Navigation Rules Parallel Roadway Rules

There are many aspects of the Navigation Rules that run parallel to the rules on the roadway. For starters, we use red and green colors on both our navigation lights and traffic lights. We also keep to the right in a channel, just like on a country road. These practices are no coincidence. 

Think about two cars at a crossroad intersection with a traffic light. One driver stops while the other driver keeps going. On the road, the red light means stop and the green light means go.

Now think about two power-driven boats in an open-water "crossing" situation. The boat operator on the right will see the other's green sidelight, and the boat operator on the left will see the other's red sidelight. The vessel operator that sees the "red" sidelight "gives way" to the other, who sees the "green" sidelight and maintains course and speed.

Vessels of all kinds have been afloat for many centuries longer than cars have been on the road. We have learned much from our vessel maneuvering rules on the water, and have made similar rules for the roadways. However, in recent years we have learned things on the road that now apply on the water. One such thing is that "Speed Kills." We have heard it a lot over the years in reference to car accidents.

For the most part, speed has been a minor consideration throughout the centuries that we have traveled on the water. It is only in the recent century that we have attained what you might call "dangerous" speeds on the water. In the last 25 years, the average speed of power-driven vessels has increased dramatically.

The "personal watercraft" (jet skis, wave-runners, etc.) has emerged as one of the fastest vessels on the water. Small ski boats, skiffs and fishing boats are also very fast. We are talking about speeds of 40 to 70 miles per hour. That is fast in any boat on the water.

Historically, when mariners have run aground, their biggest concern was how they would re-float their vessel. As power-driven vessels increased in speed, going aground has yielded quite different outcomes. Instead of just checking for leakage from damage below the waterline, we must also check for injuries. It ain't just 6 knots anymore!

To put things into perspective, we need to look at running aground as a "collision." That's right, when we run aground we collide with the bottom, just as a car collides with a ditch as it runs off the road. Running aground at 50 miles per hour can be as dangerous as running your car into a ditch at the same speed.

Just as you can fly through the windshield of your car, you can fly through the windshield of your boat. On top of it all, in our cars, we are "seat-belted" in place. On our boats, we are sitting, standing, and doing who knows what else.

Experienced mariners have all had some brush with a sudden stop at a high speed. But we are not all experienced mariners. Our children and other young boat operators are less capable of calculating the risks associated with speed. It is up to us to keep an eye on them and to give them the benefit of our experience!

Until next time, I wish you clear skies, fair winds, and calm seas!