Q
Chris is skipper of Petrel,
a 29ft cruiser racer. He’s
on passage to windward
at night with two crew and
currently on starboard tack.
The weather is a bit windier than he’d hoped,
about 18 knots on the nose and
the favourable tide, although
handy, is causing an
unpleasant sea. He
has two reefs and aworking jib. Chris is quite experienced,
a Yachtmaster Coastal, and his crew sail
regularly with him.
Chris has been watching a passenger ship
approaching from astern. It appears to be
on a parallel course about three miles to
leeward and is well lit and clear
in the good visibility. When the
ship is approximately abeam
on the port side of Petrel
it starts to turn tostarboard towards the yacht. Chris watches
anxiously as the aspects of the ship’s lights
change. The turn is slow but the ship is now
only about two miles away and approaching
fast. Chris can see its starboard light but
is unsure whether it will continue to turn and
pass astern, in which case he should continue
on starboard tack as fast as possible.
Alternatively, if the ship has completed
the turn it will pass ahead, in which case
Chris should tack. What should he do?A ship turns towards you,
but are you on a collision course?
A QUESTION
OF SEAMANSHIP
James Stevens,
author of the
Yachtmaster
Handbook, spent 10
of his 23 years at the
RYA as chief examinerTHE KNOWLEDGESpotting ships on a clear
night isn’t difficult, but judging
when and how far they are
turning is much harderAlamyA
This is potentially a
very dangerous situation.
Although in the open sea
the ship should give way,
the ship’s lookout may not
be aware of the yacht.
Chris needs to ensure the ship knows he’s
there as soon as possible, he only has a few
minutes. In the confused sea the yacht might
be invisible to the ship’s radar. Shining a
strong torch on the sails or directly towards
the ship would help. A white or even redflare and a radio call to the ship are worth a
try using the handheld radio so he can stay
on deck and monitor the situation.
The crew should already be in lifejackets.
Chris could motor slowly to windward. It
may be uncomfortable but it gives the option
of laying on either tack depending on what
the ship does.
If it still appears that the ship is unaware
of the yacht and is heading for it, Chris is
in danger, even if it passes close by they
could capsize in the wake. Chris needsto hold on to the handheld VHF. If he ends
up in the water his life might depend on it.
This question is based on the accident
report following the tragic loss of the yacht
Ouzo and her three crew off the Isle of
Wight in August 2006.
A number of recommendations were
introduced to improve bridge lookout
on ships but the chilling fact was that the
lookout did not see the yacht’s navigation
light until too late and the yacht did not
appear on the ship’s radar.