Re: [Cal_Boats] Kayaks and right of way

Technically, there is no mention of manually-propelled vessels in the NavRules, other than describing the proper Navigation Lights to be used in conditions of reduced visibility. Generally, I would say that the "rule" of always giving way to another vessel that is less maneuverable than your vessel is the best way to cover this. Rule#9 seems to best answer the situation below. (Quoted from the NAVRULES Book). "RULE 9 - Narrow Channels (b) A vessel of less than 20 meters in length or a sailing vessel shall not impede the passage of a vessel that can safely navigate only within a narrow channel or fairway." Even better is part (d) " (d) A vessel shall not cross a narrow channel or fairway if such crossing impedes the passage of a vessel which can safely navigate only within that channel or fairway. The latter vessel shall use the Danger signal prescribed in Rule 34(d) if in doubt as to the intention of the crossing vessel." The Danger Signal (or Doubt Signal) is Five (5) or more short blasts of the horn (repeat as needed?) It seems to me that the Kayak in question was DEFINITELY in violation of Rule 9(d) here. Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" 1979 O'DAY DS II #10201 former co-owner of "NODROG" 1970 CAL 21 #285 On Wed, 5 Jan 2011 10:09:47 -0800 DavidOwen <wi… [at] mariposasailing.com> writes: I have two kayaks and enjoy them a lot, but in congested areas they are a definite nuisance unless they are experienced boaters with a grasp of how this all works. And.... well mostly they don't dart out in front of you: A couple of years ago I was at the helm of a friend's sailboat. We were leading the pack in from a Wet Wednesday race and the breeze was nice and we planned to sail all the way into the slip. The fleet was stretched out behind us, as we had kicked their asses. The entrance into Santa Barbara harbor takes a hard left and narrows considerably, then you short-tack up the fairway if you want to sail into your slip. We intended to. Coming into the harbor entrance there was a sit-in kayaker off to the side near the wharf. He was looking dead at me. He appeared to change course to cross our paths. We were on a collision course and he obviously intended to force the issue. I hollered out that we were sailing (was unsure of the r.o.w. rules with kayaks) and he yelled out "I've got the right of way" and accelerated to make sure we stayed on a collision course. I yelled back "I don't think so, and we need the room to tack!" I held course, ready to dodge him at the last minute. My friends boat is a light-weight rule-beater IOR mini-sled tiller-boat that turns on a dime, so I wasn't too worried about maneuvering. He barked at me some, but he let us pass and we started our tack. The 2nd place boat was 5 or 6 boat lengths behind us and he started in on them and how he had the right of way. They were sure they had the right of way (technically, they were wrong) and with the wharf to starboard behind him, and other boats upwind of them, they held course. At the last second the Kayaker drove his paddle in hard and intentionally darted out in front of them, screaming about his rights. They had no choice but to T-Bone him (doing at least 5 knots) right at his cockpit. Apparently he thought that sailboats had brakes. The forces were so perfectly in balance that the bow of the sailboat just drove the Kayak sideways in an upright position. The shape of the sailboat bow drove the Kayak slightly under water and it filled enough to be swamped but did not sink. The Kayaker leaned back against the bow of the sailboat with his arms crossed on his chest and the most disgusted look on his face that you could imagine. We all stared in complete silence, amazed and unsure of what to do. He looked at us and without saying a word gave us the finger. We hadn't said a word, but since it was obvious that he wasn't hurt and that he was a bonehead, I couldn't resist yelling "We gots your right of way right here, bitch!" Everybody on about a half dozen boats roared out laughing, except the crew of the boat that had hit him. They stopped dead in the water and tried to assist him. He resisted all offers of help and paddled off soggy for the Harbormaster's office. Apparently he didn't get very far with them, because after we had put the boat away and wandered up in that direction he was seen leaving their office looking very angry. Human powered craft do have the right of way, similar to sailboats over power boats, but any fool that has read the regulations knows that in a confined space you give way to less maneuverable craft and under all circumstances you avoid a collision at all cost. When the giant oil rig tenders come powering down the fairway, you should see the sailboats scatter. Wilkie On Jan 5, 2011, at 8:54 AM, Chris wrote: On 1/5/2011 11:30 AM, Husar, Charlie [USA] wrote: Since we've been discussing winter sailing and the weather... (Yes, I know it was summer, but still...) By the way, the kayakers paddling around the harbor and river in Annapolis drive me nuts. Oh, c'mon, Charlie, they don't exactly dart out in front of you. They're way down the list of annoyances when you think about those huge unmuffled powerboats whose roar can be heard for miles over the water. Or the trolling sport fisherman who won't alter course 1 degree to pass your stern instead of your bow. And so on. But then, I'm a kayaker as well as a sailor, so I have my biases. Chris Campbell piloting the office chair today Obama Urges Homeowners to Refinance If you owe under $729k you probably qualify for Obama's Refi Program http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/4d24eda76c83f9dd122st06duc