NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Fatal interaction between yacht and ferry.
From: Lu Abel
Date: 2007 May 11, 08:07 -0700
From: Lu Abel
Date: 2007 May 11, 08:07 -0700
George Huxtable wrote: > > I think Lu's last sentence explains the problems that he found. > > In European waters, vessels are actively discouraged from using VHF to > mediate their interactions. > > Instead, they are expected to use the colregs, and nothing but the colregs, > at all times. And NEVER to agree a course of action that is contrary to > those colregs. > > This is in complete contrast to the situation in US, and perhaps Canadian, > waters, as I understand it. George, in his comments later in his reply (which I've deleted), is as usual spot on. I would offer one small correction to his comment about VHF usage in the US and Canada. The Colregs still stand. Period. But VHF is often used in several situations: 1. In situations of limited visibility. 1a. On the US's great rivers such as the Mississippi, barge "tows" (actually scores of barges locked together and pushed) 1/4 mile long or more are commonplace. Captains radio on the VHF when approaching blind curves -- two tows don't want to be in a curve at the same time. 1b. Throughout the US, commercial vessels operating in the fog will often give a securite' call at important navigational waypoints. As a recreational mariner often crossing shipping channels in the fog, I was grateful to know when the "big stuff" was in my vicinity -- and I also learned to give a securite' call myself when I entered a channel, asking if there was anyone I should be on the lookout for. Especially when given on Ch 13, commercial traffic was glad to answer. 2. To clarify intent. A good example of this was several years ago when I was sailing south out of New York Harbor. A very big freighter came storming down the channel right behind us. One of my crew, a US Coast Guard licensed captain, jumped on Channel 13 and let the pilot aboard the freighter know that we would be veering out of the channel after we passed a buoy immediately ahead that marked the end of a sandbar. It certainly helped us avoid a Rule 9 vs Rule 13 argument. The Colregs are the Colregs. But included in them is a requirement to use "every available means" to avoid a collision. I count VHF among them. Lu Abel --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ To post to this group, send email to NavList@fer3.com To , send email to NavList-@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---