Recommendations for learning Colregs - YM Offshore

[steveej]

Hi all,

Planning to do my YM offshore at the end of next season.

I have done my Dazed Kipper and have quite a bit of night sailing experience, including skippering.

I know all the basic day shapes and lights, but some of the more advanced ones are missing from my knowledge. Things like towing, trawling, fishing with nets, vessel aground, not under command, etc etc.

Also, sound signals I am very patchy on and is probably my biggest weakness.

Are there any good books around? I have been told there is a pattern to it. I have a set of cards for the light characteristics but I'm finding it tricky to remember.

Thanks

 

[Poignard]

I bought a set of flipcards that I carried around in my pocket and they were very helpful. This was before the days of smartphones etc. so there's probably an app now to do the same thing .

 

[prv]

I know all the basic day shapes and lights, but some of the more advanced ones are missing from my knowledge. Things like towing, trawling, fishing with nets, vessel aground, not under command, etc etc.

I can help with mnemonics for a few of those.

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

Not Under Command is a balls-up - two of them. Just like with RAM, the balls are red at night.

Constrained by draft shows a cylinder during the day - afraid I don't have a mnemonic for that, but to me the three red lights at night seem to echo the shape.

Red Over White - frying tonight. Green Over White makes the same rhyme - both of them are fishing boats. The trawler is easier, though - you know his nets are behind him - so he's green for go. The general fisherman could have gear out in any direction, so he has the warning red. No mnemonic for the triangles in the rigging I'm afraid - I just grew up seeing those on holidays in Cornwall. But you'd have to be a right numpty not to recognise a fishing boat in daytime anyway.

Pilot boat shows the pilot's white-topped naval cap over his puffed-out red face from climbing the ladder.

Pete

 

[ex-Gladys]

Seaman's Guide to the Rule of the Road... best £12.50 you can spend for learning IRPCS

 

[Yngmar]

I've got this in my cockpit bag: Reeds Skipper's Handbook

They're all in there, and having it in the cockpit bag means I don't need to remember the more obscure ones, I can just look them up when needed

 

[[70521]]

Do you have a copy of Reed's Almanac aboard?

 

[Resolution]

Sets of those flip cards in the loo. Peaceful practice for a few minutes each day!

PS A long bit of light rope hooked to the back of the door enables you to practise knots as well........

 

[ditchcrawler]

I have a mouse mat with the lights and shapes on. I look at it when using the puter which is often.

 

[Hacker]

RNLI website has a quite a good section on lights and shapes. Just Google it

 

[capnsensible]

'Learning the rule of the road' by Basil Rosenthal is the best in my opinion. Very clear. Have used it countless times helping candidates with preparation for Rya exams.

Imray do a very good app, rules and signals. Even get the sounds for real.

Good luck with your exam.

 

[lpdsn]

Seaman's Guide to the Rule of the Road... best £12.50 you can spend for learning IRPCS

+1

 

[Melody]

Seaman's Guide to the Rule of the Road... best £12.50 you can spend for learning IRPCS

+1 for this, but I LOVE Pete's way of remembering the shapes. I'm going to pinch those to help my students! Thank you sir.

 

[BelleSerene]

Sets of those flip cards in the loo. Peaceful practice for a few minutes each day!

I know that suddenly encountering certain lights at night could risk a bowel movement. I hadn't thought to train the response by learning them with my bowels open.

 

[VicS]

http://www.rya.org.uk/shop/pages/pr...de=c&cat=New+Products(RYA+Main)&type=&course=

 

[captmikecoin]

A couple more mnemonics:

Pilot vessel: White over red ......... "White hat, red nose"
Not under command: Red over red............... "Red over red, the captain's dead"

 

[prv]

+1 for this, but I LOVE Pete's way of remembering the shapes. I'm going to pinch those to help my students! Thank you sir.

I don't remember who taught me the spiky diamond balls, but it wasn't my invention so glad to pass it on

Pete

 

[Sniper]

A couple more mnemonics:

Pilot vessel: White over red ......... "White hat, red nose"
Not under command: Red over red............... "Red over red, the captain's dead"

Alternatively 'white over red - skipper's in bed'

 

[Poignard]

Flip cards

http://www.flipcards.co.uk/product/lights-and-shapes

 

[Simondjuk]

Constrained by draft shows a cylinder during the day - afraid I don't have a mnemonic for that, but to me the three red lights at night seem to echo the shape.

Pete

That cylinder is a barrel, a barrel of draught (draft) ale.

 

[LadyInBed]

That cylinder is a barrel, a barrel of draught (draft) ale.

How about - to be restrained by draft is not a barrel of laughs.

Android has some apps such as Vessel Lights and Sea Sector.