Roger Long
Senior Member
OK, I’ll put on my flameproof suit and start this conversation:
On our recent trip south (now interrupted to return home for the holidays), we came upon the Wally Wad of over a dozen boats traveling in company and waiting for a bridge to open that we can easily go under. Narrow channels lay ahead and I could see that we would be passing all of these craft and spending considerable time doing it over the next hour or two. So, with most of them standing still and a couple of sailboats doing slow circles I decided that this would be the best place to pass. I decided not to use the radio as we crept through the fleet. Many of the boats did not have easily visible names and I reasoned that the chain reaction we might cause by prompting people to try and move out of our way and uncertainty about which boat was talking to which would only confuse the situation. I used the “Pretend you are invisible.”, principle at a speed where I could crash stop in a boat length or less and our twin screws make sudden direction changes possible even when not moving forward. I stopped a couple of times to see which way a sailboat would turn and then moved through the space they vacated. It all went very smoothly with no near contacts. The bridge opened just after we went through and we never saw any of those boats again. The episode was marred only by someone exclaiming loudly on the radio, “A__[orifice]!!”.
Now, I want to be very clear. If we had contacted someone, it would have been 100% my fault, no defense, no excuses. I’m a strong believer in proper radio procedure and often make Security calls. Usually, in similar passing situations at bridges, I do talk to vessels I’m passing. However, there are situations which are exceptions to every rule. A key point is that, if I had made radio calls and hit someone, it still would have been 100% my fault as the overtaking vessel. My judgment call at the time was that the distraction and confusion of getting a multi vessel radio conversation going would only increase the unpredictability of the other vessel’s movements and that it might also increase the chance of two other vessels contacting. This was a fine point call and I might well have done differently on another day. I would have used the radio if it were the usual situation of just one or two boats. I might still decide I was wrong in this case which is why I am posting some food for thought.
On our recent trip south (now interrupted to return home for the holidays), we came upon the Wally Wad of over a dozen boats traveling in company and waiting for a bridge to open that we can easily go under. Narrow channels lay ahead and I could see that we would be passing all of these craft and spending considerable time doing it over the next hour or two. So, with most of them standing still and a couple of sailboats doing slow circles I decided that this would be the best place to pass. I decided not to use the radio as we crept through the fleet. Many of the boats did not have easily visible names and I reasoned that the chain reaction we might cause by prompting people to try and move out of our way and uncertainty about which boat was talking to which would only confuse the situation. I used the “Pretend you are invisible.”, principle at a speed where I could crash stop in a boat length or less and our twin screws make sudden direction changes possible even when not moving forward. I stopped a couple of times to see which way a sailboat would turn and then moved through the space they vacated. It all went very smoothly with no near contacts. The bridge opened just after we went through and we never saw any of those boats again. The episode was marred only by someone exclaiming loudly on the radio, “A__[orifice]!!”.
Now, I want to be very clear. If we had contacted someone, it would have been 100% my fault, no defense, no excuses. I’m a strong believer in proper radio procedure and often make Security calls. Usually, in similar passing situations at bridges, I do talk to vessels I’m passing. However, there are situations which are exceptions to every rule. A key point is that, if I had made radio calls and hit someone, it still would have been 100% my fault as the overtaking vessel. My judgment call at the time was that the distraction and confusion of getting a multi vessel radio conversation going would only increase the unpredictability of the other vessel’s movements and that it might also increase the chance of two other vessels contacting. This was a fine point call and I might well have done differently on another day. I would have used the radio if it were the usual situation of just one or two boats. I might still decide I was wrong in this case which is why I am posting some food for thought.
