136 seamanship secrets
Start from the bow and designate the
sectors red, yellow, yellow, and green.Sighting Another Vessel in One of Your Sectors
Follow these three steps each time you sight a crossing or overtaking vessel:
- Determine which sector contains that vessel.
- Find the vessel’s bearing drift.
- Decide on the action steps to take to avoid collision.
Red sector. If another vessel is in your red sector, determine the bearing drift.
You are the give-way vessel and must slow down, stop, or change course.
Allow the other vessel to cross ahead; proceed aft er the other vessel enters
your green sector.
Ye l l o w s e c t o r s. If a vessel is in one of your yellow sectors, determine the
bearing drift. Vessels behind you may be overtaking you at high speed.
Assume they don’t see you. If the bearing does not change as the range
decreases, move out of the way. (See the section later in the chapter on how
to use E.A.S.A.)
Green sector. If a vessel is in your green sector, determine the bearing drift.
You are the stand-on vessel. You must maintain your course and speed
unless the other vessel refuses to give way to you. If the bearing remains
steady as its range decreases, slow or stop to let him pass ahead of you. He is
in the wrong, but pressing the point might only cause you grief.
Caught in a Ship’s Blind Spot!
You look straight up from your powerboat or sailboat to see the bow of a huge
container ship. It looks as if the ship is headed right for you! But surely the
crew is tracking you both visually and by radar. After all, the rules require a
constant lookout by all means available.
Don’t bet on it! Ships with long bows, aft bridges, and high freeboard oft en
lose small contacts in a large blind spot forward of the bow called freeboard