With most boats having GPS plotters these days navigation from buoy to buoy in open water has become more perilous. In the past people were following a compass course and were going approximately toward the next mark. Today people are precisely going to the next mark with traffic in both directions following narrow path making for close passes in both directions. Meanwhile the rest of the ocean is empty.
To avoid continuous close passes I run a parallel course at least 1/4 to 1/2 mile offset from the buoy to buoy course. It doesn't add much to the distance but reduces the number of close passes.
To avoid continuous close passes I run a parallel course at least 1/4 to 1/2 mile offset from the buoy to buoy course. It doesn't add much to the distance but reduces the number of close passes.