Sailboat vs. Tanker

T3

SBH Insider
This relates to a discussion on another thread but did not seem appropriate to post there.

During the 2011 edition of Cowes Week, a UK regatta on the Solent that dates back to the early 1800's, a sailboat met a tanker:

cowes2011.jpg


All survived, including the Royal Navy lieutenant, who was the skipper of the 33 foot boat that crossed the bow of a 853 foot, 120,000 ton tanker...

He was later court-ordered to pay a fine of £3,000, and costs of more than £100,000 for failing to comply with a "moving prohibited zone" of 1,000m (0.6 miles) in front and 100m (328ft) either side of a vessel greater than 150m (492ft).

Go Navy...
 
[h=2]Navigation for Dummies II
Crossing paths[/h]
  • Your vessel: You’re on a crossing course with another vessel that could result in a collision if neither boat changes course or speed.
  • The other vessel’s on the right: It’s the privileged or stand-on vessel and you must let it pass in front of you.
  • The other vessel is on the left: You’re the privileged or stand-on vessel and you must pass in front of the other vessel.


    NOTE: regardless of your boat being in the right of way or not, the captain should have an understanding of the ability of a vessel to answer the helm along with a keen awareness of physics ie mass and momentum!
 
That's only if they are the same type of boats.

In this case the sailing boat should give way to the tanker because it's a tanker and it has limited maneuverability (and most likely other reasons as well).

But if it was a smaller recreational motor boat, it would need to give way to the sailing boat on sails.

Section II.18 in the international collision rules.
 
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