Shen44 wrote:
From: Rosalie B.

There are some boats, particularly off the FL coast which do not
have a heading that is stable. They are well lit so we can see
them ... but they don't maintain any kind of heading ... I think they are
gambling ships out just beyond the
requisite mile limit and aren't going anywhere particular ...

I have encountered these vessels and agree that they are gaming ships.

The one advantage to these types of ships, is they are normally
well lit ....

This advantage incurs to whom? If these gaming ships are maneuvering in a
manner that endangers other vessels, then they should have to account for
this course of action. Plain and simple.

The 2mi, is a number to strive for .... it's NOT written in stone.

No joke? Here I though you'd discovered a long lost section of the COLREGs.

There was a case here in the bay where a cruising boat ... ran between a
tug and the tow and his boat sank within a couple of minutes.

A tug and tow, is normally an easy radar spot ...
so poor radar interpretation on his part..... and never leave the radar,
till you KNOW what you are seeing and what it's doing.

I just _love_ these rules. Have you ever _really_ single-handed a small
yacht offshore? I asked this earlier without success.

It's a clear cut problem with BOTH vessels keeping a proper
lookout, but not clear-cut as how you should respond for varying
conditions .... I'm saying try to stay at least 2 mi. clear. Well,
we all know that's not always possible ....it's a goal and one
which can be attained, frequently, only by very early, substantial
action.

You are preaching to the choir to a certain extent, while at the same time
suggesting that one should routinely disregard the COLREGs. It's not that I
disagree that collision avoidance is a good thing. It's more that one must
take into account the practicalities of each type of vessel, insist that all
vessels operate in accordance with the strictest interpretation of the
Rules, and then let experience and common sense take it from there. There
is no "little boat get out of the way first" rule that I am aware of,
although it _is_ indeed good advice in many cases.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.tripod.com