There is a rush hour of sport-fishers every afternoon coming back into the harbor after their day of offshore fishing. These way to rich fisherman get really mad when I make them change course, although is done by just a slight turn of the helm which usully is followed by a finger gesture. Yesterday one got really close. I mean i could see the pink of his sunburn. I want to know if a motor vessel would be liable for collison damage or wake damage if I capsized or suffered any damage.

sure they would...if you could catch them.

Portable disposable waterproof camera.

oh, I got the name of the boat- motor yacht 'Compromise'. In fact, I know where she is berthed. But I am sure if I confronted the skipper it would just make matters worse, Right? But it is tempting.

I've never had any issues with PWCs (yet) but the thing that get's me are the huge oversized speedboats that honestly think they are doing you a favor by dropping their speed down so they just fall off plane when they get near you. Can they not SEE the wake?

Yesterday I had a huge 50'+ motor yacht cut between my boat and a our club's Flying Scot. He was to impatient for us to tack across the channel, so he cut within 5' of me. If I didn't bear off, I would have smacked right into him.

Sad thing is, all he had to do is wait 30 seconds while I got out of the channel then he could have blown behind me.

You'd think that people that command vessels that large would know the rules of the road. Guess not though.

Oh and I think its funny that the name of the boat is "compromise."

It seems that a lot of people have forgotten that sometimes the best avoidance is to cut the throttle, let traffic pass, then resume.

Some things to remember though - 1) Most sailboats appear as stationary objects to powerboats, and powerboat captains get used to that. I think sometimes we surprise them, and their intended course turns out to be wrong because we've covered more distance than they figured on. We need to be aware of that. 2) If you're in a channel, and the large boat has to stay in the channel to avoid running aground, their capability to avoid you may be severely limited - we can avoid these areas altogether sometimes, and it's worthwhile to do so when things are crowded. Again, the powerboat cutting throttle and letting traffic pass would help too, unless you're in an inlet with current or waveforms that require that speed and course be maintained. Again, if the other vessel is limited in its ability to safely navigate, you probably don't have the right of way. 3) If you're overtaking, you're burdened. 4) Boats fishing - lots of regular fishing and trawling guys think they have right of way because they are fishing - they're wrong, the definition of a vessel fishing does not include the usual fisher-folks you find. But they won't agree, and you're better off not going there.

There seems to be a lot of animosity between some powerboaters and sailors. Confront somebody at your own risk, logic and well-reasoned arguments may be useless, self-defense skills may be more useful.

At the Icebreaker two weekends ago, we almost got plowed under by a large cruiser, half planing, coming into an area near a mark we were using for our windward rounding. We had to alter course last second and duck his stern, plowing into a mountain of stern wake - had we not done so you all would have been reading about another outcome. The boat continued on and almost got one or two other boats. It was fairly open water, no restrictions to his ability to navigate, all he had to do was stop, let traffic clear... It shows that we need to always be on the look out.

As to right of way, you'll have to look at several factors:

1) What directions were both of you headed? In general, one boat overtaking another needs to yield the ROW to the boat in front.

2) Based on the man over sail over power rule, a power boat should be yielding the ROW to a sailboat.

3) Channel designations. Power boats in a designated power channel will have the right of way over a sailboat.

4) Size of boats. Larger boats are given the ROW in certain cases simply because they don't have the ease of movement to change course.

Even with all of this in mind, the overall rule is the General Responsibility Rule...all skippers need to avoid collisions regardless. Argue the rule after the fact.

Even if you have the ROW, it's often far easier, safer and simply nicer to simply yield it and continue onward.

Sheldon

I'm not so sure my situation was that of right-of-way more than just a case of the powerboat captain being an impatient dickhead for me to clear 100 feet out of his way before he steamed around my stern.

I did everything I could to make sure I wouldn't get in the way, I figured he would want to pass to my stern where there was deeper water, but he had other plans.

After thinking about the whole day, I believe I could have done more for the safety of others and the importance of seamanship to avoid this situation. I noticed a collision course early on and did nothing but continue even thought the worst outcome of a collision of a vessel 100 times larger would have been catastrophic.

I've had two near misses.

One was a cabin crusier pulling a water skiier,
so he was not looking where he was going.

Second was a cigarette boat going what 50+ from
who knows where, who was talking to his bikini
clad girlfriend, when he saw my boat at the last
moment, turned and I saw his props come out of the water.

The first mishap I took evasive action,
the second was good luck.

I have had three incidents where boats under power were at the least reckless. One was a large sailing yacht where we had the obvious right of way, but the skipper was I think totally oblivious to this fact, and would've run us down had we not changed course. The second a 40-50' motor yacht came roaring up full throttle right next to me. I think his wake might've flipped me, had I not turned into it at the last second. I was thrown around, and when I recovered my senses, noticed blood all over the tramp. I was barefoot, and somehow managed to slice my foot open on a block! A passenger on the stern of the yacht smiled and waved as it left me bleeding in it's wake. The third time, I was with a friend on his 16, tacking out a narrow channel, and a powerboat overtook us. We heard them complainig to eachother about our blocking thir way. Mind you it only took five more minutes for us to clear the channel. One actually said "Why don't you just run them down?" This was in such a narrow channel that a couple on shore overheard them too, and spoke up on our behalf. I think the witnesses prevented things from escalating. Everyone should be required to learn the rules of the road to be on the water! The commercial fishermen I've crossed courses with in Buzzards Bay, have been very considerate. They seem to really understand! Brian

The people that make their living on the sea (fishermen, charter captains) seem to be the ones that are most considerate. They understand why the rules are the way they are.

Its the recreational drunkard that I worry about.

I know from experiance sailing my H16 of ignorant power boaters out there. Many a time i have come close to taking out a power boater or a PWC.

I would like to see tighter legislation myself for owners of boats where they need to renew their drivers license for boats every 3 years like their car drivers license. This way they would have to take a test and refresh the knowledge of the rules of the road for boating.

I dont know if this will help, but if people had a regular license for their boats that could be taken away like their drivers license for their cars, they might think twice about what they are doing.

The Skier
Hobie 16

Not neccesarily. You would both be responsible for a collision. The last rule is "if the give way vessel does not give way to the stand on vessel, the stand on vessel should give way so as to avoid a collision." You and the other skipper would likely be assigned equal blame. Your insurance would pay for your boat, his would pay for his.

Think about it, is it worth it to get hit by a motor boat
going 20 knots? Are you going to survive such a collision?

Also, I don't know where you are sailing, but if you are crossing shipping lanes certain areas (Puget Sound) has certain rules regarding what you can do in those lanes. Are the fishing boats restricted to a channel by draft? They would probably have right of way in such a situation.

To help clarify some of what's been discussed in this thread, I thought I'd post the General Definitions from the COLREGS (Rules of the Road).

[color:"green"]For the purpose of these Rules, except where the context otherwise requires:

(3a) The word "vessel" includes every description of water craft, including nondisplacement craft and seaplanes, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water.

(3b) The term "power-driven vessel" means any vessel propelled by machinery.

(3c) The term "sailing vessel" means any vessel under sail provided that propelling machinery, if fitted, is not being used.

(3d) The term "vessel engaged in fishing" means any vessel fishing with nets, lines, trawls or other fishing apparatus which restrict maneuverability, but does not include a vessel fishing with trolling lines or other fishing apparatus which do not restrict maneuverability. See Note on fishing vessel terminology.

(3e) The word "seaplane" includes any aircraft designed to maneuver on the water.

(3f) The term "vessel not under command" means a vessel which through some exceptional circumstance is unable to maneuver as required by these Rules and is therefore unable to keep out of the way of another vessel.

(3g) The term "vessel restricted in her ability to maneuver" means a vessel which from the nature of her work is restricted in her ability to maneuver as required by these Rules and is therefore unable to keep out of the way of another vessel.

The term 'vessels restricted in their ability to maneuver' shall include but not be limited to:


(i) a vessel engaged in laying, servicing or picking up a navigation mark, submarine cable or pipeline;
(ii) a vessel engaged in dredging, surveying or underwater operations;
(iii) a vessel engaged in replenishment or transferring persons, provisions or cargo while underway;
(iv) a vessel engaged in launching or recovery of aircraft;
(v) a vessel engaged in mine clearance operations;
(vi) a vessel engaged in a towing operation such as severely restricts the towing vessel and her tow in their ability to deviate from their course;

(3h) The term "vessel constrained by her draft" means a power-driven vessel which, because of her draft in relation to the available depth and width of navigable water is severely restricted in her ability to deviate from the course she is following. See note on Inland definitions.

(3i) The word "underway" means a vessel that is not at anchor, or made fast to shore, or aground.

(3j) The words "length" and "breadth" of a vessel means her length overall and greatest breadth.

(3k) Vessels shall be deemed to be in sight of one another only when one can be observed visually from the other.

(3l) The term "restricted visibility" means any condition in which visibility is restricted by fog, mist, falling snow, heavy rainstorms, sandstorms or any other similar causes.[/color]