Posted by Laurence Monkhouse on July 24, 2005 at 07:28:32 from 212.134.226.85 user Laurence_.
In Reply to: Give Way rules posted by Ed Kiser on July 23, 2005 at 20:41:00:
In Ransome's time the International rule of the road for sailing vessels was:-
i) Running free gives way to close hauled.
ii) If both boats are running free or close hauled, then Port gives way to Starboard.
About 40 years ago this was changed to:-
i) Port gives way to Starboard
ii) If both boats are on the same tack, then the windward boat gives way to the leeward boat.
Under both rules an overtaking boat keeps clear. This applies even to a sailing boat overtaking a powered boat.
All boats keep clear of large commercial vessels in restricted channels.
Those are the basic ones.
These days with too many rich idiots in plastic boats, both sail and power, there often seems to be a feeling that small old boats give way to big expensive ones. I have had some interesting discussions with such people. On one occasion somebody told me that he wasn't racing, appearing to believe that this negated the Port/Starboard rule!