"Armond Perretta" wrote in message news:

Well, I won't defend a statement I never made. Still, I wonder how much
difference it makes to the target whether he or she is killed by a "ferry"
or a "ship" (ignoring for the moment that many folks cannot accurately
define "ship.")

Oops, did I get the wrong writer?


I can tell you from my own experience that contacting and staying
out of the way of commercial vessels, no matter what their type or
classification, is not at all simple. What it boils down to, it seems to
me, is that the small boat operator should get out of the way and worry
later about the effectiveness of lights, communication devices, warning
systems, etc. In the interim, one should treat the rules as just what
they
a rules.

It's not easy from either perspective.
The one bit of good news is that under most cases, a large ship or G
smaller ferry will tend to be on a set and predictable route (exceptions
noted) so that you will at least have a reasonable idea of where from, where
to, and possible points of intended course change when estimating how a
particular sighting may affect your course.
On the other hand, in coastal waters where you run into a good deal of small
boat traffic, from the ship point of view, it's all too frequently difficult
to tell from,to, course change points, for small vessels which adds a great
point of concern when calculating options.
G Personally, I liked the old submarine rule, that made them stay clear of
all ship traffic when surfaced, due to their visibility ....... might be
great for big ship, small boat meeting situations, though it'd open a "can
of worms" in other respects.

otn