Comments interspersed:

Simple Simon wrote:
Extremely thick fog is mostly a myth. Yes, it occurs on
occassion but the general run of the mill fog is not so thick
that vessels can collide without ever seeing one another.

Wrong and immaterial to the discussion. The discussion is how vessels
react and there responsibility when they can see each other, and when
they can not see each other.

At any rate, the worst case scenario of pea soup thick fog
is but one case of restricted visibility and the majority of
the other cases definitely allow in-sight situations in or
near an area of restricted visibility. In sight situations
are ruled by the in sight rules which specify give-way and
stand-on status for vessels in sight of one another.

Jeff, Otnmbrd, Shen44 and Rick have up till now maintained
there is NEVER a stand-on vessel in or near an area of
restricted visibility while I have maintained there IS a stand-on
and give-way vessel in or near an area of restricted visibility.

Absolutely wrong. What you seem unable to comprehend is that when
vessels can not see each other due to some form of restricted
visibility, that there is no stand-on/priveleged status ..... both
vessels must navigate with extreme caution.
IF .... while in fog or some other form of restricted visibility, the
two vessels should come in sight of each other (yes, they may well still
be in restricted visibility) then, and only then, do give-way, stand-on
conditions apply, unless, of course, they are so close, that BOTH
vessels must maneuver to avoid collision.
The very simple governing phrases you seem unable to comprehend and
apply to the terms "fog" and "restricted visibility", are "in sight of"
and "not in sight of".

I'm right and they're wrong - that's the bottom line.

nope

I maintain that my sailboat even in a thick fog is going at
a safe speed by virtue of the fact that the hull speed is less
than seven knots max. Many fogs have little or no wind so
I may well be going even slower. Even if the winds are brisk
in a fog and I'm going hull speed I'm still going at a safe speed.
In effect, I'm standing on and I'm doing it completely legally.

Wrong again. Safe speed must be adapted to the prevailing circumstances.
If you are doing seven knots and can barely see your bow or just beyond,
you will never maneuver in time if something should appear. Sorry, rules
for speed apply to sail also.

If I hear the fog signal of a motor vessel I know right away
if and when we come in sight of each other I am the stand-on
vessel and the motor vessel is the give way vessel unless I'm
overtaking the motor vessel
or we are so close that both vessel's must maneuver to avoid collision.
(I'll ignore TSS or narrow channels)
What do you do if you are hearing the fog signal of what turns out to be
a 6000 hp Z-drive tug pushing a 150' deck barge (i.e. a vessel blowing
the same signal you are)

which is not likely at all considering
they all think safe speed is 10-15 knots instead of the usual
20-30 knots - let's face the facts here for once.

immaterial

Therefore,
I keep going at my safe speed of five or six knots and try
to determine by the sound signal if there's a danger of collision.
If I determine there is a danger of collision I change course -

Potentially unsafe practices (Notice, it's perfectly OK for Neal to keep
sailing at 5-6 k, but not a motor vessel)

I'm certainly not going to take all sails down and come to
a stop and become a sitting duck to be run over and sunk
by a ship not keeping an adequate lookout and going too
fast for the conditions. This would be causing a collision and
not avoiding a collision - a violation of the RULES.

Garbage and shows limited sailing skills.. Rules tell you to take all
way off if necessary.

Yet this what the arrogant tugboat captains are saying the
Rules require me to do. WRONG! When a motor vessel
hears the fog signal of a sailboat or any other boat above
it in the pecking order it knows before even coming in sight
of that vessel that the motor vessel is the give way vessel
in a close quarters situation and a close quarters situation
in most cases of restricted visibility in an in sight situation.

More garbage. There is no pecking order of any kind, in fog, when two
vessels cannot see each other, no matter what the different signals may
be. There is, also, no way for a motor vessel to tell if it is dealing
with a sailboat, by whistle signals alone.
Here again we can see Neals problem grasping the terms "in sight" and
"not in sight" and relating (or separating them, if you will) with the
terms "fog" and/or "restricted visibility".

This is what I call the abbreviated pecking order. That
there is an abbreviated pecking order proves there is a
give-way and stand-on vessel in restricted visibility.

Again, the problem relating to terminology .... and ....no pecking
order.... and again you've proved nothing.

If and when the motor vessel and sailing vessels come
within sight of one another the motor vessel already knows
it is the give-way vessel in all but the overtaking situation.
(we're not talking narrow channels, traffic schemes, etc,
here - we're talking at sea.) This means the
give-way/stand-on status exists in or near an area of
restricted visibility.

.........ONLY if the vessels can see each other (you're still ignoring
rule 17(b) and how it would affect stand-on status).
So, how's the license renewal coming, Neal? Sure hope they don't make
you take a "Rules" test (open book or otherwise)BG

otn