Safe Boating/Coll Reg 22/Nautical Protocol

[Guest]

Wanting to hear your experiences re Give-way/Stand-on situations involving ferries on regular runs & recreational craft around our harbour & islands : The Rules use the word ‘shall’ in its imperative sense. And once again it uses the proviso ‘if the circumstances of the case admit’. The Rule accepts that, for some reason, it could be dangerous to turn to starboard. Are Coll Regs to be applied pragmatically & at what distance off do they have relevance ? The Professional Skipper Mag & MNZ are encouraging discussion on this topic & your informative comments are invited on this international Nautical Protocol site - http://on.fb.me/nauticalprotocol

[Fogg 427]

I've never liked the way the turn right rule applies in the case of two vessels approaching on a narrow converging course i.e. they are almost on parallel courses. If collision seems imminent it makes sense for the stand-on vessel (the one on the rhs if you were looking at both vessels from astern) to abandon his rights and turn right to avoid a smash. But the give way vessel on his left (who has the stand on vessel next to him on his right) should surely turn left (not right) to create safe distance safely? Maybe I should find a picture...

[Guest]

I've never liked the way the turn right rule applies in the case of two vessels approaching on a narrow converging course i.e. they are almost on parallel courses. If collision seems imminent it makes sense for the stand-on vessel (the one on the rhs if you were looking at both vessels from astern) to abandon his rights and turn right to avoid a smash. But the give way vessel on his left (who has the stand on vessel next to him on his right) should surely turn left (not right) to create safe distance safely? Maybe I should find a picture...

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Can't quite envisage your example Ails Comet - but how about this more or less crossing situation drawn on a square/circle with Nth, Sth, East & West ? Your vessel is crossing W to E & is possibly Give-way vessel to Stand-on ferry coming at you from SE at 30deg on your Stbd bow. Your speed is 6.5kts, the ferry 15.5kts & the ferry at .6nm away brings out a camera to record you on his port bow in the process of crossing which you could have with .25 nm clearance if he had kept his course & speed. Unfortunately because in his opinion you should have turned stbd at .6 nm, he now wants to make an issue of your ignorance so he gradually turns from a NW course of 286T to 297T reducing the clearance you could've had, to a close quarters situation he can complain about. Unfortunately he doesn't sound his first series of sound signals to indicate his concern until he is 80mtrs away, that is on an inadequate hand held aersol horn which doesn't bring a response from you, he doesn't use his vhf & you carry on across as you expected to all the time especially as the ferry should've been turning to a Westerly course astern of you if it was to be on it's regular run.

Theoretically you could've upset his intention to turn to his port/West course if you had turned stbd as a possible Give-way vessel but you could tell by the changing bearings at the initial .6 nm position you were ok to hold your course & speed. I believe the ferry erred in bringing out a camera instead of sounding an adequate horn, then by turning 11deg towards you instead of maintaining his course & speed if he thought he was a Stand-on vessel. Could a heavy ferry reduce his speed appreciably from 15.5 kts within 80 mtrs even by putting his engines astern he felt he had to avoid collision? Wouldn't he have been better off turning to his port as his regular run would've dictated ? Hope that's not too complicated to follow.

[wheels 543]

Can we please keep this discussion in one place only and seeing as the most replies are up in Marine Talk, I suggest that the best place to continue this discussion.