Skipper cited for violation of rule 9.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by guyrj33

by biggest complaint as a sailer (33' sloop) is large power cruisers passing too close and not minding their wake. I'm talking about 3-4' of wake and passing less than 100' away. At times on both sides.

There's something about big powerboats that make it imperative that they cross in front of a sailboat, (maximizing discomfort from their wake), even if they have to alter course to do so. I've also been forced by larger sailboats to alter course to avoid collision when I'm supposed to be the stand-on vessel, in open water.


I have to say that it has been getting better in recent years.

[Ken Z]

I don t think a license can replace common sense, rules of the waterways, respect . I see rudeness every day on the water.

[Trawler2016]

I was on a minesweeper and we were doing minesweeping drills with the magnetic tail streamed astern off the coast of CA.
Displaying the black balls as required and the tail of the gear supported and flagged by a float.
A small craft cut between the ship and the tail.
Fortunately, the gear was low enough in the water and they did not hit it.
Not only severe damage to the small boat but to the magnetic tail to require repairs.
No knowledge of the rules or the "me first" attitude which is prevalent.

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by Valmika

Like this guy?

Awesum video, thanks! Looks like the racers were having trouble with the spinnaker and got distracted, but you never see him try to jibe out of the way.
I have windsurfed and sailed for years in the Sacramento ship channel. Sailing there is absolutely no problem. You keep a constant lookout for ships and there is plenty of deep water right up to the shore on both sides. Ship comes, you simply go hang out near the shore.

Windsurfing there can be dicey. On a good day there are dozens, reaching across the channel and back. A couple hundred yards I would guess. If you fall down near the middle, it is scary until you get back on your feet and get out of there.

[Whosails]

One thing that new sailors need to learn is that no matter what they learned, is that “MIGHT MAKES RIGHT!”. If it is bigger than you are you had better get out of the way.

[CLady]

Some years ago I was sailing back from I'm Catalina about 7 miles off Pt. Fermin in light air and about a 80 foot power boat doing 18 knots according to my boat radar turned to pass m close up wind if me leaving a huge wake. B cause it was obviously so intentional, I called out to the boat on vhf identifying it having just passed me and reported that some large object fell off the boat. I watched the boat circle back and enjoyed tremendously. Nothing had fallen off the boat. 'Just a little payback. ��

[desodave]

I too would hope that there is a significant penalty for such stupidity. It is a widespread phenomenon unfortunately and most of our recorded instances involve BC Ferries vessels. They're not usually in such a tight channel as this one but are way too common. As Dannc noted, big ships close a lot faster than you think, especially as a relative newbie. I don't cross the ferry course - they're marked on our charts - if I can see the vessel, unless I'm already in their lane when they appear in the distance. They're traveling at over 3x my speed and close incredibly quickly. I think that many new boaters don't appreciate the effect of this speed differential and the importance of staying clear. Our local Power Squadron recently had a presentation from the Pacific Pilotage Authority, and he warned us to stay at least 200ft away from the big ships to avoid being sucked into them as they pass by.

[Cadence]

Stupidity will take care of itself. Probably in chards of fiberglass.

[Heathenly Twins]

I find it interesting people don't think better licensing requirements and accountability measures could be used to improve safety afloat. Yes, incompetent car drivers are the norm but a lot goes unpunished on roads simply because taking away a person's license in the USA and Canada makes life incredibly difficult and limits one's ability to earn a living and obtain necessities.

The consequences of a collision at sea can be much more serious than those on land, for this reason I think more scrutiny should be encouraged. Video evidence of unsafe behavior coupled with GPS tracking data etc. Could be used for proof of wrongdoing.

Air travel and airspace is heavily regulated and look at how (relatively) safe that is, it could be similar afloat.

Just last summer I had numerous boaters violate both colregs and common sense and had to change course to avoid a collision. I never bothered reporting it but I'm sure if the Coastguard were likely to do anything they might have liked to see a video of a motor yacht skipper with his head buried in the cooler on the transom while the helm was unmanned. That guy narrowly missed hitting shoals, my boat (I had been trying to raise my headsail when I decided to motor away from him) and went into a ferry lane with a ferry coming after doing a 180° turn. If he had been slapped with a big fine I'm sure he might deem it worthwhile to pay more attention in the future.

If there's one positive thing about increased government surveillance, it's that it could make life safer on the water.

Just my 2 cents, I'm probably way off the mark

[oldersalt1944]

Years ago I attended a safety talk by a local CG officer. This was on SF Bay and was mostly attended by racing sailors. When he got around to discussing Rule 9, most were not paying much attention, since they often played chicken with the big guys rather than loose a few seconds. He finally got their COMPLETE attention by saying something like this...

"Owners of big ships have figured out that it is cheaper to run down a boatload of lawyers than it is to run aground."

Some of those racing sailors actually started thinking about their behavior after thinking about that for a minute!

Stay safe out there!
Oldersalt

[Hoodsail]

I learned to sail on the SF bay and we were shown the shipping lanes on the paper chart & instructed to steer way clear of the transoceanic freighters given their size, inertia, and lack of maneuverability - whether in lane or not. the times we even got within 1/4-1/2 mile of them was unnerving as the size - the hull would fully obstruct the wind and the wake from bow & stern was impressive when sitting 3 feet from waters edge. Licensing is a nice to have, but plain common sense is a need to have.

[bill352]

Originally Posted by Heathenly Twins

Air travel and airspace is heavily regulated and look at how (relatively) safe that is, it could be similar afloat.

It could be similar afloat if the requirements for getting and keeping a license were the same. You can look those up if you like, but I'll give you the tl:dr version - ain't gonna happen.

[IAmGroot]

Never mind the rules of the road....in the navy we called this the "law of gross tonnage" - and it mainly applied to our destroyer getting the h*ll out of the way of carriers and supertankers.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by IAmGroot

Never mind the rules of the road....in the navy we called this the "law of gross tonnage" - and it mainly applied to our destroyer getting the h*ll out of the way of carriers and supertankers.

Someone awhile back said the law of gross tonnage didn't exist. He/she must have been looking for a written law not common sense.

[thunderhoof]

San Diego Bay sailors are made very aware of Rule 9 by the Harbor Police and the sailing clubs. The harbor is fairly wide but there is regular cruise, warship and commercial traffic. After a few well publicized prosecutions a few years ago sailing instructions now make it clear there are both $$ and disqualification penalties if a large vessel has to blow 5 horn blasts at you.