How Do You Like Being Overtaken by a Power Boat ?

[ryanpeddle85]

I guess I like the fact that I sail small boats in harbors which in nova scotia are no wake zones and most harbors here are sailing schools so slower moving less maneuverable boats have the right of way unless it's another sailor then it's back to starboard tack and all that jazz I don't mind being overtaken at all I enjoy the wake and have no trouble getting my 420 back up to speed

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by Bill Lee

So much for consensus on wake etiquette
So if in a 'narrow' pass (say about a half mile wide) that does not have much current but a fair bit of traffic so that if boats are well spaced out but all about 60 -100 yards of each other (mid pass) I slow down to overtake in the middle and the sailboat in front of me does nothing except keeps to his speed and course. Do I take the 3-5 minutes to pass him at displacement speed or do I say scr*w him, and put the hammer down?
Cheers,
Bill

Ya know....I agree...most of the time I try and be polite...and most of the time it isn't too inconvenient...but there are situations where a bunch of slower boats are getting along just fine and the faster boats are getting by with no problem...THEN there's one guy who just doesn't get the big picture...sooooooo...he gets the big wake!! sooooo soooorry....NOT!

[capn_billl]

I don't mind the slow moving sailboat running dow a narrow channel, and I will ease by him giving as much room as possible. The ones who bug me are the ones going slowely down the middle, refuse to move to the side to allow room to pass, and or zig-zag across the channel making a safe pass impossible.

All other time I give a wide berth, after all it is a big ocean out there, plenty of room for everyone.

[SimonV]

Obvously everyone moves in deep water, as I said before when in 8 feet of water and a draft of 6 feet, a power boat plows past with a three foot wake. well you do the math.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by capn_billl

I don't mind the slow moving sailboat running dow a narrow channel, and I will ease by him giving as much room as possible. The ones who bug me are the ones going slowely down the middle, refuse to move to the side to allow room to pass, and or zig-zag across the channel making a safe pass impossible.

All other time I give a wide berth, after all it is a big ocean out there, plenty of room for everyone.

Are you a motor-boater or a sailor? If you're going to sail, you have to zig-zag sometimes. And like it or not, a boat under sail has the right of way over a pleasure craft using motor power (whether or not that boat has a mast). That doesn't cover every single right-of-way issue -- only the specific one I just addressed.

If my engine went out while I was in a channel and the wind was on my nose, I would have no choice except to zig-zag. Personally I would try to get to a space wide enough to anchor safely and call a tow boat, but in some places that's not a good option either.

[markpierce]

The regs say that a vessel (this includes sailboats) are not to cross a channel if this impedes the passage of a vessel.

'fraid that sailboat will need to employ shorter tacks, pinch into the wind, go into "irons," etcetera to permit the vessel requiring the channel to make passage.

[senormechanico]

Can you please post the exact wording of that?
Your definition sounds awfully broad.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by markpierce

The regs say that a vessel (this includes sailboats) are not to cross a channel if this impedes the passage of a vessel.

'fraid that sailboat will need to employ shorter tacks, pinch into the wind, go into "irons," etcetera to permit the vessel requiring the channel to make passage.

If a power boater can't figure out how to pass a sailboat to port or starboard they shouldn't be out on the water.

The channel going into a local marina houses a sail school that uses boats that have no motors. If the wind is on the nose, those boats have no choice except to "zig zag" as you say (they're called tacks or jybes). It's not a wide channel, and yet power boats and non-motorized sailboats manage to share the channel safely all the time.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by markpierce

The regs say that a vessel (this includes sailboats) are not to cross a channel if this impedes the passage of a vessel.

'fraid that sailboat will need to employ shorter tacks, pinch into the wind, go into "irons," etcetera to permit the vessel requiring the channel to make passage.

"Pinching" or "going into irons" are really bad things to do in channels. Wind or current can easily take that boat aground -- for what -- so you won't be delayed 30 seconds?

It is also required of boats that they do whatever they can to avoid becoming a navigational hazard. A sailboat not under control is a navigational hazard to other boats.

I don't understand why some power boaters can't just take a chill pill, have a little patience, and pass intelligently.

[markpierce]

See pages 20 and 21.

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pdf/navRules/navrules.pdf

[Bill Lee]

I agree about a sailboats right of way when under sail. That right of way exists no matter how imprudent the captain is. I've seen a skipper zig zag through a narrow pass with a half dozen boaters (including other sailboats) in line behind waiting their turn to go through at slack tide when the lead skipper is leisurely zig zagging using up the slack time. No, it didn't look like an emergency and that he had no engine (he did). He and his crew were enjoying cocktails and appy's the whole way. Yes I am responsible for my wake - despite the fact that some people deserve my little tsunami......

[hummingway]

Originally Posted by markpierce

The regs say that a vessel (this includes sailboats) are not to cross a channel if this impedes the passage of a vessel.

'fraid that sailboat will need to employ shorter tacks, pinch into the wind, go into "irons," etcetera to permit the vessel requiring the channel to make passage.

That's not what it says. It says you shall not impede "the passage of a vessel that can safely navigate only within a narrow channel or fairway."

Sorry, that doesn't mean your vessel.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Bill Lee

I agree about a sailboats right of way when under sail. That right of way exists no matter how imprudent the captain is. I've seen a skipper zig zag through a narrow pass with a half dozen boaters (including other sailboats) in line behind waiting their turn to go through at slack tide when the lead skipper is leisurely zig zagging using up the slack time. No, it didn't look like an emergency and that he had no engine (he did). He and his crew were enjoying cocktails and appy's the whole way. Yes I am responsible for my wake - despite the fact that some people deserve my little tsunami......

I'm quite certain that you're not a sailor, because there is nothing "leisurely" about tacking upwind through a channel. It takes the coordinated effort of at least two people -- one at the wheel or tiller, and one (or more) on the headsail sheets. Often there's a third person tailing. In other words, I'm sorry but I don't believe you. I can't imagine how that could have happened.

So if he was taking upwind, he and his crew could not possibly been enjoying cocktails and appetizers the whole way. And, although you can ascertain whether or not a boat has an engine, you can't determine that it isn't running. If someone is tacking upwind through a channel in fact you can be pretty sure that any engine is NOT running.

It does make me think that you are one of those power boaters who think some sailboats "deserve" your "tsunamai. You might want to review those rules, because you are responsible for any damage your wake does. One time I did have an idiot power boater "tsunamai" me (I had done nothing except be at the entrance to the canal when he was moving WAY too fast in a "no wake" zone. I didn't pursue it, but legally he was responsible for the cabin contents that got broken as my boat pitched around,.

[rrranch]

Where we sail around Corpus Christi power boats are always on my nerves. Most of them are drunk or stoned it seems because they obviously can't remember the rules. Weekends are far worse. When we are in the channels or ICW I'm not sailing if I have to tack. It's safer to motor and most sailors know that. It's not cool playing chicken with barges after all. When sailing though, most of us do like to stay to the windward side of a channel. Just keep in mind that when we are at the edge of the channel were treading in dangerous water. The ICW here is only 12 feet under my keep in the middle. I am not going shallower than 3 feet under it because that means the shoals are coming up sharply. I hate being stuck in the mud! So for you powerboaters remember the windward side is our preference.
Some channels, like the one going into our marina with a 6 to 8 foot deep in the middle channel, I'm staying in the middle. I won't enter it if I see another sail boat coming and if by some chance I do meet one it's going to be close but we have a good idea of each others capabilities. Mine is one of the deeper draft boats in our marina at 5.6 feet.

Going under bridges is my biggest pet peeve. The one I go under most often is 48 feet. My antenna on top of the mast is 48 feet! The mast itself is 45. Last week a nut on a motor yacht passed me from behind going at least 30 knots and darn near put my mast into the bottom of the bridge. Those kind of things when you have to pass closely under a bridge you're best off just not passing till the mast is clear. If you must do it, please do it with no wake at all.

Also in my experience, the best way to pass is for the passing boat to get off the throttle right as it's bow gets to the other boats stern. The bow wave collapses and you just scoot on by with very little wake. It's real nice to do that when a sailboat only has a foot under it's keep especially. Get back on the throttle when you are a couple boat lengths clear of the other boat. Believe it or not I almost got swamped by 3 coast guard nuts last week that did not do that. They had big 4 engine rhib's and passed me in the ship channel. It's over a mile wide and they passed within 50 feet doing over 40 knots. Pissed me of enough to report it. That was not cool at all and I don't care what their rush was with all that extra water around us. If they could not move a radio call telling me to move would have been nice. I didn't even know they were coming till the first one passed they were so fast.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by rrranch

Where we sail around Corpus Christi power boats are always on my nerves. Most of them are drunk or stoned it seems because they obviously can't remember the rules. Weekends are far worse. When we are in the channels or ICW I'm not sailing if I have to tack. It's safer to motor and most sailors know that. It's not cool playing chicken with barges after all. When sailing though, most of us do like to stay to the windward side of a channel. Just keep in mind that when we are at the edge of the channel were treading in dangerous water. The ICW here is only 12 feet under my keep in the middle. I am not going shallower than 3 feet under it because that means the shoals are coming up sharply. I hate being stuck in the mud! So for you powerboaters remember the windward side is our preference.
Some channels, like the one going into our marina with a 6 to 8 foot deep in the middle channel, I'm staying in the middle. I won't enter it if I see another sail boat coming and if by some chance I do meet one it's going to be close but we have a good idea of each others capabilities. Mine is one of the deeper draft boats in our marina at 5.6 feet.

Going under bridges is my biggest pet peeve. The one I go under most often is 48 feet. My antenna on top of the mast is 48 feet! The mast itself is 45. Last week a nut on a motor yacht passed me from behind going at least 30 knots and darn near put my mast into the bottom of the bridge. Those kind of things when you have to pass closely under a bridge you're best off just not passing till the mast is clear. If you must do it, please do it with no wake at all.

Also in my experience, the best way to pass is for the passing boat to get off the throttle right as it's bow gets to the other boats stern. The bow wave collapses and you just scoot on by with very little wake. It's real nice to do that when a sailboat only has a foot under it's keep especially. Get back on the throttle when you are a couple boat lengths clear of the other boat. Believe it or not I almost got swamped by 3 coast guard nuts last week that did not do that. They had big 4 engine rhib's and passed me in the ship channel. It's over a mile wide and they passed within 50 feet doing over 40 knots. Pissed me of enough to report it. That was not cool at all and I don't care what their rush was with all that extra water around us. If they could not move a radio call telling me to move would have been nice. I didn't even know they were coming till the first one passed they were so fast.

A sailboat -- either under power or under sail -- does not have the right of way over a commercial vessel towing a barge.

If I had your boat and had to go under that fixed bridge I would make sure power boats were clear first. I just wouldn't expect all power boats to get the effect of their wakes. I got myself towed off when I was unsuccessful freeing it myself.

I was aground once and the tide was going out and was going to be very low. I got a tow because I couldn't count on power boats to keep the wake down. I could have been banged on my rudder.

I don't expect power boaters to get all the ins and outs of sailing, but I do think they should know the "rules of the road," which really do include a couple of things here:

1) when overtaking a boat, the boat being overtaken has the right of way

2) sailboats (if not under power) have the right of way over power boats.

3) Power boats are responsible for the damage their wakes do.

Pleasure boats of any kind never have right of way over barges, and I hope people know to give them a wide berth, as they have very limited maneuverability. If they WANTED to miss you they might not be able to.