Today we continue to study The Rules of the Road as applied to Steering and Sailing.

FISHING vessels are most likely what you are going to encounter.

If you are sailing in a NARROW channel and can ONLY SAFELY navigate INSIDE the channel and are approaching a fishing vessel also in the narrow channel, who has the RIGHT OF WAY?

YOU DO! A fishing vessel can’t impede the sailboat’s passage. They also are not allowed to impede ANY vessel that can’t safely navigate a NARROW channel!

What happens if your vessel is approaching a NARROW channel?

Your vessel MUST avoid crossing the channel IF you impede another vessel navigating the channel. Of course this makes TOTAL SENSE as you don’t want to cause a potential COLLISION!

The Rules of the Road have a name for INBOUND and OUTBOUND lanes that promote the SAFE flow of vessel traffic around the world – TRAFFIC SEPARATION SCHEMES.

Again this makes TOTAL SENSE.

You NEVER proceed in an INAPPROPRIATE lane! For example you are in an OUTBOUND lane and decide to proceed into an INBOUND lane. It is as if you decided to put your car into oncoming expressway traffic!

Finally if you are in a TRAFFIC SEPARATION SCHEME and need to join a traffic lane from the side, you need to do so with as SMALL an angle as possible!

Next we are going to discuss how to properly OVERTAKE another vessel.

Hugh Simpson