Check out the bookstore at IRBS.com
| Home | Mailing Lists | Bookstore | Weather | Tide Predictions | Bowditch |

Re: lights and shapes

Subject: Re: lights and shapes
From: Trevor J. Kenchington (Gadus@XXX.XXX)
Date: Thu Jun 12 2003 - 15:03:11 EDT

Jared Sherman wrote:

> Nevertheless, if I saw a sailboat showing the day shapes for "under power" I would be even more astounded. They simply are not used in US waters, and I don't even recall seeing them on the tall ships here for OpSail, including our own USCG training bark.

The crew of "Kruzenshtern" (Russian four-masted barque), when I said on
her last summer, were punctilious about running a cone, apex downwards,
to the fore weather yardarm every time the engine came on with the sails
set, though the barque would have been on top of any other vessel before
the latter's crew noticed such a small shape amidst such massive rigging.

"Kruzenshtern" also carries steaming lights when motor sailing at night
-- even though her topsails obscure those lights when seen from ahead.
Not very helpful.

> There is nothing however that would stop a sailboat from using the same signals to show the same condition. Or, a simple flag signal. Of course flag signals can also result in rampant confusion. Here the fuel barges all fly the Bravo flag (Explosives on board, stand clear) but the racing boats all fly a protest flag that looks remarkably similar and I'd hate to bet how many sailors couldn't tell the two apart.

Bravo hasn't meant "Explosives on board" since the International Code
was revised in, I think, 1972. Don't quote me but I think it is "I am
carrying, loading or discharging dangerous substances", which seems to
include all forms of petroleum.

But the conventional (not obligatory) yacht racing protest flag _is_ the
Bravo flag of the International Code, not merely similar to it, just as
many class flags are IC flags used with quite other meanings to those in
the code book. I guess you just have to know when a signal means what
the books say it should mean versus when it means something completely
different.

Trevor Kenchington 

--
Trevor J. Kenchington PhD                         Gadus@XXX.XXX
Gadus Associates,                                 Office(902) 889-9250
R.R.#1, Musquodoboit Harbour,                     Fax   (902) 889-9251
Nova Scotia  B0J 2L0, CANADA                      Home  (902) 889-3555

                     Science Serving the Fisheries
                      http://home.istar.ca/~gadus



| Home | Mailing Lists | Bookstore | Weather | Tide Predictions | Bowditch | Trawlerworld |