will never increase
danger zone by giving way
… very logical
Deep down, my unspoked but dreamed day-dream is to earn a Commercial Pilot’s license and someday work for a Dolphin Tour Boat company and spend my time out on the water with someone else supplying the boat and the fuel.
To that end, I picked up a copy of the famous Chapmen Piloting book of Seamanship and Boat Handling.
(for $1 at the Friends of the Library Book Sale)
I am enjoying it a lot.
I am intrigued as well as there is a lot of basic commonsense that seems to be assumed to be present in the mind of anyone who is thinking about being out on the water.
Notice this short section on piloting in the “Danger Zone.”
A power-driven vessel of any size has a so called “danger zone” from dead ahead to 22.5° abaft its starboard beam. It must give way to any crossing vessel that approaches within this zone.
The “danger zone” is a concept implicit in the Navigation Rules and should be firmly understood by every boater.
Note that the danger zone of the give-way vessel has the same arc of visibility as its green sidelight. Thus the stand-on vessel sees a “go” light from the other vessel. Conversely, the give-way vessel sees the red (“stop”) light of the stand-on vessel — a very logical situation!
You have to love the lovely choice of language!
a concept implicit in the Navigation Rules
should be firmly understood by every boater
— a very logical situation!
The Danger Zone Section of the bok is a small quarter page with a red background to make it stand out.
Know the rules!
Know your boat!
It’s a very logical situation that should be should be firmly understood as the concept is implicit in the rules.
Why does this expectation sound so wonderful in A WORLD GONE CRAZY!
So simple and yet so flat out, hey this is the way it is and if you don’t get it, get your butt off the water dumhead!
A simple expectation that you and other people will be using some smart out there in the world.
Yet, the folks who wrote the Chapman Piloting book also live in the REAL WORLD.
In italics at the bottom of the red block information on the Danger Zone is this caveat.
(Remember how in the book Gone With the Wind, Rhett told Scarlett to name her store the CAVEAT EMPTORIAM and Scarlett had the sign all set to go and then Ashely told her what it meant … but I digress)
As I was saying, at the bottom of the section is this little but of advice.
After saying the concept of the Danger Zone was implicit …
After saying the concept of the Danger Zone was fully understood …
After saying the concept of the Danger Zone was very logical …
The authors then state:
There may be situations in which a boat does not have right of way (such as river-crossing and overtaking), but assuming that you have the freedom to maneuver safely, you will never increase the danger of collision by giving way to a boat in this zone.
Even with all that being said, know that person in the other boat may not be logical or fully understand the danger zone.
Remember, no one ever increased the danger of a collision …
BY GETTING OUT OF THE WAY.
Rare advice that can be applied in too many places today.
As John Ronald Reuel Tolkien once wrote, “It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.”
Dragons, other dumb boaters and, well, just plain folks.
No Haiku For You 