Do you know the rules of the road for proper boat navigation? It is quite surprising to me how many boaters do not have a clue! Sure the legalese within some of the rules can get quite cumbersome and rules do change some from inland to coastal water but many of the rules are actually quite simple when broken down. Furthermore most of the rules that are real complicated are more in line with those operating much larger vessels than the vast majority of us; therefore, most ?boaters? must pretty much give way to all other traffic.
The one rule I see small boat owners struggle with time and time again is what action to take when two vessels are meeting head on. I just had this situation occur this past weekend in the Folly River and if you are running at any sort of speed it can get quite scary real quick especially if you are in a congested area and the other boater does not know what to do. The rules read as follows:
Rule 14 - Head-on Situation
(a) Unless otherwise agreed when two power-driven vessels are meeting on reciprocal or nearly reciprocal courses so as to involve risk of collision each shall alter her course to starboard so that each shall pass on the port side of the other.
Hard to simplify that any further, but just in case, if you are meeting another boat head on or close to head on, both you and the other boat should steer to the right so as to pass one another on your left hand sides. Under these circumstances if room allows I typically steer hard starboard myself to make it as clear as possible to the other boat that I am altering my course in that direction to avoid a collision.
If you have an interest in learning more about the rules check out http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=navRulesContent#rule8. If you want to remember who has the right of way as far as the hierarchy of vessels remember the saying, ?New Reels Catch Fish So Purchase Some? which is an acronym for the following vessels: Not Under Command, Restricted Ability to Maneuver, Constrained by Draft (Int. only),