COLLISION AVOIDANCE Chapter 7 COLLISION AVOIDANCE


To the casual observer, the sea is an unregulated expanse on which you can do just about anything you like. To some extent this is true but it only takes a moment’s thought to realise that there must be some rules governing our actions. And there are. The most important of them are covered by the International Regulations for Preventing Collision at Sea (often known as the IRPCS or, less formally, the ‘Colregs’). These define our responsibilities to ourselves and other seafarers and specify how we should act whenever there’s a risk of collision.


It must be emphasised that the regulations apply to all vessels, from the largest ships to the tiniest dinghies. It’s the legal responsibility of every skipper to comply.


Is there a collision risk? Clearly, if two vessels are approaching each other head to head, action is necessary – and soon, because their combined speeds are bringing them together. Less obvious is where you spot a boat on a converging course. Fortunately, there’s a useful trick to see if a risk exists. If the boat appears to be getting closer but its relative bearing remains the same, then sooner or later you will meet. Before we look at specific examples, a few words of explanation. For most circumstances the rules talk of the ‘give way vessel’ and the ‘stand on vessel’, the latter being that which has the ‘right of way’. However, there are no absolute rights. It is the duty of both skippers to avoid collision at all costs. So, should things deteriorate to the point where collision looks probable, the stand on boat must take whatever action it can to avert an accident. And, common sense has its place. That enormous container ship charging down on you might technically be the give way vessel, but it would be a very foolish angling boat skipper who put that to the test by standing on his rights.


7


REMEMBER: There’s no such thing as an emergency stop for large vessels. Neither can they turn quickly. Always act in good time.


RYA Seamanship for Sea Anglers


47


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120