By Bob Currie, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Station Galveston Flotilla
We had our 7th Annual Bolivar Rig Run Sailing Regatta on Bolivar Peninsula this weekend. Just before the race the wind speed was zero mph. We got lucky and a slight (4 mph) south wind developed. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the 35 catamarans in the race had to launch directly into the wind. These were all well-seasoned sailors, and after a slow start they took off, tacking to get out to the oil rig 2.7 miles off the shore. Because of the low wind speeds, not a single boat capsized or had any other trouble. The boats sailed in very close proximity to each other, yet there were no collisions. It was a very successful regatta due to the knowledge and experience of the sailing teams.

The Station Galveston Flotilla of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary operates out of the USCG Station Galveston base on Galveston Island. They aid the Coast Guard by providing maritime observation patrols in Galveston Bay; by providing recreational boating vessel safety checks; and by working alongside Coast Guard members in maritime accident investigation, small boat training, providing a safety zone, Aids to Navigation verification, in the galley, on the Coast Guard Drone Team and watch standing.

Unlike last year, when the catamarans had to dodge shrimp boats, for the most part they had the waters to themselves, so there were no issues of right of way, and most of the course change decisions to avoid collision were between sailboats. That said, this column will look at the Pecking Order between different types of vessels the responsibilities between sailing vessels to avoid a collision.

Bolivar Rig Run, August 14, 2021. Photo by Bob Currie

Rule 18 – Responsibilities Between Vessels (The Pecking Order)
Except where Rules 9 (Narrow Channels), 10 (Traffic Separation Schemes), and 13 (Overtaking) require:

(a) A power-driven vessel shall keep out of the way of:
(i) a vessel not under command (NUC);
(ii) a vessel restricted by her ability to maneuver (RAM);
(iii) a vessel engaged in fishing;
(iv) a sailing vessel.
(b) A sailing vessel underway shall keep out of the way of:
(i) a vessel not under command (NUC);
(ii) a vessel restricted in her ability to maneuver (RAM);
(iii) a vessel engaged in fishing.
(c) A vessel engaged in fishing while underway shall, as far as possible, keep out of the way of:
(i) a vessel not under command (NUC);
(ii) a vessel restricted in her ability to maneuver (RAM).

Rule 12 – Sailing Vessels
(a) When two sailing vessels are approaching one another, so as to involve risk of collision, one of them shall keep out of the way of the other as follows:
(i) when each has the wind on a different side, the vessel that has the wind on the port side shall keep out of the way of the other;
(ii) when both have the wind on the same side, the vessel that is to windward shall keep out of the way of the vessel that is to leeward;
(iii) if a vessel with the wind on the port side sees a vessel to windward and cannot determine with certainty whether the other vessel has the wind on the port or on the starboard side, she shall keep out of the way of the other.

(b) For the purposes of this Rule, the windward side shall be deemed to be the side opposite to that on which the mainsail is carried or, in the case of a square-rigged vessel, the side opposite to that on which the largest fore-and-aft sail is carried.

For the purpose of the Rule above, “windward” is the direction upwind from the point of reference and “leeward” is the direction away from the wind.

Exceptions to the Rule
There are three exceptions that come to mind with this rule. First, if a sailing vessel operating outside a narrow channel encounters a sailing vessel that is restricted to operating within a narrow channel, she cannot impede the restricted vessel’s progress (Rule 9, Narrow Channel Rule).

Second, if one sailing vessel is overtaking another, then according to Rule 13, the overtaking vessel shall keep out of the way of the vessel being overtaken, no matter what tack she is on or which vessel is to windward (Rule 13, Overtaking). Under Rule 13 a vessel shall be deemed to be overtaking when coming up with another vessel from a direction more than 22.5 degrees abaft her beam; that is, in such a position with reference to the vessel she is overtaking, that at night she would be able to see only the stern light of that vessel but neither of her sidelights. (Abaft means “behind or aft of a vessel’s beam.” The beam is defined as the width of a vessel at its widest point.)

A vessel remains “overtaking” until it is past and clear the overtaken vessel.

Finally, if a sailing vessel is fishing, restricted in its ability to maneuver or not under command as defined in Rule 3 (General Definitions), another sailing vessel would be required to keep clear out of the way, no matter what tack the vessel was on (Rule 18, above).

This is a lot to remember, but if both vessels practice the Rules of the Road then close maneuvering is fairly safe. It is when the other vessel doesn’t know what to do or knows but fails to follow the rules that problems occur. Regardless of what the other vessel does, it is up to both vessels to operate in such a manner as to avoid a collision. When you see that the other vessel is not following the rules, then take evasive action.

Summary
When everyone in a sailing regatta knows and follows the Rules of the Road, you can see some very close quarter maneuvering between two or more boats without any collisions. In this regatta, at the beginning of the race the boats were maneuvering so close to one another that they could have passed the Pace Picante Sauce back and forth among them. The two key Rules of the Road to know and obey are Rule 18- Responsibilities Between Vessels (the Pecking Order) and Rule 12- Sailing Vessels. To participate in this regatta, each sailboat had to undergo a safety inspection to ensure that they had life jackets, righting lines, and emergency communication. For this race the sponsors purchased and provided VHF/FM radios to be used by crews that didn’t have their own radios.

For more information on boating safety, please visit the Official Website of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Boating Safety Division at www.uscgboating.org. Questions about the US Coast Guard Auxiliary or our free Vessel Safety Check program may be directed to me at [email protected]. SAFE BOATING!

[August-17-2021]