Sailing Cruise

The basic rules to be followed while sailing or racing on seas are those set by International Regulations for Avoiding Collisions at Sea.

Photo: Sallie Anne

• Always, maintain a safe speed of your boat so that it is easy to maintain control of your vessel.
• Keep a proper lookout for sight and hearing to prevent any possible collisions. Make use of your common sense if faced with a dangerous collision situation.
• While overtaking another vessel, you should stay away from the path of the vessel and thereby try to overtake. Rather, you should never come into the path of a sailing vessel.
• If two sailboats are approaching each other with wind on different sides of the boat, sailboat with port tack should give way to boat with starboard tack. Port tack means having wind on your port side. Your port side refers to left-hand side of your boat if you are facing the front.
• If two boats are on the verge of collision and all safety measures have failed, basic sailing rules indicate if other boat is on your starboard side, you should give way to that boat. Starboard side refers to right-hand side of your boat if facing the front.
• If two boats are approaching each other with wind on the same side of each, windward boat should give way to leeward boat. Windward side refers to boat sailing in direction of the wind while leeward side refers to boat sailing against direction of the wind.
• If during sailing, you come across a boat that has restricted manoeuverability or is not under command, you should give way to that boat and allow it to pass.
• When passing through a narrow channel, you should sail as close to the outer edge as possible.
• Normal sailing instructions indicate that sailing vessels should not come into the path of large vessels or ferryboats. These boats find it difficult to change direction abruptly and could require substantial time in doing so. Therefore, noncommercial powerboats normally give way to sailing vessels.

by: Clive Peterson