Close call between AC75 American Magic and Auckland harbour ferry

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Hoodsail

Hey, i'm just impressed that a monohulll overtakes a ferry!! Never had that issue and yes, in long island sound, we always give way, away to ferries: high-speed or otherwise. total displacement rules the seas.

Further to my post about the Oakland Estuary, for those who may not be familiar with SF Bay, as far as I know it's the ONLY place where ferries, including the high speed one from Vallejo, actually literally go out of their way to avoid pleasure craft.

[Jono as 2234]

What a beat up. The news onpaper must be having a slope day. Nothing to see here.

[Shrew]

If you look at the Ferry wake, it looks like the AC boat was approaching at 90 degrees to the port of the ferry. It looks like the ferry turned hard to Stbd, which would have put them on a parallel course. The AC boat looks like it turned to stbd as well and ended up passing the ferries stern fairly close.

If anything the ferry looks like it gave way and the AC boat decided to turn to stbd rather than stand-on. Maybe the AC boat assumed it could easily turn to Stbd and pass the stern and we are making a bigger deal out of it than it actually was.

[Cliffhanger]

There is one rule that overrides all the other Colreg rules.

And that is rule 17 which can be simplified to say..

"JUST AVOID COLLISION, even if the other guy is a dick"

All this requires is a little common sense and courtesy. Typically the faster, more manoeuvrable boat just avoids the slower one. Simple.

After all, when Colregs were written sailing boats didn't do 50kts.

[CassidyNZ]

The whole of the Auckland harbour has a long-standing rule that recreational vessels give way to commercial. Nobody would know that better than Dean Barker (helmsman) who grew up sailing here. And when its all said and done, AC75 is a recreational boat.

Agree with other posts, compared to inter-boat proximity during a race, the crew on the AC75 would not have seen this as a close call at all, Defiant were probably just irritated that they had to end their reach which was probably generating much-valued real-time data

[Jim Cate]

The whole of the Auckland harbour has a long-standing rule that recreational vessels give way to commercial. Nobody would know that better than Dean Barker (helmsman) who grew up sailing here. And when its all said and done, AC75 is a recreational boat.

Ya know, I could argue that the AC boat is equally commercial as a ferry... they both generate income from their maritime activities.

But I also don't see this event as anything to get excited about... no collision, not even close in real terms, and I too am sure that the AC crew didn't find it hazardous (beyond their normal near death experiences whilst foiling along at unnatural speeds!).

Jim

[qwert]

Its completely off topic but the next video after the "near collision" is much more fun............. a fisherman achieving the ultimate dream of all fishermen.....

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Montanan

Both vessels turned to starboard and successfully avoided collision; racing sailboats routinely come much closer together than this incident. No harm, no foul, no Colreg violation, both vessels being highly responsive and maneuverable.

Ok, first of all it was not a race, however that makes no difference; between a racing boat and a non racing boat Colregs apply, not racing rules.

In this situation looking at the wakes of both vessels, it is pretty clear that the AC boat (American Magic, out of New York) was on a course which was converging with the ferry and probably not sure what the ferry would do.

The ferry made quite an abrupt turn and it looks like they backed the engines as well. When it was clear to the sailing boat that the courses were still converging the AC boat bore off behind the ferry and then jibed; probably pretty close to what they were planning on doing anyhow.

In my view this was not a close call. Given the gentle conditions and the maneuverability of the sailing boat, they were fully capable of avoiding the ferry no matter what they did, and I am pretty sure the helmsman of American Magic (Dean Barker) was probably in communication with his chase boats who would have been calling the shots. It might have gone like this,

Barker: "Well, we're still converging".

Chase boat: "Go behind him."

Barker (to his crew): "Bearing away, prepare to jibe."

End of discussion.

[barnakiel]

Normal plain banana sailing, to me. I cannot see any collision risk there. The sailing boat clearly had a plan and executed it without hiccups.


Cool video. I wish I were there (even if only on the ferry !!!)


b.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by tarian

As chotu says a ferry that has a known route day in day out have right of way in most civilised harbours , most charts always show a ferry route, I have to leave my marina and enter via traffic lights as it has ferries operating in the basin , ferries have right of way

Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!

[Knotical]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

I wish I were there (even if only on the ferry !!!)

I would love to be on the sailboat

[ChrisJHC]

I don’t know about Auckland, however some places (e.g. Sydney Harbour) have local laws that give ferries priority over everyone else.

From the state government website - note the wording “right of way” is theirs not mine

Priority over sail

Some commercial ferries on Sydney Harbour display an orange diamond shape which grants priority (right of way) over sailing vessels. This is an exception to the ‘power gives way to sail’ rule.

Do not attempt to cross the path of an approaching ferry displaying this signal.

[jmh2002]

Originally Posted by ChrisJHC

Some commercial ferries on Sydney Harbour display an orange diamond shape which grants priority (right of way) over sailing vessels. This is an exception to the ‘power gives way to sail’ rule.

Do not attempt to cross the path of an approaching ferry displaying this signal.

No point yelling "starboard" either...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK1tZljrwAc

[StuM]

Originally Posted by ChrisJHC

I don’t know about Auckland, however some places (e.g. Sydney Harbour) have local laws that give ferries priority over everyone else.

From the state government website - note the wording “right of way” is theirs not mine

Priority over sail

Some commercial ferries on Sydney Harbour display an orange diamond shape which grants priority (right of way) over sailing vessels. This is an exception to the ‘power gives way to sail’ rule.

Do not attempt to cross the path of an approaching ferry displaying this signal.

Once again, people who write website content paraphrasing legislation frequently get it wrong (often dangerously wrong). No mention of Right of Way in the legislation. It's no different to all the other "keep out of the way of" and "keep well clear of" sections in Rule 18.
Come to that, there's also no general "power gives way to sail rule" either.

There's only one way to know what the orange diamond actually signifies:
https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/v...t/sl-2016-0308
NSW Marine Safety Regulation 2016:
Schedule 4 Modifications to Convention on International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea
Rule 18 of the International Regulations is modified by including the following NSW special Rule—

(1) In this special Rule, priority over sail signal means a signal displaying an orange diamond shape.

(2) In addition to complying with the requirements of Rule 18, the operator of a sailing vessel must keep out of the way of, and keep a safe distance from, a vessel displaying a priority over sail signal.

(3) If the operator of a sailing vessel is unable to comply with subrule (2) of this special Rule, the operator is to make that fact clear to the operator of the vessel displaying the priority over sail signal as soon as possible.

(4) The operator of a vessel must not display a priority over sail signal without the written consent of the Minister.

(Note that there is no reference to Sydney Harbour. The same rule applies anywhere in NSW)

[jmh2002]

Originally Posted by StuM

There's only one way to know what the orange diamond actually signifies:
https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/v...t/sl-2016-0308
NSW Marine Safety Regulation 2016:
Schedule 4 Modifications to Convention on International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea

^^^