2–16 Chris-Craft
Safety and Operations
Boating Courses
Operating a boat requires a greater skill than operating a car or truck. To enjoy a pleasurable and safe boat-
ing experience you must acquire these skills. Some recommendations are:
• Take a Coast Guard, United States Power Squadron boating safety course. For information call: 800-336-BOAT
(2628), or
• Take a boating safety course offered by local colleges or boating clubs.
• Obtain “hands-on” training from qualified personnel on how to operate your vessel.
Boating courses help you to gain knowledge and experience in such areas as, but is not limited to: naviga-
tion, seamanship, rules of the road, weather, safety at sea, survival, first aid, communications, and pollu-
tion control.
Basic Seamanship
As the owner/operator it is your responsibility to learn the “rules-of-the-road” and under-
stand basic seamanship rules and standards, as only rudimentary information is repeated
here.
In practical terms boats that are less maneuverable have the right-of-way over more agile vessels. In gen-
eral a power-driven vessel must give way to the following:
• A sailing vessel under sail only (engine(s) not running).
– When the sailboat is under engine power, it is considered a power-driven vessel.
• Vessels propelled by oars or paddles.
• A commercial fishing vessel engaged in fishing.
– This does not apply to sportfishers or party boats.
• Vessels with restricted maneuverability, such as:
– Tow boats.
– A vessel engaged in dredging activities or work that restricts it to a specific area.
– A vessel engaged in the transfer of supplies from one vessel to another.
• A vessel not under command, broken down.
Meeting Situations
When meeting in various situations the give-way vessel must take action to avoid a collision and maintain
a safe distance. The stand-on vessel should maintain course and speed.
If it becomes apparent that a collision is possible and the give-way vessel is not taking cor-
rective action, it is your responsibility to take action and avoid a collision.
Meeting Head-On
When two boats meet head-on neither boat has the right-of-way. Both boats should reduce speed and pass
port-to-port (Figure 2-21).
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