colregs on non tidal thames question

[chuckaduck]

I always thought that on the non tidal thames ie above Teddington that power gives way to sail

Chatting to a pal yesterday he said that this is not the case on the non tidal thames ie sail gives way to power

is this so ??

if so does this also apply to robos ??

 

[byron]

Any vessel restricted by draught and manouevrability has right of way.

 

[alistairedw]

As I understand it Colregs apply on the non-tidal Thames, so under most circumstances power gives way to sail as per normal.

Of course a large powered vessel on the river may be constrained by draught or restricted in it's ability to manoeuvre in which case sail would give way to power.

Robos are a grey area, but strictly speaking the oars constitute mechanical propulsion so they should also give way to sail.

 

[Cliveshep]

"He lies the grave of Jimmy Grey
Who insisted on his right of way!"

On tidal or non-tidal, no matter who is right, might is always right and if it's bigger than me I park on the beach 'till its gone! Meaning I always make sure I get out of the way of river buses/trip boats who set out to bash me if they can, (it's part of their job isn't it?), and as for other mobos they probably cost more than my measly £21k tub and are equally probably less likely to withstand a bump without something expensive breaking - some one's going to have to pay for it, and if there's injury - Oh boy!!!

If its smaller than me (skiff, punt, dinghy sailor) I still keep out of it's way if possible 'cos the bugger will almost certainly sue me citing some antique and preposterous rule I neglected to obey if his precious cockleshell touches my old tub. Go figure, these days mobo's can't win, it's like clouting taxis in London/wherever, you just know it's always going to be your fault somehow and end in tears!

 

[trev]

The colregs apply on the 'high seas and all waters connected navigable by seagoing vessels' (bit of a misquote, but its years since I did my tickets) - so unless some local bye-law applies the rules are the same.
On the upper Thames courtesy goes a long way.

 

[Kilter]

Here lies the body of Michael O'Day,
who died maintaining the right of way.
He was right, dead right, as he sailed along,
but he's just as dead as if he'd been wrong!

 

[Cliveshep]

Re: colregs on non tidal thames question - Kilter

Well, I was close, senility taken into account!

 

[Sammo]

Rule 18 (Responsibilities between vessels) states that the order of priority between different types of vessels goes
1) Not Under Command
2) Restricted in Ability to Manoeuvre
3) Fishing
4) Sailing


So sailing is pretty low down on the pecking order,
I’ve always found that when confronted with dingy sailors the best course is to stay on a predictable course at a steady speed so they can plan their next tack. Though of course to the bystander it looks like I am ploughing through the middle of erm, but I am only trying to be predictable.

Rowers can be both 1 and 2 if they haven’t got a cox and I should imagine a sculling pair facing backwards and bearing down on a dozen dinghy’s all tacking back and forth could lead to a pretty dangerous situation.


….

 

[alistairedw]

Not seen many fishing vessels around here!

I approve of your method of approaching a racing fleet. A steady, predictable progression is easy for dinghy sailors to cope with.

We do have our most exciting moments with the rowers who spend most of their time looking where they have been.

Shouting "Have a look!" is usually effective in making them take evasive action.

The more experienced coxless rowers generally turn and have a look ahead every four or five strokes, so they are OK.

 

[TrueBlue]

I've always wondered what the best course of action is? I see many AWBs crashing down the centre of the channel - so the dinghies have to put in an extra tack.

I scuttle along well to the right 'cos to my mind they've got to turn anyway - and if I time it right I can pass behind them without causing them any delay.

If you can see the race well ahead sometimes a judicious slowing early enough means that they're running / reaching well away from you.

Doesn't always work...