Vessel Encounters - The Play

In comments of my post Vessel encounters drunks. Which rule applies?   I said I was going to take another stab at making my point so here goes.

One of the books I have here at home is Mariner's Rules of the Road by William P. Crawford.  

The book uses the analogy of a play to explain the rules of conduct between vessels. From the book, regarding the rules:

"The structure, though, can be reduced to this: a code of conduct and a code of signals. Vessels are given a script to follow when they meet; that is the code of conduct."

and:

The analogy of a script is apt. Performers acting out parts in a theater are guided by the playwright's specifications of who says what and when.Vessels approaching each other so as to involve risk of collision also require direction.

When a recreation vessel deliberately uses it's superior maneuverability to harass a larger vessel one actor is not following the  script and  the play is over.

Searching through the rules of the roads for the appropriate rule in this case would be  like searching for Booth's line "Sic semper tyrannis"  in the script for Our American Cousin. It's not  there, the play was over when Booth shot Lincoln.

At sea, once Booth jumps onto the stage it's time for the pedantic types to turn to Rule 2 also called "The Rule of Good Seamanship and the General Prudential Rule.

Again from Crawford's book:

"If there is no script, or if what script exist won't work, then be ready to 'ad lib'."

K.C.

Ship vs Boat, who has the Right of Way?

Two Sail boats (Wikipedia)

When I am on the water for recreation and I encounter commercial traffic I stay clear regardless of who has the right way. I do this because I know the bridge watch has enough to do without worrying about dodging recreational craft. I also don't want to take the chance I might get run down just because the mate on watch needs to catch up his log at the same time the AB decides it time to put on a fresh pot of coffee.

My advice to boaters near commercial traffic is to stay the @##%& out of the way. Commander Brian J. Downey Jr. of the USCG says it much more diplomatically:

From The Working Waterfront - I have the right of way...or do I.

Going back to my youth, I picture my father at the helm of our 23-foot boat trying to calm my frantic mother by explaining that the big ship in front of us was required to get out of our path as we were under sail, availing us the right of way, assuring our safe passage. Well...not exactly.

The diplomatic part comes at the end:

My advice is to stay safe by giving our commercial operators a wide berth; there's plenty of ocean for all of us.

Yeah, that's what I meant.



K.C.

AIS and the Nautical Rules of the Road

Photo by Ulf Larsen, on the bridge of the Norwegian coastal vessel MF Bastø II. (found on Wikipedia)

At the Navigation Electronic site PANBO, in the comment threat of this post Class B rollout, looking better, but mysterious the question came up: How is AIS (Automatic Identification System) being integrated into the Nautical rules of the road.

I think both rule 5 and 7 apply.


Rule 5 of the nautical rules of the road reads as follows:

Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper lookout by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision.

From Handbook of the Nautial Rules of the Road" Llana & Wisneskey"

Fortunately, mechanical means for maintaining a lookout are available. "Available" to Rule 5 means "shall be used" in appropriate circumstances. Some of these "other means" are listed below:

• Binoculars
• Radar
• VHF bridge-to-bridge radiotelephone
• Automated radar plotting aids (sometimes called collision avoidance radar)
• Differential GPS (DGPS) satellite navigation equipment
• Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) radio transponders
• Vessel traffic services
• Navigation and piloting instruments

Rule 7 is

Every vessel shall use all available means appropriate to the prevailing circumstances and conditions to determine if risk of collision exists. If there is any doubt, such risk shall be deemed to exist.

The same argument used in rule 5 hold true in rule 7, AIS is a tool that can be used to determine if risk of collision exists.

An important point here is both rules begin the same way: "Every vessel"

K.C.