i used my radio! -sail vid

[scoobert]

Passed by massive ship while sailing - YouTube
used my radio when he was baring down on me, i gave him the entire channel, and we kept sailing with a 6KT south breeze. the tide was coming in, but we still managed 3kts. nice day for a south sail. and i didn't get the horn blasts.

[jeremiason]

Most sailors don't realize it, but most Ships Captains and Watch Officers are happy when you call them on the VHF and discuss intentions.

It is a hell of a lot easier than guessing!

[scoobert]

i must have said something wrong, because he asked if i was motoring. i replied no, i am under sail.
guess he is not use to large boats sailing in the upper hudson. i don't think i have ever seen one sailing this far north.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by scoobert

i must have said something wrong, because he asked if i was motoring. i replied no, i am under sail.
guess he is not use to large boats sailing in the upper hudson. i don't think i have ever seen one sailing this far north.

He was asking if your engine was running so as to determine your relative maneuverability.

[Bestathook]

Limitation by depth of the channel varies a lot by the size of the vessel. Many channels have plenty of water for small vessels, outside the markers. When I am sure there is enough depth, I like being where the big ships CANNOT go, especially in my little sailboat. Compared to a big tug and tow, almost all sailboats are small, and with their keels can easily get sucked into the bigger vessels water suction.

When I ran a 135' crew boat, we habitually ran outside the channel as a courtesy to the numerous really big ships that used the channel, at least when I was sure there was enough depth. They had enough to deal with, without my little boat adding to the confusion.

In a very narrow channel, or a very busy one like Galveston, the very able and very professional captains are easy to spot by their courtesy.

[kthoennes]

That's funny, I'm on the Missouri River just above the first dam between here and St. Louis so we have little or no commercial traffic. The radio came to life twice over the past six months, once to warn boaters of a big floating log, the other was one brief exchange during a sailing race. Other than that, the radio was completely silent. I did do a radio check once to make sure it worked...got a reply from about 100 miles away, very impressive.