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We were taught that one has to cross the shipping lanes on a course through
the water at right angles to the shipping lane. The course over the ground
may not be at right angles.

There was an interesting occasion last year when Club Med the
maxi-catamaran -which later went on to win The Race - was nabbed going up
the shipping lane off Dover Engalnd, en route for London . At the time she
was skippered by Grant Dalton of Whitbread Round the World Race fame.
Here is the official text:

Date of Conviction:
6 October 2000
Offence:
Contravention of Rule
       10(b)(i) of the Prevention of Collision Regulations 1996 (COLREGS).
Details:
The CLUB MED is a very large and fast catamaran purpose built for The
       RACE, which is a round the world non-stop endurance race beginning in
       Barcelona in December.
The CLUB MED was sailing from Southampton to London and during the night
       of Wednesday 4th October was observed by Dover Coastguard to be entering
       the traffic lane and heading against the traffic flow. The yacht
sailed in
       the wrong lane against other traffic for 24 miles.
The CLUB MED was sailing at speeds of up to 21.5 knots in the dark and
       passed 13 ships including 2 passenger ferries and had close quarters
       situations with a number of these ships and passed only 1 cable away
from
       a cargo ship carrying dangerous goods and marine pollutants.
The CLUB MED did not respond to radio calls by Coastguard and a spotter
       plane and the Emergency Towing Vessel were sent to indentify the yacht.
Penalty;
Mr Dalton was fined �12000
       plus �3000 costs.
Press Release issued
     6 October 2000

I have wondered was this really due to poor navigation. What I did notice
was that it got wide publicity in the popular press and the British
Yachting magazines... I wonder was this a very inexpensive way of getting a
large amount of publicity. Dalton is after all a very experienced skipper,
and all the crew must be considered more than competent.
You can read more about these kind of incidents at the following site:
http://www.mcga.gov.uk/news/enforcement/2000.htm

Aubrey.

At 19:10 11/07/01, you wrote:
>Herbert,
>
>All vessels including small sailing vessels have to comply with IRPCS and
>in the case of the Channel Rule 10 in particular. The authorities are quite
>ready to (and do) take skippers to court for failing to comply with the
>traffic separation scheme.
>
>NG

   

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