If you’re boating in waters where there are large oceangoing vessels, here’s a piece of sound advice: As soon as you see a big ship, do whatever you can–immediately–to get out of the way.
Never mind the great photos you can get up close, or the thrill of being right alongside one of these behemoths. Big ships are a serious threat to recreational boaters, and there’s usually nothing these vessels can do to change course or speed in time to avoid an accident. So it’s up to you to stay clear.
When recreation boats meet commercial ships, the former usually have more control. Large ships have difficulty stopping, lose steerage at slow speeds and often cannot maneuver for fear of running aground.“When I have a recreational boat coming at me, it’s basically his call on whether we collide,” says Capt. John J. Colgan, a Chesapeake Bay pilot who guides oceangoing vessels transiting the 115-mile route from the Atlantic Ocean to Baltimore Harbor. “There’s not a lot we can do if he isn’t looking or doesn’t want to get out of the way.”
First, the legalities: Whatever your previous impressions, the rules of the road do not give you the right of way over oceangoing vessels, even if you’re on a sailboat. Unless you are out in ocean waters, big ships are likely to be confined to a narrow shipping channel, and they cannot leave it without running aground. Coast Guard navigation rules require that you take steps to avoid them.
There’s also the matter of visibility. Even on clear days, there’s no guarantee that the crew of a large vessel will be able to see you, let alone steer around you. Oceangoing vessels usually are so tall and their bridges are placed so far aft that the helmsman has a blind-spot for at least a quarter of a mile ahead. Many radar sets won’t even pick up fiberglass boats, except as tiny, indistinct blips. And the crew may not be monitoring the radar screen that closely. At night, your running lights may be difficult to see.
HOW LARGE SHIPS OPERATE
Big ships also travel a lot more quickly than most boaters expect. While merchant vessels may seem slow and lumbering, they usually travel at between 13 and 18 knots even in coastal or inland shipping channels. That means the ship that seems miles away could be right off your bow in minutes. Slow-moving sailboats and trawlers may find it difficult to escape if they wait too long. Even if you’re on a fast boat, if your engine fails while you’re in the middle of a shipping channel, you’re in potentially serious trouble. New Coast Guard figures show there were 86 accidents in the U.S. last year that were due to engine failure–nine of them fatal.
