It used to be that the only boating accidents you heard about were those
within 100 miles or so. The radius of interest that the local newspaper,
radio or TV station were interested in. Today the internet brings us the
same info from around the globe.

Are there more accidents than there used to be; probably not. But, if
there are not, what is pretty certain is that the nature of those
accidents is changing. There are far more small boats out cruising than
40 years ago. Back then the major obstacles were the weather and running
into some solid piece of rock.

GPS, depth sounders and radar have eliminated many, but not all of these
kinds of accidents. Weather forecasting is much improved. What is
disturbing is the number of GPS, radar and weather assisted accidents
that now are happening. There are numerous and recent accidents which
have involved fancy yachts being lost, while running into solid and
charted obstacles. Or, from totally disregarding the weather.

A collision is a COLLISION, whether it be a boat, a fishing net, a log
or an iceberg. Collision avoidance is dealt with in the ColRegs, which
are rules, intended to give guidance as to how to deal with potential
collision situations. They are not regulations in the sense that they
are to be followed slavishly into a collision. Regulations specify
actions to be taken literally, the rules and there are less than 40 of
them are there to keep you from having an accident and if you have one,
your faults will be calculated based upon them.

In other words everything we do at sea starts with the ColRegs. We are
all legally bound by them, from the Captain to the crew and the
passengers. What I am driving at here is that accidents like the
Earthrace boat or the Nordhavn that went on the rocks in Baja, and
others, involved a failure to keep a proper lookout, rule #5.

Can we prove this last statement; not necessarily from the facts in
hand. But, since they each involved running into something, it is a
legal presumption that rule 5 was violated and such presumption will be
the cornerstone of any legal preceding.

Even, if after an accident you are willing to claim as your defense that
you are not "legally" culpable, what about your moral responsibility for
live(s) lost and damage done. It is almost impossible to credibly claim
that "all was done that could be done".

In any event, what I am getting at is that we are all part of the
solution, or part of the problem. In order to claim morally and legally
that we have followed the ColRegs there must be a chain of command and
someone has to be in charge.

In effect, if there is no chain of command, then there is no
accountability and without it there is almost no chance of the ColRegs
being followed. This, before even any accident has happened.

The chain of command implies that any situation that is out of the least
ordinary, requires that mere fact be presented to the most senior and if
not available the most experienced person at hand, regardless of fatigue
or reluctance by either party. There is no greater failure than to delay
where delay can not be tolerated or to fail to act where your action
alone is required. Better to wake the captain while there is time to
act, even if it turns to be unnecessary, than to delay and have an accident.

I point all this out because I have become convinced that many of the
accidents that are happening in the small boat community are as a direct
result of this lack of chain of command. Or, a failure to follow it.

If you think that accidents that happen to other recreational boaters
can't happen to you, then think again. It is just the accidents that
happen to them, that are most likely to happen to you.

Just as I am inclined to believe that the accidents that happen to
professional mariners are the one's that are most likely to get me. We
either learn from our peer's mistakes or we are guaranteed to make them
ourselves.

Regards,
Mike

Capt. Mike Maurice
Beaverton Oregon(Near Portland)

Mike, although I agree with much of what you say, this only applies to those
who know that there is such a thing as the COLREGS.  I'd wager that 3/4 of
the recreational boaters out there have never heard of them, have never
studied them, nor, if they've heard of them, do they believe they apply to
them.

I belong to the US Coast Guard Auxiliary and although I devote most of my
volunteered time to underway operations (in the air and on the surface), I
have spent my fair share of time teaching boaters and sailors the basics of
small boat operations in our Public Education courses.  It always comes as a
shock to several in the classes to hear about the COLREGS, and to learn that
they apply to them!  Mention that they are responsible for the damage their
wakes cause and some sink well down into their chairs.

My point is that long before any recreational boater becomes aware of the
concept of chain of command and the need to inform the senior mariner
present of developing issues, he/she would need to be aware that the COLREGs
exist and that they apply to them!

Once the recreational mariner purchases a copy of the COLREGs, and keeps it
aboard in the pilothouse and maybe even thumbs through it occasionally, they
may become aware of their responsibilities mandated by the COLREGS,
including the chain of command issues you raise.

One man's opinion,

Bob Peterson
"Lopaka Nane"
47' Lien Hwa CPMY
San Francisco

"3/4 of the recreational boaters out there have never heard of them"

This may be true Bob but I'll bet that of the 1/4 of those boaters that do
know,  80% feel the rules are for everyone but them.

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