By William C. Winslow
U.S. navigation regulations are very explicit for one reason: to keep boaters from colliding with each other.
In 1956 two luxury transatlantic liners, the Andrea Doria and the Stockholm, were steaming toward each other in a heavy fog off Nantucket. They collided, resulting in the loss of 46 people; the $40 million Andrea Doria sunk in 160 feet of water. In such a fraught situation neither ship had the right of way — international regulations of the time called for ships on a collision course to each turn to starboard, passing each other port to port. The Andrea Doria turned to port and was rammed by the Stockholm ship that had steered to starboard.
Nowadays, captains operate under the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (aka COLREGS, 72COLREGs, or rules of the road). These rules set out a hierarchy among vessels/activities and designate the actions by skippers whenever they encounter vessels on a lower or higher rung of the COLREGS ladder.
Other than during head-to-head emergencies, the rules determine which and when one vessel (the stand on) has the right of way over the other vessel (the stand off), primarily based on ease of maneuverability. Smaller pleasure craft must keep out of the way of large commercial ships, because the bigger vessel cannot maneuver as quickly. If you cut across the bow of a cruise ship, it could take a mile for it to stop.
COLREGS call for obeying the right of way pecking order of all the ships at sea. Sailboats have right of way over power boats, unless they are navigating under power; hand powered craft like canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards over sail and power craft. Every vessel keeps clear of fishing and other commercial ships. It’s common sense (and regulation) not to play nautical chicken with a warship. And of course, it’s nautical courtesy not to plow through a regatta or other race course.
Wind driven boats must adhere to a blizzard of rules. For two vessels sailing a parallel course, the leeward one has the right of way. A craft on the port tack (wind coming over the port side) must give away to one on the starboard tack. A sailboat that is changing tack or jibing must give way to a boat that is not.
Overtaking sail and power boats do not have the right of way until they are clear of the overtaken vessel. Both sail and power must signal which side they are passing on — one short blast to pass to starboard, two to port. The overtaken vessel can respond with the same signal to indicate agreement, but if the skipper of the forward vessel thinks the move is unsafe he or she can sound the alarm — five or more short blasts.
For power boats headed toward each other, skippers must sound the horn half a mile away. If the response is the same, pass starboard to starboard.
Nighttime navigation guidelines include required running lights that convey to others the vessel’s size, type, heading, and status. One takeaway: any craft over 16 feet must be equipped with the appropriate running (and anchor) lights, while smaller ones should have at least a flashlight aboard.
The average recreational boater may see hundreds of light combinations in crowded coastal waters after dark. To avoid confusion, boaters should become familiar with the most common light patterns and keep a laminated set of all light configurations near the helm. The mariner’s mantra of “if to starboard red appear, ‘tis your duty to keep clear” is also good to keep in mind.
While each of the COLREGS are equally important, one is most imperative. If it suddenly appears that two vessels are going to hit, then the rule is to break the rules. Captains must do everything possible to avoid contact no matter who is technically in the right.
One last bit of advice: if you are suddenly confronted by both a red and green light, get the hell out of the way. You are in collision mode!
Official navigation rules: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pdf/navRules/navrules.pdf
The author is the Division 5 – Staff Officer Public Affairs, First District Southern Region, for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the all-volunteer, non-military arm of the Coast Guard, teaching boating safety education and conducting search and rescue operations. Visit http://cgaux.org/ to join the Auxiliary or for class information.
Photo Courtesy National Safe Boating Council
