Sharing the Bay

By Nicholas Alley

We have all been there: a beautiful afternoon, you are drifting along, and that small dot on the horizon becomes a full-sized container ship bearing down on you  at 25 knots and blasting his horn. As he passes close enough to you that you can hear the hum of the engines and see that the the draft marks  really are six inches tall, you  change your underwear, and ponder the age old question "Is there a better way to share our waterways with other vessels?"

The sad reality is that even in the age of modern electronics, collisions between vessels do occur, and close calls happen every day. Commercial vessels are growing larger and faster, and recreational vessels are growing more numerous every year. When collisions occur, every one losses. The recreational boater loses the boat and possibly his or her life, and the professional loses his or her license and livelihood.

Often the problem is one of communication and/or expectations. the ship, tug or barge, or passenger boat expects to be able to use the channels and have predictable behavior from the surrounding vessels. The recreational vessels expect to use the waterways without fear of being run over. The reality is we have to work together to make this happen.

Some helpful ideas:
1) Review and follow the rules of the road. This doesn't mean "red, right, returning" or "sailboats always have the right of way." The navigation rules of the road are explicit and apply to everyone. It is your responsibility to know and follow them. They are available at most nautical store and online at http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/

2) Be predictable. Make your course changes early and obvious. It is hard to avoid someone who is swinging back and forth so his lights look like a Christmas tree or who is headed straight at you and alters course at the last minute.

3) Communicate. Turn your VHF radio to channel 13 and 16. Many VHF radios have duel watch, so you can listen to both. Commercial vessels monitor channel 13 to make passing, overtaking, and meeting arrangements. They also make "security" calls to let others in  the area know their location and intentions. Listen and you can learn a lot about the traffic in your area and impress your friends. It is much easier to stay out of the way of that tug if you know where he is headed. If you do call a vessel on channel 13, be concise and short, saying something such as, "I am the white sailboat with the blue awning southbound of Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse. I am planning to run outside the green buoys."

4) Don't assume. Don't assume that the other vessel sees you, has you on radar, will or can give way, can maneuver as well as you can, or isn't broken down.

5) Be understanding. What is the other vessel trying to do? How limited is its maneuverability? Tug boats towing can be run over or capsized by their barges. Ships take a long time to slow down and stop. Sailboats are restricted in what courses they can sail. Many boats have visibility problems. Consider what the other vessel is going through and what can do to avoid a bad situation.

6) Avoid the shipping lanes. Stay out of the main shipping channels unless you have to be there. Stay to the right or even run outside the buoy lines if you can. Cross the channels at right angles and as quickly as possible. Many shipping channels have auxiliary or secondary channels for small craft.

7) Read the chart. There are many areas that are particularly busy or dangerous and are marked as such, including pilot boarding areas, restricted traffic lanes, etc.

8) Avoid being "that guy." A) "The deep-draft sailboat" sailing down the middle of the shipping lane at four knots not hearing the ships  calling him on the radio. B) "Rodney" roaring straight at you, passing five feet down the side and waiving hello as you roll to death. C) "I think I can make it" crossing ahead of another vessel so closely that you disappear beneath the bow. D) "The racer" holding your course until the last minute so you can get the wind shift as it bounces off the side of the ship. E) "Fish until I die" getting three more casts in before before moving out of the way of the tug bearing down on you.

Some other things to help:
Tugs and tows transiting the Chesapeake Bay generally run the "deep water" on the eastern shore. Commercial vessels will generally run straight line routes "point to point," such as Bay Bridge to Thomas Point, to #83 buoy, to #78 buoy, to Cove Point, Smith Point and along the 76 degree10' longitude line to Thimble Shoals and Norfolk.

About the Author: Nicholas Alley started his sailing career teaching at the Annapolis Sailing School in the early 1980s and has since operated traditional wooden vessels and sail training schooners and coastal tug boats on the Chesapeake and beyond.

Questions and Comments: Do you have a question that you would like to ask Nick ?  A comment to add?  Please E-mail to cjosephelder@gmail.com

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