"Wilbur Hubbard" wrote:
"otnmbrd" wrote in message
. 3.70...

Comon Wilbur, ..... read rule 4, first rule of Part B, then rule 5,
the n
read rule 2, then go back to rule 5 "every vessel shall at ALL times"
Gripes, it's so easy to blow holes in your comments.......

The discussion is about Rule 5. (keeping a lookout)

Rule 5 appears under the heading of Steering and Sailing Rules. That
means Rule 5 applies when steering and sailing. It does not mean it
applies when anchored, when tied to a dock or pier, when aground, when
the boat's on the hard, when the boat's sitting in your back yard. When
the boat's hauled out for a bottom paint job. Etc.

I'm arguing that anchored vessels don't require a lookout at all times
because they aren't sailing or steering. Since "at all times" appears in
a rule under the heading of Steering and Sailing it follows that a
lookout must be posted at all times while steering or sailing. Both
steering and sailing happen only when a vessel is underway. An anchored
vessel is NOT underway.

This is relevant only when there is an accident where blame has to be
affixed. Because really - even if you have someone in the cockpit or
beside the helm at all times whose sole duty is to be a lookout, no
one human is going to be 100% alert at all times. No one is going to
bother to write you up unless you do something that brings you to
their attention. So you can break Rule 5 or any other rule as much as
you like, as long as you don't screw up and get caught. The rules are
there to make it easier not to screw up. If you have an accident, the
trick is not to put your foot in your mouth right away.

I think an anchored boat displaying the appropriate lights and/or day
shapes is probably not required to keep a lookout. Most of the cases
I've heard of where the anchored boat was assigned some of the blame
has been when they did not have appropriate anchor lights.

There are also required anchor watches of course, but I don't think
these come in the same category.

Now I do not think that - even offshore where Skip was (and I have
been there) that every 15 minutes is an appropriate amount of time to
keep watch. In our case, we don't do offshore more than 36 hours
(and we only do that much if something holds us up somewhere) because
I know that Bob won't sleep off watch and so I refuse to go. We can
just about manage that length of time, because I WILL sleep even if he
won't. He keeps threatening to go without me, but so far hasn't.

There was a local case here where a couple who had done several
circumnavigations were coming home to sell their boat and move back
ashore. They were in the Chesapeake sailing at night. (First
mistake). The man was on watch, and he saw something on the radar
that he didn't understand. He went below for some reason - to get
coffee or look at a chart - accounts differ. (Second mistake). The
boat ran between a tug and tow. Sank in less than 10 minutes and they
got into the dinghy in just what they were wearing. They were rescued
right away - the Calvert Co (which was their nearest shore) rescue
people picked them up VERY quickly considering that this was about 2
am and very dark - in less than 1/2 hour IIRC. But they lost
everything they owned.

Skip was going from Charleston to Beaufort. We've done the same
except we went in the Cape Fear River. If I were doing it today, I
would follow the route he did except I'd go in to Morehead City
because I have a feeling that the NC ICW has shoaled in a lot of
places. Beaufort and Charleston (and Cape Fear and Masonboro) are all
good inlets, and I've even gone out Little River. It's a good sail,
and there's not a LOT of traffic out there - not like off the coast of
FL from Miami to Ft. Pierce, where you have little unlighted fishing
boats and gambling boats and freighters etc.

The confusion factor (not understanding what you see) is the primary
problem. Initially, I thought that the star rising in the east was a
boat. (blush). And it also took me a long to figure out that the
lights that were rising from the shore were not a plane (and they
weren't stars because they were west of me) but were flares.

And whoever said that you had to learn to read the radar was right.
Bob works on that constantly.