Proper radio communication when encountering a barge on a river

Baker said:

"Hug the greens" simply means to hug the side of the channel where the green markers are.

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That's how I've always heard it used, never heard it refer to the running lights.

A couple of items from this subject. First, I have used the mile marker many times and have always had my position recognized. Second, and this seems a bit trival, the tow boat captains do not like for their boat to be referred to as a "barge". Call for the upbound boat, not the upbound barge.

^^ I typically refer to them as "Tow's"... 'Northbound Tow' 'Upbound Tow' etc rather than just boat.

Giggitoni said:

Mark, I didn't want your barge to head down hill...

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But it was headed down river!

My job is somewhat similar to a tow boat captain in this regard. I listen to the radio for a living. Just remember. He has other tasks that he is doing besides listening to the radio. He basically is just keying on certain words. If he does not hear those words, he does not hear anything. The likely words he is keying on is his boat's name and/or his location. If you do not know either when you call, then you won't likely get a response. That is the human factors side of it!!!

CaptTom said:

That's how I've always heard it used, never heard it refer to the running lights.

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I wasn't referring to "hugging the greens" vis the running lights. That wouldn't make you very popular.

I've got a friend who is a towboat captain on the Mississippi. He says, "Always call on the VHF"...and when he says overtake on two whistles, he means you should turn to port to pass.

And I also learned that waiting for commercial traffic to pass by staying in shallow water at a bend is not always a good idea. I've seen the pusher nudge the bank with the lead barge to negotiate a turn.

jeffnick said:

I've got a friend who is a towboat captain on the Mississippi. He says, "Always call on the VHF"...and when he says overtake on two whistles, he means you should turn to port to pass.

And I also learned that waiting for commercial traffic to pass by staying in shallow water at a bend is not always a good idea. I've seen the pusher nudge the bank with the lead barge to negotiate a turn.

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In a bend in the channel stay out of a tow's way. You can never tell how his is going to set up to swing around the curve.

You bet! I've turned and run the other way when one tow is slowly passing another in a narrow area. Specifially one part of the ICW between Ellender, LA and Port Arthur TX.

"On the one" you will be on the right.

"On the two" you will be on the left
Overtaking or meeting, given to me by Charles C
Steve W

Steve said:

"On the one" you will be on the right.

"On the two" you will be on the left
Overtaking or meeting, given to me by Charles C
Steve W

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And that would be 'their' right/left?

jeffnick said:

And that would be 'their' right/left?

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Yours.

On your port one syllable one toot.

On your starboard two syllables two toots.

Thanks all for the help. I like all the memory pegs. I think I can remember, "one is right", meaning if going either way if the instruction is pass on the ones, I turn right, and pass. I hope I have that correct...