Dave wrote in
:

On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 02:46:53 -0000, otnmbrd
said:

A good SOP is never stay on auto pilot when maneuvering for traffic

Depends on how early you take action. Generally if I'm the give way
vessel in a crossing situation I'll change course to point at the
other vessel's stern, and then gradually come back to the previous
course, following that stern until I'm back on course. In closer
quarters, yes, take it off auto.



I repeat..... a good SOP is never stay on auto pilot when maneuvering for
traffic.