My other pet peeve is sailboats who don't know how to analyze
a crossing situation, not realizing that I've already altered course
to pass astern of them.

"Capt. JG" said:
Perhaps you aren't changing course dramatically enough for them to figure it
out....

Wayne is a sailor of long experience; I think he knows this and
expects other people to be PAYING ATTENTION. However, it's true that
th vessel changing course to avoid another should make their helm
swing exaggerated & big.

We are very often running on autopilot and the AP will not swing the
boat fast enough to make this kind of course correction. That may be
part of what Wayne is doing.


Dave wrote:
Right on, Jon. Absent some unusual circumstance, it's Wayne's fault, not the
other vessel's if the other vessel doesn't recognize Wayne's changed course.
It's been over 35 years, but I well remember my old CO's saying that any
course change you make to avoid another vessel should be big enough that
you're damned sure the other vessel will see you made it.

If the other vessel is busy playing cards below, or just in at the
helm scratching their butt and staring blankly into space, then it's
NOT Wayne's fault if they didn't see him make a big course change.
However he can always signal. We've done that a few times, and it does
make everyone think you're the bad guy.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King