Overtaking a vessel

[Gina Marie]

I have read much on the rules of the sea on over taking a vessel. In south Florida on the Intercoastal I find myself in this position more than I would like. Most smaller boats are not even paying attention and in the NO WAKE ZONE I need to get their attention (not that they listen). Beside the common courtesy and the VHF hailing what are the rules for using my horn??????????

 

[Nonchalant1]

Tom,

I don't know about common courtesy here, but common sense would dictate that you blast their ass with your air horn, hopefully one of the original Hatteras dual air horns that sounds like 2 or 3 freight trains.

Doug

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Many times I will give a one or two(depending on which side)whistle blast on the air horn to alert them of my intentions to pass. They usually don't know why I am doing this and I might get "the finger", but at least I got their attention.

 

[luckydave215]

Trying to communicate with the average boater with horn blasts is like trying to explain plaid to Stevie Wonder.

 

[ELECTRA VI]

Trying to communicate with the average boater with horn blasts is like trying to explain plaid to Stevie Wonder.

I teach boating safety classes for the Coast Guard Auxiliary and the above is the most accurate analogy I have ever seen on this subject.
ELECTRA VI

 

[Genesis]

By the same token trying to do so over radio by saying "one whistle" is asking for the same result. I always ask on the radio (even if I'm on 13 and talking to a COMMERCIAL boat!) for clearance on the SPECIFIC SIDE of the vessel I wish to overtake. ("Gigabite hailing Al-Junker eastbound at marker 63 intending to overtake on your PORT SIDE")

They usually come back with "<x> whistle(s) confirmed Captain" but even so I feel better stating my EXACT intentions. You never know what yahoo is actually behind the wheel of ANYTHING on the water, and while most of the tug captains around here are both competent and decent folk, this is NOT universally true.

 

[REBrueckner]

There just isn't a graceful, foolproof and safe way to overtake and pass another vessel without the cooperation of the privileged (overtaken) vessel. In inland waters, both vessels are required to use communication such as whistle signals. Genesis explained the best way..a voice agreement in advance of action. Unfortunately in a narrow channel nothing is certain especially currents, channel direction changes, changing depths and the skill and knowledge of both operators to mention a few.

Your'e really in luck when the privileged vessel responds with an appropriate whistle signal because that's more than 90% of boaters here in the NE understand. And if the priviledged vessel announces "I am slowing to idle speed" it's nirvana. In any case you are not absolved from controlling your wake and if the priviledged vessel doesn't understand and maintains speed most will get annoyed because of the effects of your wake.
And this is all in clear daytime weather when boats are visible to each other. At night and or in fog or rain it's better to slow down and poke along behind the other boat.

I've had a three hundred foot ferry pass me in dense fog and do everything wrong..like pass me and then cut across my bow....You just never know.

 

[Pascal]

1 short blast if you're passing on the other guy's stbd side, 2 if passing on his port.

If you're lucky, you'll get a dirty look, if you're not you'll get a finger or some other nice gesture

trying to call on VHF is probalby useless when dealing with recreational vessels... chances are they're not monitoring 16 anyway... plus, in So FL if we all called on 16 before passing, 16 would become un usable anyway.

passing in a no wake zone is likely to be frown upon eventhough a larger diesel boat will idle much faster with no wake than a 16 footer. that will result in twice the gesturing...

 

[captainwjm]

I agree with Genesis's method unless it is a commercial vessel that I'm familiar with [here on the inland waters the tows run regular routes and we get to know the boats and crews]. Even if the other vessel dosen't respond, I figure I'm better off making a radio call on the off chance that he may be listening. Horn signals are reserved for those recreational boats, especially sailboats, where I can see the operator and know that he's not looking astern at me. Whether its a "one" or a "two" whistle pass, at least I can get his head turned around before I'm on top of him.

 

[MikeP]

Re this thread and the collision thread:

No one should be able to operate a boat with a motor (whether it's in use or not) without going through at least the same (admittedly pitiful) requirements needed to obtain a driver's license. It should be established ASAP and shouldn't be grandfathered. Yes, I'll be glad to stand in line, pay my money, and take the test. I don't expect much out of the requirement but at least it would force people to read a little bit to pass the written portion of the test.

I have also received the finger and been yelled at as an a$$hole for indicating with the horn that I intend to pass on the starboard side. Those big twin air horns are NIIIICE though!!

 

[Avenger]

C'mon Mike, you drive on Long Island. Have you seen any indication that paying the state and passing that goofy test has made better drivers out of anyone? I'd be willing to make the safety course mandatory, but you know that this state will just turn a boat license into another revenue stream.

 

[Genesis]

Re this thread and the collision thread:

No one should be able to operate a boat with a motor (whether it's in use or not) without going through at least the same (admittedly pitiful) requirements needed to obtain a driver's license. It should be established ASAP and shouldn't be grandfathered. Yes, I'll be glad to stand in line, pay my money, and take the test. I don't expect much out of the requirement but at least it would force people to read a little bit to pass the written portion of the test.

I strenuously disagree with licensure of any kind.

Has this done anything for road safety? No, it has not. The evidence is all around you.

Its simply a tax, and comes with ever-more stringent requirements. First it was licensure. Then came mandatory insurance - which is worthless in that the limits are rediculously low BUT it gives yet another captive market to govenrment and business, and yet more regulation.

No thank you.

The waterways are one of the few places where such things do not yet exist. I will fight tooth and nail to keep them that way.

In the end, the sea is vast enough that if you really don't want much of a chance of even seeing another boat, that can be arranged. That you want to boat where there are other boats just means you have the responsibility to be dilligent.

I actually like the rules of the road. They prevent the "but I had the right of way" arguments in automobile accidents, because the way they're written it is basically impossible to collide without both skippers being tagged in some fashion.

(Exceptions for running your boat between a tug and her tow, for example!)

 

[SKYCHENEY]

I agree. No more stupid license fees(taxes). In Michigan, they don't even give a drivers test anymore. All they want is the money. So to renew a drivers license, you do to the DMV, wait, wait, wait, then look into the eye machine, then pay.

The best thing for boating would be more enforcement of the current regs. If the CG or local Sheriff would hand out some citations to those idiots that cut in front of you or ski 15ft from you while you are anchored, maybe they would wise-up a bit.

 

[luckydave215]

The harbor police in San Diego hand out tickets like jehova's witness pamphlets............................doesn't seem to make a difference.

 

[Genesis]

Well they don't hand them out down here - most of the PWCers are rental operators think that "port" is what's on the backside of the chick that's on the ski with them!

Of course they're "concerned" that if they started writing tickets for speeding in the no-wakes (RADICALLY speeding too - 40mph, not a few mph over "idle") they'd "upset" the tourism trade!

I nearly had one of these clowns land in my cockpit a couple of years ago. I was actually half-hoping he WOULD, but then I started thinking about the amount of damage it would have done to the boat and what the odds would be that he had about $3 beyond the rental fee to his name and thus any judgement I got against him would be utterly uncollectable.

 

[MikeP]

There is no doubt that licensing would be primarily an income-fetcher for the state. And I used to agree with the view of no licensing/rules/regulations for anything. Unfortunately, the world is not that simple anymore. What worked fine when only a few, interested people were involved, doesn't work at all when there are millions of us.

I have no particular interest in a license per se and if someone can think of another way to force people to read the marine regs, I'm all for it. How about this - the boat should be coast-guard inspected (hopefully not by the guys than ran down the boat in the video) and, during the inspection, the operators must be able to answer basic questions. If they don't, they don't get an inspection sticker and the boat is not legal to be used.

Again, I don't care about a boating license if there is a better way. So what is it? Whatever it is, if it's voluntary, it won't happen.

No licenses? Anyone interested in getting on an airliner flown by an unlicensed operator controlled by an un-licensed air traffic controller? Heck, for that matter, do you want to ride in a car driven by a person who has no drivers license?

 

[Maynard Rupp]

Karl...I love the "port" definition, priceless.

 

[luckydave215]

If boaters had to know as much as I had to learn to get my pilot's license, the accident rate would drop to (almost) zero.

 

[Gina Marie]

I just sat down and started to read the above threads. Gentlemen you made my day I had the entire family on their knees with laughter. I know this is a serious issue but how true these comments are. Thanks for making my night, I love this forum.

 

[Genesis]

Mike, ANY activity can be regulated under the rubric that "lots of people do it."

The difference is we're all voluntarily participating. This is the same argument as diving regulations - which I also vehemently oppose.

Why is it different for cars and airplanes? Well if you screw up in an airplane you might land on my house!

But - let's not forget that you CAN fly some classes of aircraft with no license at all. I speak of course of ultralights....

Frankly, if you're THAT concerned with the state of the watermanship around you, sell the boat. My experience is that I'm just as likely to see bad behavior out of a USCG-licensed "master" as I am a recreational boater.

And those guys have licenses.

I therefore stand firmly opposed to any form of regulation, since its already proven to be worthless.