Shannon Basic Sailing School Manual - Rules of the Road

RULES OF THE ROAD

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Sailing, Rules of the Road

Remember that other boat's crew that almost T-boned yours and then, having missed you by a few inches, waved hello at you, not even realizing they had not respected your right of way? Save yourself from, at worst, damage and, at best, from embarrassment. Read those basic Rules of the Road. They will cover most situations you will encounter in most charter areas. By the way, some rules are not real ones out of The Book, but just "play-it-safe" rules to stay out of harm's way (see Rules #1 and #2 for examples).

Rules of the Road

  1. Rule #1: Boats that are much bigger than yours have the right of way, no matter what. Examples: Cargo freighters, cruise ships, big Caribbean inter-island ferries, garbage barges, etc... you get the idea. In theory, there are plenty of situations where those guys do not have the right of way. However, personally, when I see those big ferry boats coming straight at my boat, going full blast with no visible intention of deviating from their course, I get out of the way. No questions asked.

  2. Rule #2: If you think the other boat's crew have not or cannot see you, just give way.

  3. Rule #3: etc, etc . . . . . . .

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