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From: (no name) (no email)
Date: Wed Sep 26 2001 - 16:55:37 EDT
In a message dated 09/26/2001 11:12:06 AM Atlantic Daylight Time,
writes:
> Since when is the stand down vessel supposed to throttle back when being
> overtaken? By law, all vessels are responsible for their wakes and the
> damage it causes. I know it is rare, but I do know of a motor vessel who's
> owner, throttles back when passing, slows way down if passing kayaks, or
> moored boats. Rare indeed.
> _Mike
>
>
I have traveled thousands of miles on the Atlantic ICW at 6 knots and have
been overtaken hundreds of times.
In the case of a fast motorboat overtaking rapidly, at a certain point about
two boat lengths behind me he will slow down dramatically, coming off plane
if he is on plane. That is my cue to pull my throttle back to stop (neutral)
and slide off to the right as much as I dare with my 8 foot draft.
As the overtaking vessel passes I wave to him my thanks for his courtesy.
After his wake passes by me, I put my engine back in gear to 1600 rpm and
resume my voyage.
Bear in mind that most sailboats have very well protected propellors so that
hitting the ground is most often just a bump, but a motorboat hitting the
ground, with all that running gear hanging down, is often a very expensive
disaster.
It is extremely rare that the overtaking boat does not slow down if we are in
a narrow channel. The vast majority of fast motor vessel skippers are quite
courteous. Sometimes in open waters they will not slow down but distance
will mitigate the wake to the point of being similar to a rough sea, which we
should be prepared for anyway in the way of common seamanship.
If the overtaking vessel is a slow boat I just wait until he is a couple of
boat lengths behind me and then take my engine out of gear to let him pass
quickly. Of course, there is never any wake problem here due to the slow
speeds involved.
If any boat catches up to me it is because he is going faster than I am and
will eventually pass me, no matter how slowly he approaches. I do what I can
to make the passing short and easy for both of us.
Vessels passing from ahead are never a problem. Some slow down and some do
not but either way a bit of a turn to my left puts my bow right into their
wake so that it just knocks some algae off.
Only once in my life have I ever heard of a vessel actually paying for damage
done by its wake. It was a freighter on the Great Lakes and it required some
powerful proactive effort on the part of my friend Captain Ron whose 86'
motorsailor was badly damaged by being thrown against pilings. The wake also
flooded some waterfront businesses.
The passing rules only have effect if there is danger of collision. Normal
overtaking, while I suppose it could go drastically wrong if the overtaken
vessel makes a turn into the path of the oncoming vessel, does not usually
have that element of danger that the rules are designed to prevent. When
boats overtake me they are on a parallel course with me, not an intersecting
course. I see nothing in the rules that demand an overtaken vessel maintain
speed if the overtaking vessel is not on a collision course with him.
Norm
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