expanding on the Rules of the road thread.

rogerthebodger

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There a a number of phrases that help me remember various aspects of the IRPCS.

mine are

Red to Red go ahead.
Port is red and if left in bottle.
Diamonds are a girls best friend when passing a dredger.
2 tots(toots) od port ate better than one.

Nigel's one about greed go red stop I have noted.

Any one else have useful phrases like these.
 

prv

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I think most of those would confuse me more than help :). But whatever works for you.

Some others:

Restricted in Ability to Manoeuvre - you too would be restricted in your ability to manoeuvre if you had a spikey diamond in between your balls. At night the diamond is shiny white, and the balls are red and sore.

Pilot boat - his official white-topped cap over an angry red face (although why a pilot should be angry I do not know)

Red over white - frying tonight. Same rhyme for green over white. Both indicate a fishing boat, but the trawler is green (safer) because you know where his nets are, behind him. Red over white is any other kind of fishing and who knows where his gear might be.

Pete
 

awol

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How about
Aids to Memory in Four Verses

(1.) Two Steam Ships meeting.

When both side-lights you see ahead —
Port your helm and show your RED.

(2.) Two Steam Ships passing.

GREEN to GREEN — or, RED to RED —
Perfect safety — go ahead!

(3.) Two Steam Ships crossing.

Note. — This is the position of greatest danger; there is nothing for it but good look-out, caution and judgment.

If to your starboard RED appear,
It is your duty to keep clear;
To act as judgment says is proper;
To Port — or Starboard — Back — or Stop her!
But when upon your Port is seen
A Steamer's Starboard Light of GREEN,
There's not so much for you to do,
For GREEN to Port keeps clear of you.

(4.) All Ships must keep a good look-out, and Steam Ships must stop and go astern, if necessary.

Both in safety and in doubt
Always keep a good look-out;
In danger, with no room to turn,
Ease her, Stop her, Go astern.
—Thomas Gray, Rule of the Road at Sea, 1867
 

pmagowan

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All the rhymes just confuse me. The main rules are quite simple and the shapes, lights can be kept in a quick guide in the cockpit, along with sounds, flags and other symbols. I have an app on the phone for it.
 

prv

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As pointed out by Michael Green in Coarse Cruising no less, rhymes like that only work if the salient fact is part of the actual rhyme. For example,
If to your starboard GREEN appear,
It is your duty to keep clear;

scans just as well as the original. If you have both going round in your head, how do you know which is right?

Port your helm and show your RED.
using pre-1933 helm orders is likely to confuse too. How many would realise that "port helm" means turn to starboard?

Pete
 

Skysail

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I think most of those would confuse me more than help :). But whatever works for you.

Some others:


Pilot boat - his official white-topped cap over an angry red face (although why a pilot should be angry I do not know)


Pete

'In the old days' pilots had to climb a rope ladder up the side of the ship. Hence the red face. They all had wonky knees as well!
 

Birdseye

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As pointed out by Michael Green in Coarse Cruising no less, rhymes like that only work if the salient fact is part of the actual rhyme. For example,


scans just as well as the original. If you have both going round in your head, how do you know which is right?


using pre-1933 helm orders is likely to confuse too. How many would realise that "port helm" means turn to starboard?

Pete

Anyone who has used a tiller.
 

Keen_Ed

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If you have both going round in your head, how do you know which is right

Because the colours were chosen with a reason. If you can see red - you are give way. If you can see green - you are stand on. Like traffic lights. Works for sailing too. A port tack boat will see a starboard boat's red. Not surprising, really.

Others. Red-White-red. Red When Restricted. Rest in ability to manoeveure
Red over red over red. Rudder rubbing rocks. Constrained by draft.

Plus all the others
http://sailskills.co.uk/colregs/Sailskills_lights&shapes_mnemonics.html
 
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prv

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Because the colours were chosen with a reason. If you can see red - you are give way. If you can see green - you are stand on. Like traffic lights. Works for sailing too. A port tack boat will see a starboard boat's red. Not surprising, really.

Ah, so you use the actual logical layout of the colours, to work out what you should do, in order to establish which version of the silly rhyme is correct, in order to decide what you should do. Why not skip the latter two steps? :)

Pete
 
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