Crossing Boats

[Sailfree]

I note with interest the difficulties that mobos have in holding a course in crowded waters and trying not to create too much wash. It is unfortunate that for every considerate mobo we have experience of the one that in an empty sea changes course to pass close alongside.
However my problem is with other sailing boats. While we race dinghys and scrape the transom of starboard boats I object to boats passing close when cruising. I try to insist on Starboard has priority but did meet one outside Cowes that thought that as he was mostly in front of me it wouldn't hurt if I bore away a little to not take off the last 1/4 of his hull.
With AWB tendancy to round up if caught by a sudden gust and overpowered is it unreasonable to request an exclusion zone around boats of say one boat length?
Should we always insist on Starboard right of way so we all know where we stand or is it nice to let some Port boats through?
Having seen some good crashes on the road when someone on the main road stops to let someone out of a minor road I prefer certainty to curtesy but how do others feel?

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[cameronke]

Hello sailfree

A very good point.

I used to give way and let people out of side roads but my actions could often create a degree of confusion. Were they coming out, were they not, was I letting them out etc.

I came to the conclusion that to prevent confusion I would stick to the rules and my right of way.

With sailing it can be even more difficult to attempt to signal your intention to allow someone through and therefor a greater possibility for confusion. So I would stick to the Col regs

Regards
Cameron

<hr width=100% size=1>Work to live, live to sail

 

[Nick_Pam]

I've certainly shouted "Sail On" to a port tack yacht before now, both racing and cruising.....if it has been in my interest for him to do so!!
Doesn't always work though, depending on the knowledge of the hlemsman to the rules of the road!!!!
Nick

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[Tomsk]

I often give way against ColRegs if I'm just pootling around BUT only if I have raised the other vessel by radio first... saves all confusion.

<hr width=100% size=1>Tomsk -

What the hell... it's only money!

 

[Cornishman]

I am always intrigued by people who speak or write of "right of way" under Colregs. I have been teaching and examining the subject for nigh on 35 years and I have yet to find the phrase in the IRPCS. Where risk of collision exists between two vessels one is the give way vessel and the other is the stand on vessel. If everybody sticks to this there should never be a problem. Trouble is that a lot of skippers or helmspersons (Ugh!) tend to apply their own meanings to a set of regulations that have been carefully crafted and constructed by experienced mariners over a long period of time, and this leads to confusion.

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[Stemar]

I'll give way even as the stand on vessel if it's convenient to do so and it's easier for me than the give way vessel.

I think the important thing is to adhere to the bit of the col regs that says alterations of course should be made in good time and be large enough to be easily apparent to the other vessel.

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[DRJO]

STEMER, Well said. "adhere to the bit of the col regs that says alterations of course should be made in good time and be large enough to be easily apparent to the other vessel."

If cruising, particularly on a busy Solent weekend, I will always give way to any racing fleets. The race boys deserve to have their water clear. Other sailing craft usualy follow Stemers extract from Col regs



<hr width=100% size=1>DRJO

 

[alahol2]

I think I also met Sailfree's protagonist in the Solent at the weekend. On port tack, approaching for maybe 2 or 3 minutes, he steadfastly refused to look at me and stood on despite the fact he could obviously not clear ahead of me. I suffered mounting 'water rage' and bore away at the very last minute. Unfortunately he was towing a heavy clinker dinghy, had it been an inflatable I think my anger might just have caused me to sail over it. All I could think to shout was a sarcastic 'Thankyou'. He still refused to make eye contact and didn't look across until maybe 100 yards away. I think I'll have to keep my horn closer to hand in case I meet him again.

<hr width=100% size=1>I really would rather be sailing...

 

[Benbow]

The advice from MCA is NEVER to use VHF as a collision avoidance tool. There have been some well known collisions resulting from confusion over who was talking to who. It is also potentially incredibly distracting; when someone shouts to 'the vessel in position xx xx xx, yy yy yy' you are asking every vessel within 10 miles to stop what they are doing and see if they are being called.

In my experience the only exceptions are when you can 100% unambiguously identify them (ie read their name through binos) or when in contact with a port control who has everyone on radar and tells you that ‘The Exon Pollution is just passing C3’.

If you want to make a change of course when you are the stand-on vessel, then as others have said, do it very early and make a very large exaggerated change of course.


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