Right of way!

[DoryLvr]

Here lies the body of John C. Day
He died defending his right of way
He was right, dead right, as the day is long
But he’s just as dead as if he’d been wrong.

Good to know the rules, silly to defend them to the death. Communication is key. Radio, horn, yelling. I try to drive, walk, bike and boat by this philosophy.

Kind of goes to the difference between manners and etiquette. (Ok, I stole and modified this) “Etiquette tells a Captain which boat has the right of way. Manners tell the Captain what to do when the other boat doesn’t.”

[smittypaddler]

On the Mississippi you'll often hear a tow skipper on the radio say he'll "pass you on the one," or sometimes "two," one for "I'll leave you on my port side," two for "I'll leave you on my starboard side." These refer to sound (horn) signals A lot of folks think this just means port-to-port or starboard-to-starboard when meeting head-on, but it also applies when passing a boat going in the same direction.

[patrick and linda]

the over taking of a vessel should be a mutual decision. that is, i'll give you one whistle, the vessel being over taken may respond with roger, one whistle or negative, danger or give me two whistle.
easy way to remember what whistles mean, is as follows.
1. one whistle, when at the dock, means i am leaving the dock
2. one whistle while attempting to overtake another vessel means i intend to pass you on your starboard side
3. two whistles given while attempting to overtake another vessel means in intend to pass you on your port side.
4. 3 whistles given while at dock means i am leaving the dock and operating in a-stern, in this situation one would give one whistle, i am leaving the dock, followed by 3 whistles, i am operating in a-stern.
5. 5 or more whistle, danger, danger, danger.

so, one to the right, two to the left, three operating in a-stern and five, danger, danger, danger.
hope this helps
pat

[patrick and linda]

hello tivo,
different area sport different sayings, while the names may change the meanings are the same. here's one i learned many years ago.

here lies the body of michael o'dey
who died maintaining his right away,
he was right, dead right, as he sail along
but just as dead, as if he was wrong!

love the exchange of info found on this site.
best regards
pat

[journey on]

I've noticed several large cruisers go across my bow whilst up North. No acknowledgment as to right of way, as they crossed from port to starboard.

I finally figured out that they were on autopilot, and since Journey On was small, they weren't going to mess with the settings.

Also, in So Cal, racing sailboats expect right of way with another sailboat. And they don't care.

Anybody who is expecting right of way is making a big mistake. Giving way will save the fiberglass. Note that there are times I don't remember this.

Boris

[rogerbum]

I've found that so few recreational boaters understand the meaning of whistle/horn blows that it's essentially useless to use them. Most just think you're being annoying and "honking" at them out of anger. It's usually just easier to just give everyone a lot of space and assume that the other boater knows nothing. The assumption that the other guy knows nothing about CG regs is more frequently right than wrong if you're looking at a recreational boater.

[DaveS]

[matt_unique]

[JamesTXSD]

Horn signals or a radio call may not get a response when on big open water like you PNW folks have, but you aren't out anything by giving it a shot when in a potential situation. We feel the same way when dealing with other recreational boaters. But at home, where the ship channels and ICW define the waterways, I always make a quick call on the VHF if in doubt. Well, except for the shrimpboats... heck, about half the time as they come in, there's no one at the helm.

See and avoid.

Even running the cruiseboats on Jackson Lake this summer, I used horn signals as we left the dock. This wasn't standard procedure there, and one of the other captains asked me, "What's the point?"

"Well, all those kayaks, canoes, and small boats may not have a clue why I'm honking three times... but, they DO turn their heads and look. Better that they know we're out here and moving than not."

Shortly after that, all the captains used horn signals.

One of our own here learned something about up/down river expectations and what constitutes a "fishing vessel." Education is a good thing. Better to know and use that information than to just assume no one else does and not.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

[Ron Cowan]

Having spent the last 10 days motoring up the Tenn-Tom waterway on a 40' sailboat, I found that most of my attention was spent making sure I was out of the way than deciding the right of way. Going upstream it was best to take the inside of the turns since the barges needed most of the outside going down to swing wide for the turns. It was disappointing the number that responded to vhf contact tries even with several frequences tried. No problems were had with the 12 locks responding or recreational boaters but the tows were a different story. Early intentions were always made except when first site was made in the turn.

[patrick and linda]

hello boris,
as jim and others will tell you, giving way when you clearly have right of way, when the other vessel is not responding correctly to your right of way, "is the law". it's each captain's responsible to do all that is possible to avoid collision and is regarded as the 3rd law. if a collision occurs both parties may be deemed as negligent.
now there are always exceptions, vessel holding course not aware of being over taken and is subsequently ran over. although it might be said that the vessel being over taken was not employing proper lookout and if they had they would have seen the other vessel in time to make proper course change. who know's?
bottom line, the majority of pleasure craft operators are not educated on the rules of the road or for that matter how to operate their vessel.
best regards
pat

[Sea Angel]

Inland Rules:

As I recall when leaving a dock or approaching an curve in a river where you have an obstructive view a 'one long whistle/blast', generally 8-10 seconds, is given as a 'warning' to other craft.

The short blast is normally 1 second.

I find it easy to remember these as helm signals noting my intension and asking for an agreement from the other vessel; upon agreement I will execute the maneuver. If I get back what I send.... all is happy.

One short... I plan to turn right/starboard
Two short... I plan to turn left/port
Three short... I am in reverse
Four, or more... DANGER

I might be a little rusty on this. I do like a crutch to help me remember some of these items; also, such as 'red-to-red, go ahead' for running lights and remembering which side the red nav lite is on.

OH my, I wish I had my copy of my Nav Rules here, and not on the boat right now.

Art

[matt_unique]

[Captains Cat]

[seabeagle]

I personally feel that all boaters need a license and vessel saftey check. Around Michigan, that would take 3/4 of them off the water. Including the fishing fools who like to drop anchor in the middle of a river.