There’s a COLREG for that; and I can almost quote it from memory. It might be part of #1 or #2.
It goes something like: Nothing in these rules is to be construed to reduce responsibility for a collision. A captain shall take all actions to avoid a collision, including actions in contravention of these rules. Woe be you if you are called into an Admiralty Court and say “It was his fault. I was on starboard when I hit him.” Don’t think I’d want to say that to an insurance adjuster either. I look on lee bow as a maneuver that only gives significant advantage for match racing. In a fleet race I would probably only try it against a skipper or boat where there is a friendly rivalry or if we are closely competitive. With a little practice and good timing it is manageable, though I’d not want to try it against a novice who doesn’t really understand what you’re doing. I do find that the maneuver is more productive against smaller boats. The sheer bulk of my 38 sometimes lends a certain moral superiority on the race course; I guess it’s a corollary to the “Tonnage Rule”. Rick Brass Washington, NC From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Chuck S Sent: Friday, February 21, 2014 10:33 PM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Subject: Re: Stus-List Navigation Devices FWIW from my perspective: Everyone has a moral duty to avoid collisions. Right of way only exists when both parties agree to the rules of engagement. No boat owner is guilt free if he rams another boat while he is on starboard tack. A boat overtaking is doubly responsible for consequences. Racing starts entertain the lee bow manuever, but few understand it, so I don't use it. Chuck Resolute 1990 C&C 34R Atlantic City, NJ _____ From: "Rick Brass" <rickbr...@earthlink.net> To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Sent: Friday, February 21, 2014 2:45:45 PM Subject: Re: Stus-List Navigation Devices Rob; I didn’t mean to be insulting or didactic. I was going for ironic, but see I didn’t quite make the trip. I’ve done some risky things myself in the past 40 – make that 50 – years. I have had a few moments when I said “Crap! I could have died last night!” But I’ve always been really cautious when aweigh in fog. Even if you had the best chart plotter in the world to help keep track of the channel markers, the plotter isn’t going to show another boat crossing your course at 5 knots. And I hate trying to steer by the plotter in the fog, because fog is so disorienting and it’s so difficult to steer a steady course. Rick From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Robert Abbott Sent: Friday, February 21, 2014 8:58 AM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Subject: Stus-List Navigation Devices On 2014/02/21 12:30 AM, Rick Brass wrote: Rick: In a later post on this incident, I said we should have been traveling at a lower speed given the lack of visibility and the lack of electronics....we knew that then, as well, but we were taking risks. After passing the buoy to our port about 5 feet away, we then slowed down to 3 kts....it was a sobering feeling....we got away with this one! Rob Rob, Re: Hitting a buoy at 6.5 knots in the fog See COLREGS rule 6. I think of it as the marine equivalent of the “Basic Speed Limit” in effect for cars in the US – “to be able to stop in the assured clear distance ahead” From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Robert Abbott Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2014 10:06 AM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Subject: Stus-List Navigation Devices Some years back on a friend's C&C 34R with no chartplotter or radar, we were motoring home after a race was called for lack of wind, in the fog, and dam near ran into a navigational bouy . It could have been really ugly hitting that immovable object at 6.5 knots. Rob Abbott AZURA C&C 32 - 84 Halifax, N.S. _______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com
_______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com
