Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
This time of the season I run a lot of half-day fishing trips, which has me transiting our inlet around the middle of each day. After following this routine for a number of years I’ve finally come to the conclusion that anyone who runs only full day trips offshore can’t possibly know what they’re missing. Anglers who leave the inlet before 9 am and don’t return until after 4 pm totally avoid the opportunity to witness a show that occurs for a few hours during the middle of each day on the downtown waters that flow through and around the inlet and Rt.50 Bridge area.
There are big boats, little boats, personal watercraft, para-sail boats, Coast Guard boats, kayaks, tour boats, fishing boats, an Army Core dredger, even a pirate boat! With every make, model, size and style of vessel coming and going from the ocean, crossing to and from Assateague Island, drifting or anchored in the channels, or just “squirreling” around – there’s a lot going on, and with so many boats moving about within a relatively small area of water you can bet that there’s going to be some confusion and periodic tension between skippers. “What the heck is that guy doing? Hey buddy, I’ve got the right-of-way here, move out of my way! That guy has no clue what he’s doing!”
Whether it occurs at our inlet or on any other strip of water, anyone who spends enough time piloting a boat is sure to eventually be on both the “giving” and the “receiving” end of such comments. Even the best captain in the world is going to get a bit goofed up now and again, and zig when he ought to zag. Boaters with limited experience are obviously going to do it with a lot more frequency. Of course there are “rules of the road” written into maritime law for boaters to follow that are supposed to help prevent collisions on the water. Unfortunately there’s way too many folks operating boats who either have no idea what those rules are, and some that simply choose not to follow them.
Around here we have two sets of rules to contend with; those written for vessels traveling on the outside the inlet and those designed to manage boaters inside the inlet. These two sets of rules are usually referred to as “International and Inland Rules of the Road.” The complete list of these rules is quite long and addresses primarily lighting requirements, sound signals, and conduct between vessels. Light and sound signals vary a bit between inland and international rules, but there’s not that much difference in the regulations that address the conduct between two vessels.
The regulations that address the conduct between two vessels in sight of one another are fairly straightforward, easy to remember and are pretty much what midday boaters have to deal with as they run the gauntlet of watercraft inside the inlet. If everyone would follow these few basic rules, boating around the inlet (and everywhere else) would be a lot safer and more pleasant for us all.
Overtaking: If you are overtaking (passing) another vessel, you are required to keep out of the way of that vessel, which means that you must not do anything that will force the other operator to alter their course or speed. Until they are past and clear, an overtaking vessel must stay clear of the other vessel even after they make the pass. In other words, don’t shoot past someone and then stop in front of them!
Crossing: In a situation where one vessel must cross in front of the other, the vessel to starboard (known as the “stand-on” vessel) is required to hold its course and speed and the other (give-way) vessel is required to stay clear and avoid crossing ahead. In other words, the guy to the right is supposed to keep going straight while the guy to the left goes behind him. It’s important that the stand-on vessel holds his course and speed so that the fellow going around behind doesn’t misjudge the speed and plow into him.
Meeting: Most folks know that when two vessels will meet head-on, each is supposed to turn to starboard and pass port-to-port, that’s the way it’s supposed to be done. But, if for some reason, it’s not possible for one vessel to pass the other in that fashion, it’s important for the operator to make his intentions known to the other captain in ample time to avoid a collision. Call him on the radio, turn your boat sharply to one side, whatever it takes - don’t crash!
Crossing a channel: Any vessel crossing a channel must stay clear of all vessels traveling up or down that channel. This is one rule that really gets broken a lot in our coastal bays, particularly by small boaters and our “beloved” personal watercraft operators!
It should be known that all of these rules were written to address the actions between two vessels. Once you add three or more boats into the mix there’s too many variables, so the rules pretty much state that operators are required to do whatever they can to avoid collision. I guess that means “you’re on your own skipper!”
Along with those rules, boaters are also required to use whistle signals to indicate their actions or intentions, but locally that’s almost never done and I surely don’t have space to cover all that here. I will say, however, that EVERY boater (even those not required to do so) should take some kind of formal boater education course so that they know and can apply these rules to their everyday boating.
It doesn’t matter if you run a sixty-foot sportfisher or an eight-foot jet ski, they’re both considered “power vessels' under the law, and both can put more than just the operator in the graveyard if they don’t know and follow the rules! §
