"Jeff" wrote
| Its the same question as before - does the port and starboard side
| change if you're going backwards?


No. Port and starboard is fixed. It's part of the boat. That's why there's a green light on the starboard side
and a red light on the port side. You have a right hand and you have a left hand. If you walk backwards your right
hand is still your right hand and your left hand is still your left hand.
Rule 34 says in the first sentence says "a power driven vessel underway." The second paragraph says
"the whistle signals prescribed in paragraph (a). It means prescribed for power driven vessels because that's
all they talk about in the first paragraph. Nowhere does it say a sailboat has to do whistle signals. It's only
talking about power boats.

Cheers,
Ellen

"Ellen MacArthur" wrote in
message
reenews.ne
t...

"Jeff" wrote
| Its the same question as before - does the port and
starboard side
| change if you're going backwards?


No. Port and starboard is fixed. It's part of the
boat. That's why there's a green light on the starboard side
and a red light on the port side. You have a right hand
and you have a left hand. If you walk backwards your right
hand is still your right hand and your left hand is still
your left hand.


You've never seen those ferries that go back and forth
without turning around?

Scotty

Scotty wrote:

You've never seen those ferries that go back and forth
without turning around?

Do they have sets of nav lights for each direction? I'd have said that port
and starboard are fixed with respect to the bow, but maybe craft like these
are exceptions.


--
Capt Scumbalino

Capt. Scumbalino wrote:
Scotty wrote:

You've never seen those ferries that go back and forth
without turning around?

Do they have sets of nav lights for each direction? I'd have said that port
and starboard are fixed with respect to the bow, but maybe craft like these
are exceptions.


Yes, there are two sets of running lights, two helm stations, etc. I
rode on such a ferry a few weeks ago, between Woods Hole and Vineyard
Haven.

Jeff wrote:
Capt. Scumbalino wrote:
Scotty wrote:

You've never seen those ferries that go back and forth
without turning around?

Do they have sets of nav lights for each direction? I'd have said that
port
and starboard are fixed with respect to the bow, but maybe craft like
these
are exceptions.


Yes, there are two sets of running lights, two helm stations, etc. I
rode on such a ferry a few weeks ago, between Woods Hole and Vineyard
Haven.

I looked for a reference and its turns out the boat I was on,
Islander, is being replaced. Here's the current fleet:
http://web1.steamshipauthority.com/s...arthasvineyard

Here's the press release for the new ferry. You can see the two
bridges in the picture.
http://web1.steamshipauthority.com/s...ome_launch.pdf

We spent a week on a mooring a few hundreds yards from the ferry dock,
so we saw these boats coming and going hourly. When the Katama does
its turnaround, all the boats on that side of the mooring field get
spun around by the prop wash. Its a fun way to meet your neighbors.

"Jeff" wrote in message
. ..
Capt. Scumbalino wrote:
Scotty wrote:

You've never seen those ferries that go back and forth
without turning around?

Do they have sets of nav lights for each direction? I'd
have said that port
and starboard are fixed with respect to the bow, but
maybe craft like these
are exceptions.


Yes, there are two sets of running lights, two helm
stations, etc. I
rode on such a ferry a few weeks ago, between Woods Hole
and Vineyard
Haven.

Right, so port / starboard would be determined by which
direction she's headed.

Scotty

Ellen MacArthur wrote:
"Jeff" wrote
| Its the same question as before - does the port and starboard side
| change if you're going backwards?


No. Port and starboard is fixed. It's part of the boat. That's why there's a green light on the starboard side
and a red light on the port side. You have a right hand and you have a left hand. If you walk backwards your right
hand is still your right hand and your left hand is still your left hand.

If the boat sides are fixed, then it means that two boats going side
by side on broad reaches, but one going backwards, are on different
tacks. In a race, that could be a huge tactical advantage. I doubt
its allowed, but its been so long that I've studied the racing rules
that I don't know under which rule it would fall.

As I said, for ships, the sides in effect get reversed, and there have
been rulings on the topic.

Rule 34 says in the first sentence says "a power driven vessel underway." The second paragraph says
"the whistle signals prescribed in paragraph (a). It means prescribed for power driven vessels because that's
all they talk about in the first paragraph. Nowhere does it say a sailboat has to do whistle signals. It's only
talking about power boats.

Nope. Rule 34(a) clearly specifies power boat for its situation, but
that is missing from 34(c) in the International rules. There is no
reason to presume that the restriction mentioned in (a) applies to
(c). Also, if you look to Intl 9(e)(i) there is nothing that
restricts the rule to powerboats. Clearly, the writers of the Inland
rules did not think this was appropriate for sailboats, so they
scattered "powerboat" through the text.