International Code of Signals - Two-letter signals

[praticoborges]

Hello,

I am studying the ICS, more specifically the two-letter signals, and at the "Disable-drifting-sinking" item I got confused.

1- What is the difference between "disable" and "drifting" ? (To be drifting, do I have to be disabled ?)

2- What is the difference between "I am drifting" (DV) and "I am adrift" (DV1)

Best regards,
Borges.

[Hydra]

Welcome to CruisersForum, praticoborges.

I suppose that DV (I am drifting) means "I am drifting purposely" and DV1 (I am adrift) means "I am adrift because I am not under command".

Alain

[StuM]

1. You can be disabled and anchored or disabled and adrift (see below). Disabled means unable to proceed under your own power and/or control.

2. Adrift/Drifting

Adrift = not under power/control and not attached to a fixed point.
You can be adrift and still be stationary if there is no wind and current or they are in opposition.

Drifting = moving solely under the influence of wind and current.

You can be drifting without being disabled. (It's dead calm. I could fire up the motor if I needed to, but I don't want the noise, I don't want to use diesel unnecessarily and I have plenty of time, so I will just drift)

[praticoborges]

Thank you Hydra and StuM !!

The explanations were great !

[markpierce]

With no wind, how can one read flags? Even with a wind, how close does one need to read those small recreational-boat flags?

[JPA Cate]

mark,

image stabilizing binocs help a lot, but forget the fine print!

Ann

[StuM]

Originally Posted by markpierce

With no wind, how can one read flags? Even with a wind, how close does one need to read those small recreational-boat flags?

To answer the first: If there is no wind, just hang them on a line from spreader to stern rather than vertically. Or wave them like semaphore flags.

As to the second: depends on how good your telescope is.