Head on collision

[TrentePieds]

Liebe Tickles:

Kommen Sie vieleicht aus Deutschland, und sprechen Sie vileicht am liebsten Deutsch :-)?

I ask because Rule 5 of the International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea , (COLREGS for short), which it appears that you did not observe, is very, very explicit, but it contains a grammatical subtlety that may not be obvious to people whose first language is NOT English, regardless of how proficient they may be in English as a "second language"

The rule says:

[I]Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision.

The words "..by sight and hearing AS WELL as by all AVAILABLE means...
[/I compel you to use "sight and hearing" as your PRINCIPAL tools at all times. You MAY, if you have them, AUGMENT "sight and hearing" by sundry electronic devices, but you may NOT rely on those devices as your principal tools for satisfying the requirement for constant look-out.

I would like to add that in a cruising boat, a "deck sweeping" Genoa has no place. A deck sweeping Genoa can be tolerated in a boat actively engaged in racing because active racing proceeds according to rules that are in ADDITION to COLREGS, but do not replace them.

Anyway, I'm glad you came to no harm. When on the helm you really have to have a "rubber neck". If you have blind spots, for any reason at all, where you sit or stand at the helm, then post a crew member as a look-out. If you are sailing alone, then change your headsail to one that doesn't give you blind spots.

If my opening surmise is correct, do you have the COLREGS translated into German?

All the best to you :-)

TrentePieds

[rslifkin]

To some of the points above, there's also the modern solution: add a camera to give a better view of blind spots. If it's hard to move around enough to see past something, a camera or 2 with a display somewhere visible can help a lot.

I see plenty of pilothouse trawlers with cameras to see behind them, for example.