Another "What Would You Do?"

So running north on the AICW yesterday afternoon we had just turned a slight corner turning to our left. No trees or other obstructions, Just marsh all around. There was a ~36 foot trawler coming southbound so I was hugging the right side of the channel. Three green markers in a row to the north of the corner with one red right at the elbow of the corner. See chart below.

I saw that the trawler seemed to be well over on my side of the channel so I aimed to pass tight to green marker 7. As I got closer it looked like the other trawler was aiming right at marker 7 giving me absolutely no room!

So I slowed down waiting for him to adjust to his starboard and allow me some room. He did not adjust and was coming straight at marker 7. Without my doing something it looked like a collision was likely.

What would you do next?

Two things you need to know. We were about 1.5 hours before high tide and the sun was lowish right behind me.

Without looking at the chart, isn't this a perfect occasion to test the air horns?
One short blast because you want to pass Port to Port. Followed by 5 long blasts if the other vessel does not pay attention. If neither works then I guess I would likely make a tight pass on the "wrong" side of the marker and hope there is enough water, and pray that the other vessel does follow me to the "wrong" side!!

Greetings,
Mr. m. Stop and sound 5 blasts for imminent collision. Get out the video camera as well.

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Mr. m. Stop and sound 5 blasts for imminent collision. Get out the video camera as well.

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What RT said. In that particular stretch of ICW, it does seem as though many boaters seem to feel free to take their half out of the middle, or worse. Nothing surprises me anymore.

Pretty sure the "Doubt" signal is 5 or more rapid SHORT blasts....


I would have hailed, if not enough time whistled port to port, if no answer in seconds 5 or more short and slowed...


maybe more on the radio for USCG recording sake but sounds like a short duration event.

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Mr. m. Stop and sound 5 blasts for imminent collision.

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This is the best and I have used it on more than a few occasions. I would add: AIS? Call them on VHF 16 regardless....

RT gets it again! “You are standing into danger.”

It only a technicality, but just recently "danger" has been dropped and just the word "doubt" remains in the " 5 or more short blast" signal.

https://gcaptain.com/five-short-blasts-sounding-danger-signal/

OK, interestingly enough Chris in the very first reply came close to what actually happened!

It was one of those "he is going to turn any second now" things, especially since he could see I had slowed. Once I realized he was not going to I really didn't want to rely on him responding to five blasts or even take time to get him on the radio. I just wanted to get out of the way. I guess, in real time, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I first thought about turning to the middle of the channel and let him pass starboard to starboard, but then realized if he did turn late and hit me on the starboard side he would have been the stand on vessel - and there was no one else around to see what he did.

So I turned outside the marker. It was near high tide, I was going very slow, and it is all soft mud around here, plus my keel is well below the gear. Once outside the marker I reversed gently further towards the bank as he seemed to be getting even closer. I was showing 1.2 feet below the keel when my wife, who had been was taking a nap on the salon couch, came up to see what the hell I was doing, just in time to see the other boat round the mark ON THE OUTSIDE as well!!

He was staring at me as if I was being an idiot so I just looked at him and gave him the arms out WTF look! As he passed I was them showing 0.8 feet beneath the keel. Because he was looking back, seemingly wondering what the hell I was doing, I purposely turned 90 degrees towards the channel and went inside that mark - just so he could see what I was doing.

My wife asked me if I was going to radio him and I told he no because I could not be sure I wouldn't go off on him because the air on our boat was already blue!

So here is what I think may have happened. He was going into a low sun. He had already passed two green markers in a row. As we know these day markers are dark and hard to distinguish when the sun is behind them, so I think he thought it was a red mark.

Being mindful of the sun in his eyes, I would have been calling him as soon as I saw him and would have blown two and turned to port WELL ahead of the point of extremis to show him I intended to pass stbd to stbd. There is plenty of legal relief in the COLREGS for this. It sounds like you waited too long and were unable to save your running out of the channel with a timely port turn.

I would have sounded the 5 or more shorts as soon as you perceived the possibility of a collision. It is easy to do and it may have woken him up to what he was doing, then I would have done what you did if he didn’t respond.

Frustrating behavior for sure that happens often. I look at it this way:
1. Inattentive skipper that:
A-May or may not understand rules of the road
B-May or may not have good seamanship skills
2. Is skipper experiencing a mechanical issue with the boat or medical issue
3. Skipper is in the head and boat is on autopilot

Point 1 and 2 give me no desire to be operating close to this boat. I would stay clear unless I could get it sorted out on the radio. Because of point #1 I would not count on appropriate whistle signals to rectify the situation. If it's a case of point 3 I still don't want to be close to someone that just popped out of the head and is reacting in a panic to do something. They created a compromising situation so I am not counting on them to do anything right. Or in case of point 2 have no or limited control over the situation.

menzies said:

so I think he thought it was a red mark.

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Do you believe he may not have been able to read the number on the marker?

Gee, five prolonged blasts would take nearly half a minute to complete during which time a lot can happen. Go for shorts. Besides, that is the correct signal.

markpierce said:

Gee, five prolonged blasts would take nearly half a minute to complete during which time a lot can happen. Go for shorts. Besides, that is the correct signal.

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My little AT34 came with a single trumpet air horn which I am sure satisfied the USCG requirements but, not my requirement. My guru installed 2 more trumpets on a separate air compressor and tank. Now, I sound like a Hatteras coming around the bend. In other words, it would be almost impossible to ignore my signals.

Alas, until a few years back, I recall reading about a change in the Regs. It had been a USCG requirement that one could hear the UHF..... They sued (in California) by some 'hearing impaired' boaters and the USCG, as I understand it, remove this requirement. So now, we cannot reply folks hearing the VHF nor the horn signals.

OldDan1943 said:

My little AT34 came with a single trumpet air horn which I am sure satisfied the USCG requirements but, not my requirement. My guru installed 2 more trumpets on a separate air compressor and tank. Now, I sound like a Hatteras coming around the bend. In other words, it would be almost impossible to ignore my signals.

Alas, until a few years back, I recall reading about a change in the Regs. It had been a USCG requirement that one could hear the UHF..... They sued (in California) by some 'hearing impaired' boaters and the USCG, as I understand it, remove this requirement. So now, we cannot reply folks hearing the VHF nor the horn signals.

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Pretty sure the rule for watchkeeping stands.someone on the boat as lookout has to be able to hear.

http://www.alldeaf.com/threads/coast-guard-banned-deaf-man-from-his-own-boat.5665/

psneeld said:

Pretty sure the rule for watchkeeping stands.someone on the boat as lookout has to be able to hear.

Coast Guard banned deaf man from his OWN boat | Deaf Community

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Thanks for the URL.
It is not "alldeaf" if one person can hear.

A side note, I read today on CBS news(?), PornHub is being sued because they do not provide closed captioning.

Have a Kahlenberg dual horn, model D-2, which is four times louder (twice the range) required of my boat size. Have a large air tank (with a suitable compressor) to make lots of signals. Still, in emergency situations there is little time to make many signals. People need to give plenty of time to make their intentions clear. If the other guy seems clueless, asleep, or unaware, beware and do best to avoid a collision.

Photo below shows only about one-sixth of the Coot's air reservoir:

OldDan1943 said:

Thanks for the URL.
It is not "alldeaf" if one person can hear.

A side note, I read today on CBS news(?), PornHub is being sued because they do not provide closed captioning.

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Good, that has annoyed the heck out of me for years.

menzies said:

Good, that has annoyed the heck out of me for years.

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LOL Lemme give you some suggestions, "Oh baby, oh baby, oh baby. Do me, do me, do me, ride me like a pony. Oh you are the best!!."

OldDan1943 said:

LOL Lemme give you some suggestions, "Oh baby, oh baby, oh baby. Do me, do me, do me, ride me like a pony. Oh you are the best!!."

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You being personal here or what?

5 blasts IMMEDIATELY followed by a radio call, the last being your best bet. The blasts, coupled with marker numbers and geographical position description, help him understand it is he who is being called by you... and what boat that equates to. Horn-only greatly diminishes your chances of success. And yes, as RTF kind of illustrated, someone on the bow giving the guy the Carlton Fisk wave helps greatly... people who don't monitor 16, or know horn blasts, typically understand that clearly.

menzies said:

and there was no one else around to see what he did

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After having "alternate truths" in a he said/she said insurance scenario I now have a $50 dash cam in every vehicle in the fleet. Turns itself on when the doors open, and shuts down when we get there. 10 hours of video, overwrites itself.

Guess when the time comes I'll put (at least) one on the boat too....

caltexflanc said:

5 blasts IMMEDIATELY followed by a radio call, the last being your best bet. The blasts, coupled with marker numbers and geographical position description, help him understand it is he who is being called by you... and what boat that equates to. Horn-only greatly diminishes your chances of success. And yes, as RTF kind of illustrated, someone on the bow giving the guy the Carlton Fisk wave helps greatly... people who don't monitor 16, or know horn blasts, typically understand that clearly.

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Doubt one would have time to radio-communicate during an imminent collision in such restricted waters. Distracting one from deciding on an avoidance strategy needed in seconds. Distances and time are short.

Besides, a Boston whaler should be able to avoid a slow-moving trawler, presumably traveling at six to eight knots.

If one is plagued, confronted by ignoramus boaters, blast prolonged signals every minute (here I am) and then five shorts if they are acting wrong, and then take evasive action when needed. Thankfully, here most all boaters believe in life preservation.

menzies said:

[snip] I first thought about turning to the middle of the channel and let him pass starboard to starboard, but then realized if he did turn late and hit me on the starboard side he would have been the stand on vessel - and there was no one else around to see what he did.

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Sounds more like a head on situation where you should both turn to starboard. “Turn to port, go to court”. Stop and give 5 blasts. Hail if time allowed. Of course you ultimately have to do what you can to avoid collision but a turn to port would have put you in the wrong if there was a collision in a situation determined to be head on. I recall my instructor for my uscg license telling us a similar anecdote where he kept turning to stb and the other vessel kept turning to port into him. He said he would have ran aground turning to stb before getting caught turning to port. I think I believed him.

Coming down the ICW, one might forget to return to 16 if you had cleared some bridges. That is why most if not all of use have more than one VHF. I keep the main VHF on 16 and for bridge traffic etc, one or two handheld on 9 or 13 depending upon where you are in the ICW.

We had flag, light and horn signals (only) til some time in the early 50s, very late 40s.

menzies said:

So running north on the AICW yesterday afternoon we had just turned a slight corner turning to our left. No trees or other obstructions, Just marsh all around. There was a ~36 foot trawler coming southbound so I was hugging the right side of the channel. Three green markers in a row to the north of the corner with one red right at the elbow of the corner. See chart below.

I saw that the trawler seemed to be well over on my side of the channel so I aimed to pass tight to green marker 7. As I got closer it looked like the other trawler was aiming right at marker 7 giving me absolutely no room!

So I slowed down waiting for him to adjust to his starboard and allow me some room. He did not adjust and was coming straight at marker 7. Without my doing something it looked like a collision was likely.

What would you do next?

Two things you need to know. We were about 1.5 hours before high tide and the sun was lowish right behind me.

Click to expand...

Menzies, this is why I like AIS. But that aside, horn blasts indicating the pass you intended, followed by 5 blasts to say WTF, and then dodge outside of the channel to avoid.

I had a similar situation coming south, I think the north bound boat was on auto pilot and it was at one of the narrow shoal spots. Thank goodness for high tide.

John

The possible collision and emergence of doubt happened fairly early on according to the way the OP is written, and deteriorated over time. Plenty of time to make a radio call and determine intentions. We've been in a very similar position several times. Not uncommon in the ICW and the California Delta... heck we've had it happen in open water.