask. It's a good learning experience and we can all have some fun with it.

So, here's the next question (and it has to do with weather and "the Rules")... you are cruising across Puget Sound and the visibility drops to less than 100 feet in fog. What is the appropriate action(s) to take while you proceed to your destination?

Now, when you answer, it's YOUR TURN to ask the next question.

Best wishes,
Jim

PS - And to respond to Robbi regarding the Chapman's... mine is several years old, too. The newest version is larger, so there has to be more stuff in it, right? :wink: The basic foundations don't change much, but it's probably a good idea to update once in a while. Kinda like using a cruising guide that's 10 years old. :roll: If you are doing this for hire, you should have a current copy of the CFRs with you. I'm not familiar with a smaller Chapman's.
 
captd":3o2zch36 said:
Typical conversation heading down the intercoastal waterway:
My wife shouting! "Boat coming up on your port side" me explaining. " I can't drive the boat behind me"

There are signals you are suppose to use when passing on the port and starboard. What are they?

Boaters rarely signal at all leaving the 1st mate shouting in the skippers ear and scaring him to death.

Like driving on the freeway. A huge amount of people entering and merging with the traffic have no clue how to do it. And you never get to tell them or swear at them. I am sure none of them are C-Brats or Tugnuts.

Great thread Jim . It isn't what you have learned, it is what you remember when you need it. I have to admit I forgot an awful lot since taking my tests going on 20 years ago.
captd
Click to expand...

Hi CaptD,

We deal with barge, ship, shrimper, excursion boat, tug, and a gazillion small fishing boats when we leave our little island. In the past 10 years, I'm guessing I've heard the actual horn signals a handful of times locally.

In the case you mentioned, the VHF is your friend. It's the responsibility of the overtaking boat to let the skipper of the boat being overtaken know what his intentions are. In your case is SHOULD go like this...

Boat overtaking you: "Lucky Fin, Lucky Fin, this is Wild Blue, coming up behind you. We intend to take you on the one." (This lets him know that we intend to pass him on his starboard side, leaving him on our port side. If we were doing it with just horn signals, it would be one blast. If we intended to take him on his port side, leaving him on our starboard, it would be "on the two" or two horn blasts.)

Proper procedure would be for you to answer, "Wild Blue, this is Lucky Fin; on the one." (Your acknowledgement and agreement to the procedure.) The boat being overtaken is supposed to acknowledge by radio or with the same horn blast.

In the narrow ICW on the Texas coast, we do this all the time with tugs/barges. It lets them know our intentions AND that we are not a stupid powerboater or arrogant sailor who is going to cause them to have to take any action. :wink We do this whether overtaking OR crossing. Did I mention the ICW is narrow? :wink:

When we were traveling with Discovery and Kurbit in the GICW/Apalachicola River, we used that procedure when passing a couple large cruisers. The responded accordingly. Here in deep south Texas, most of the small fishing boats don't have a VHF and would just think you are being impatient if you gave them a horn blast. :roll: There is the right way... and there is the "real world."

I have no idea what to do about the crazy-ass people on the freeway exit/entrance ramps. Maybe stay on your boat? :mrgreen:

Best wishes,
Jim
 
OK, I answered CaptD's question, so I'll toss one more out there. Darrel asked about the proper horn signals. So, what is the meaning of...

ONE blast?

TWO blasts?

THREE blasts?

FOUR blasts?

FIVE (or more) blasts?

Assume weather is clear.

Be sure to sign your work. Partial credit will be given for partial answers. Please don't copy off your neighbor's paper (they may not know how to spell your name correctly). :wink:

Best wishes,
Jim
 
1 blast -- will pass you on my port side (passing or overtaking)

2 blasts -- same as 1, for starboard

3 blasts -- I am in reverse

4 blasts -- Don't know this one

5 blasts -- I disagree with your proposed action

Warren
 
I like this cheat sheet, where you are the center of the clock and the other vessel is at noon.

soundsignalclock.gif


of course with my 40hp I only pass oncoming vessels and canoes.
 
I have not looked at the rules of the road for years now ... "BUT" a quick read of the post i think

no. 4 is "your" sailing into danger

no. 5 "is i can't "maneuver "... example a larger vessel in a narrow shipping channel running slow .. can be a larger vessel backing into the channel and theirs pleasure craft running about ... towing, docking a barge etc . in confined area lots of pleasure craft in area

no. 1&2 ... only applies in rivers, narrow channels

i think some of the answers are worded wrong most horn signals are only used to signal your own actions or course change ... wc
 
OK, I threw "FOUR Blasts" in there just for the fun of it - it doesn't mean anything. :lol:

One, two and three, everyone seems pretty familiar with.

Five, from the regs:

When vessels in sight of one another are approaching each other and from any cause either vessel fails to understand the intentions or actions of the other, or is in doubt whether sufficient action is being taken by the other to avoid collision, the vessel in doubt shall immediately indicate such doubt by giving at least five short and rapid blasts on the whistle.

Around here, FIVE blasts gets everyone's attention... we hear it frequently in the ship channel when one of the aforementioned little fishing boats is anchored in the channel and about to be run down by a freighter. :shock:

Someone wanna take the fog question?
 
Jim,

I believe it's a 2 second blast on the ship's whistle every minute. I just turn the Icom 602 to "Fog" and push the button. That way I can slow down and watch the fishing boats scatter on the Radar screen.

Good thread, thanks
 
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