Rules of The Road Too Confusing?

[Catamount]

Back to the problems of color perception, at long range I find it difficult sometimes to distinguish green, white, and even yellow from each other -- it's just a light...a long way off. Red lights don't even show up at this long range -- in my experience, an incandescent bulb of a given wattage won't seem as bright when viewed through a red lens as through green, yellow, or clear.

And even with just white, green, red, and yellow, there is a lot of variation in color out there; I can't imagine trying to regulate a larger pallette of light colors. Presumably the testing for Coast Guard approval would require evaluating the wavelengths (the only way to quantify color) of the light emitted by the fixtures as well as their brightness or range and their sectors.

[David M]

In fact, there are specifications for the wavelength of each color for nav lights. This helps distinguish them from similar colored lights in the background...like traffic lights or brake lights. When you see a nav light you know its a nav light by its distinct color.

Other than purple, all the primary and secondary colors are being used by the COLREGS. To have a light green and a dark green for example, would be way too confusing.

[Badsanta]

I am no expert at times I feel as a novice and I dont sail to much at night. This is the way I handle lights.

Red or green blinking-channel marker
White- stern or anchor light. either way I stay away

red and moving, that boat is the stand on has the right of way. I think " Red stop light"
if green then I am supposed to have the be the stand on. "Green go"

The more lights on it the further away I stay from it.

I love my chart plotter.

I know this is simple, but I haven't hit anything yet. I remember to make obvious course changes and do so early.

[unbusted67]

Originally Posted by Acoustic

Those same clowns are the ones who can't even understand "right red return" or port from starboard, or even the most basic of stand on / give way protocols.

Yeah good point.

[imagine2frolic]

How about just keeping those plastic cheat sheets close by. What you don't already know will become known via of use, and hands on experience.

[Ex-Calif]

I read the first posts with amusement thinking that the colors and shapes are fine and that we don't need any changes but then I thought it would be nice at night to readily distinguish privileged vessels.

i.e. constrained, restricted, not under command. We have lots of ships here. At night we play the red-white-red, red over white etc. game and I always get it wrong. Often the white and red is hard to pick out (especially the white) from the bridgedeck lighting.

Why not blue for these vessels. From a disance at night sometimes you can't tell what's coming. Blue lights would make it one of my "must avoid" boats along with those with yellow and flashing yellow.

Oh, well. Nice to speculate about but it'll never happen.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by Acoustic

Those same clowns are the ones who can't even understand "right red return" or port from starboard, or even the most basic of stand on / give way protocols.

We can't dumb down the entire universe to the mentality of every lazy & uninitiated Joe six pack. If it was just a lights and shapes issue I might have even a little sympathy for your position but the people you point out generally do not even understand one single rule let alone some of the most basics like rule 5, 7 & 8 which are about as easy as it gets to remember.

Go ahead and ask around your dock if anyone even knows what rule 5 is and if they can describe it to you. This rule does not get any simpler yet many will have no clue. If they can't even get rule 5 there is NO WAY to dumb it down enough..

LOL.....Accoustic

That is why the Rules are very specific about not assuming the other vessel operator knows what he is doing

I just play this song in my mind when the uninformed raise their ugly but comical heads to make life more interesting at sea.

It helps me to relax.....

YouTube - Ruthie Henshall - Send In The Clowns

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by imagine2frolic

How about just keeping those plastic cheat sheets close by. What you don't already know will become known via of use, and hands on experience.

Exactly.

Earlier, Defjef wondered why “ the system can't be updated to be more intuitive and easy to understand and less arcane”.

All knowledge is “arcane” to the uninitiated (ignorant), and only becomes “intuitive” with knowledge and practice.
ie:
Traffic Lights: We only “know” that red (top) means stop (or danger), and green (bottom) means go (or safe) through constant universal exposure & reinforcement.

[MidLandOne]

Originally Posted by Acoustic

Those same clowns are the ones who can't even understand "right red return"...

Well I always remember that one so why does everyone shout and make all kinds of sound and rude finger signals at me when I'm coming home up the channel?

The only other rule aid for memory I can always recall is "For dredgers diamonds are best". That as a consequence of when we were kids having a little argument between a dredger's lines and a sailing dinghy . After near on 50 years now have not forgotten that one .

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by Acoustic

Those same clowns are the ones who can't even understand "right red return" or port from starboard, or even the most basic of stand on / give way protocols.

Very Amerocentric. Just about everywhere else it is the "Green, green grass of home."

i.e. keep the starboard light on the green buoys when proceding up channel.

[Solitude]

So ...Why do we have this??


The areas that use the 'B' system, are North and South America, Japan and the Philippines. The remainder of the World uses the 'A' system.

[CSY Man]

Rules of The Road Too Confusing?

Nah, not confusing, it just takes some disipline to learn 'em.

Some folks are too lazy to learn and instead want to simplify the rules..?

[unbusted67]

Easy buddy, no need to take pot shots. I am learning them and in learning them am finding them cryptic and chaotic not just hard to learn.

[Pelagic]

UnBusted……A good book to study is “Collision Avoidance Rules” by A.N. Cockroft.


He describes each rule in simple practical terms, gives a bit of history of their evolution and then uses actual collisions and their court case findings to underline key points that every mariner should remember.

It is a thin book and an easy trick is to take one rule (or section of) per night, read his explanation, just before you go to sleep. It helps lock it in and if nothing else, will put you to sleep.

The “Rules” need to be understood as a whole and not just the individual parts for everything to make sense, including lights/shapes and sound signals....good luck!

[CSY Man]

Looks like someone never learned to spell the word discipline.

Sorry, English is my second language and I did not proof-read my own post.

Easy buddy, no need to take pot shots.

Yeah, be carful with them pot shots and good luck studying the rules, they will be less confusing as you go along.