Sorry if anyone thinks these are stupid questions, I'm just starting to
learn this sailing thing. They're based on some actual sailing incidents
this weekend, but for which I can't find answers in my Annapolis Book of
Seamanship.

1. The Bozo Factor

Scenario: I had the great pleasure of being on the Californian, the San
Diego top-masted schooner of the Maritime Museum of San Diego, which the
specs have as 145 long, 130 tons, 25 beam, with 7,000 sq feet of sail area.
Which you hoist up 100 feet on slush-slicked massive wood masts with 10
hands on the lines. The kind of ship it's a joy to be on because it's
sailed the old-fashioned way. The kind of ship that's not going to turn as
fast as the small sailboats in the bay it would easily run over if they were
in the wrong place at the wrong time (hint).

I THINK (remember I'm just learning) she was on starboard tack when a
sailboat changed course and approached on starboard tack that put it on a
collision course. Again, I THINK we were the leeward vessel and therefore
had the right to stand-on and that the approaching vessel should have given
way, but it appeared to be a situation where the other vessel purposely
decided to set course for the Californian. Especially given their later
demeanor, other folks on board suggested they were tourists wanting a
"better" look at us. Our Captain gave a 5 horn warning, but the sailboat
kept approaching.

So the question is: what do you do in this situation? The common sense rule
of the road seems like it would be "if you're in a small boat that can be
crushed don't approach a big MF'er of a ship". The other vessel ended up
crossing the Californian's bow with about one of THEIR boat lengths of
clearance, smiling broadly and waving because it was so neat (to them) to be
near her, whereas, as one crew member remarked whilst shaking head, they
came "that close" (holding up fingers) to being killed.

The other vessel was far more manueverable (maybe 18 or 20 feet) anyway so
assumption was they wouldn't have tried to thread the needle as they did, so
I guess my quesiton is what do you do if someone insists on being a bozo?
Luff out all your sails but then you lose steerage, and she would have had a
lot of momentum anyway. I understand the turns have to be by the sails
anyway, there's no hard-over on the rudder that's going to help much.
Obviously a ship design from an earlier time when tourists didn't sail much
other than as huddled masses in the bowels of the ships of the day.

2. Do you "report" these kinds of bozos to the Coast Guard or harbor
authorities? Or just shake your head and move on?

3. Later, we almost had a collision with another, even smaller sailboat, but
that was kind of cute and funny, as the wind had died and no one was moving.
But the wave action had far more motive power to their small boat than our
huge one, so the waves were pushing them towards us. With the most minimal
wisps of wind that came up for a second or two, they managed to get
parallel, so they floated by, backwards, down the entire length of our ship.
Fenders were at the ready. I'm assuming there's not much else you can do
than that, other than maybe they shouldn't have approached so close before
the wind died?

--

John

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