Collision Regulations quiz question

[chris moody]

Hmm, very odd. Can you give me a Lat / Long for that location please.

[The Gurnard]

Yup .. No problem Chris..perhaps my wording confuses the image. ..and the fact there is land beyond them shown in the photo

Its the buoys in the Kyles of Bute .. so that answers why the buoys are there.. they mark the narrow channel.. between the Mainland and the Island of Bute. I am where the boat with the arrow is on this chart..and the other boat is on the other side coming towards me.

Its a bit narrow in there to pass port to port .. so one of us has to give way.. so basically the question is.. which should give way ?

[chris moody]

The Coll Regs don't give either vessel Stand on or Give Way status in a head on (reciprocal bearing) situation. I would proceed with extreme caution and be ready to let the other vessel come through first. If I wanted to signal to the other vessel to come through first I would give him three short blasts of my foghorn to say I was slowing to let him through.

[9-R]

And for a bonus point, what is the procedure for overtaking??? (not that anyone bothers)

Overtake from behind? You need to sneak up slowly and cautiously, caress her neck and whisper sweet nothings in her ear. I bother because it works every time!

[Andy B]

Without local knowledge.
I would assume that they are channel makers.
Is there a black and yellow maker in the area?

As for passing head on i would assume that both vessels are give way vessels.
So as you pass each other, both vessels will be showing their red nav light to each other.

When you are in a situation when right of way is not clear you should assume to be the give way vessel.
And that goes for both parties.

If either vessel is in a situation where thay need to be the stand on vessel, then they need to indicate to the other vessel their intentions.

One blast on the horn to indicate that they will pass on the give way vessels starboard side two blasts to pass on their port side.

Give way vessel to respond once understood.

But regs aside in this situation i would give the keeled boat stand on status as it my be restricted by its draught.

[The Gurnard]

You need to sneak up slowly and cautiously, caress her neck and whisper sweet nothings in her ear. I bother because it works every time!

The very thought of doing that with my ex would make me want to honk 9-R..at least twice.

I would proceed with extreme caution and be ready to let the other vessel come through first. If I wanted to signal to the other vessel to come through first I would give him three short blasts of my foghorn to say I was slowing to let him through.

Yup..thats what I did Chris... well with the exception of making a noise. Small boating folks up our way tend to be less vocal and more expressive.. they either wave or give the fingers. I’m kind of deaf anhoo so don’t take much notice of noisy folks.

Without local knowledge.
I would assume that they are channel makers.
Is there a black and yellow maker in the area?
.....

Yup..correct ...channel markers Andy.... no black and yellows though .. and not enough room for both boats to safely pass..most small boats up our way don’t carry horns.. only the big guys. Only time I ever hear a horn is to start the dinghy race. Im generally the smallest of the pack.. so follow the Pecking Order Regs .. biggest has right of way at all times ..that all i need to remember.. along with which boot to put on which foot

The only vessel I can overtake with my 6hp is my brother in his kayak .. so I usually give him a big .. Yeehaaa and doze of the fingers as I speed past

[9-R]

Can you think of a reason why the buoys are there ?

Clue.. They have been there as long as I can remember ..so its not a place for storing them ?...and I don’t think they for mooring boats on either ?

Once you suss out why they could be there ... can you work out how we should proceed ?

Clue ..I have no clue for this one.. cos thats the main question

Guess you guys have deeper runs than us. At the Gulf Coast, within Texas waters at least, theses buoys are everywhere around the bay and much needed! Since most of the bay is 6-inches to 13-feet deep, you generally stick to them like a road unless you have a skiff with a tunnel hull and a hydraulic engine lift:

Assuming you might not have these? Common here and can run them in 4-inches of water to get to remote fishing areas. Ocean kayaks have become very popular as well because they can also get to these locations. I've used our SIB somewhat in the same manner. I'll typically get a run at it, pull up the engine and drift across. I don't go very far though. You can then use a pole or oar to guide your way around. You have to be careful of oyster beds because they will chew the hell out of anything. Got some scrapes on mine because I didn't see them in time.

[The Gurnard]

Im lucky to see another boat in my neck of the woods ..never mind a bunch of buoys 9-R

I loved these boats they use in the swamps over your neck of the wood.. so my next query is.. if power gives way to sail.. where does a water going wingless airplane sit in the right of way charts .. Not that I have ever seen one over here

[9-R]

where does a water going wingless airplane sit in the right of way charts .. Not that I have ever seen one over here

I guess where ever the hell it wants since they are usually the only one around... They use the skiffs with outboards if it is weedless or grassless like around here and they will use airboats in more swamp areas like Florida and Lousiana. Saw one patrolling the waters of the Rio Grande at the border which was really cool. It was also very loud.

Skiffs are like any other personal fishing boat out in the channels but once they are in the skinny, out of courtesy, you let them go since it's difficult for them to get back up on plane after slowing down. They have to keep their speed up in order for it to work.

[9-R]

There's been a couple of guys I found online that have taken an airboat hull, stripped it down, added a center console and put on a typical, jacked up outboard. They finish off the tops really nice with seating and a fishing platform but also run them hard. They'll jump land and oyster beds with them because the hull is tough but also take them out on larger bodies of water.