Doug,

I have never had a boating accident or filed a insurance claim on my car,
home or boat insurance. I am familiar with basic physics governing boat
behavior and do not believe the rules are just formalized way of justifying
anyone's behavior, nor do I believe everyone else is wrong.

You fail to realize that ships do have problems that can cause them to
behave in unusual manner. A ship slammed into a shopping mall in the
Mississippi due to a mechanical malfunction. I saw a ship slam into a lock
damaging the lock, when the engine shut down unexpectedly and the ship lost
the ability to reverse. The captain dropped his anchor to try to stop, but
the anchor did not set before he hit the lock. Ships have had problems with
one screw stops causing the ship to behave very erratically.

Since you fail to see the obvious and prefer to make insults, and assume
that my discussion was to justify someone doing 25 mph 15 ft from a slow
moving boat, this discussion is probably useless for both of us.


"DSK" wrote in message
.. .
Dr. Dr. Smithers wrote:

Doug,

Let me make a correction here. I am able to go slow enough to avoid most
accidents.

So, you have had at least one accident, then?

....If a large tanker suddenly decides to pull into my side of the
channel it is very possible the tanker could force me out of the channel
and into a shoal or rocks. If my boat was damaged by the tanker, I and
my insurance company would seek restitution from the tanker.


???
When do large tankers *ever* make any "sudden" maneuvers? If a large
tanker (or any big ship, commercial or naval) forces you into a damaging
situation, it's your fault for not seeing the big ship and taking correct
action long before.



If a sailboat was heading towards me in a marina with very narrow
channel, it is possible for that sailboat to change course as we are
passing each other and hit my boat without me assuming any
responsibility.


That may be true, but it's not what Bill is talking about. And after
reading your rambling posts displaying your miscinceptions, I'm more
convinced than ever that it's hopeless to try an explain proper piloting
to you (or Bill M, or most motorboaters). You have no familiarity with
basic physics governing boat behavior, and seem to think that "the rules"
are just a formalized way of justifying your selfish & short-sighted
actions, and everybody else must be in the wrong.

DSK