Tired of people not following the rules of the road

[SigSauer]

This past weekend I was cruising around the lake. Due to the amount of boat traffic, I encountered several "crossing" situations. On multiple occasions I was the stand-on vessel with an approaching vessel on my port. (My position was starboard of the oncoming vessel) and on two instances the other boater failed to give way, with irate captains throwing their arms in the air. How many boaters are not aware that when two power driven vessels are approaching on a crossing patter, the starboard vessel (boat on the right) has the right of way and the port vessel should alter course passing behind the starboard vessel?

Speak up forum, how many times has this happened to you? Having to yield to a captain bonehead, when you are the stand-on vessel is frustrating and unsafe! :eek:

http://www.boatus.com/foundation/guide/images/navigation_01_files/image002.jpg

[Baja Guy]

I usually give way unless the water is flat & there is room to "assert" my stand-on status with a squirt of throttle. I have a slight advantage over some in this since my boat is capable of some pretty good acceleration.
To answer the original thought though, I gave up being mad about rule breakers. Mostly because I can't make them behave.
I can only hope they do something out of line with the MP in attendance. Folks who fail to slow to actual no wake speed bother me the most, next are blatant cut-offs, then there are the ones who pass by when I am running at headway speed. What are they thinking?! And no, I don't plow down the middle at 4 mph, when I slow down I get off the main routes.
Oh man, I was just going to write about what fun I had running up to Green's Basin today with friends. Yup, that's the approach to take, remember the fun and forget the other stuff.

[upthesaukee]

I think that the forum has been very vocal on rules of the road errors, many under threads about "Capt. Bonehead".

I see it with people pulling tubers, skiers, and just plain boaters.

I have boaters that will over-take me on the right, and then cut from my right to left, forcing me to come off plane.

I have come to expect that the other boater will do the unexpected, and try to avoid putting myself in an unescapable box.

Because our water roadways are less defined than our asphalt roadways, I find myself driving very defensively. I try to anticipate what the other guy is going to do well in advance, and often times will adjust my course accordingly. It often avoids a conflict and keeps my blood pressure down.

Boating also reminds me of my Air Traffic Controller days, and the saying that a pilot can apply his right of way right up to the point of impact.;)

[JasonG]

Assume everyone around you is ignorant and never boated before. We can get upset all that we want, but the facts is boating cert requirements are lax vs a regular drivers lisc. Until this changes, it is naive (not being rude) to assume everyone knows or will even follow the rules and to assume we will never run into a problem.

[AB_Monterey]

That's our SOP.

My wife will point out a boat in the distance and add, "We're the stand-on."

My standard response is "Want to bet whether he knows that?"

Her: "no." :rolleye2:

[Knot yet]

I normally don't post, but had to one this one, I was out with a friend on Sunday and after he did not Change course and was complaining about people, I had to point out that they where the standon vessel. His said I thought that was only at night. So we now know that one more person is aware.

[VitaBene]

The MP has a great sticker that shows a good graphic on stand-on as well as the red and white tipped spars. I give them to people during vessel safety checks.

They should mail one out with every registration.

[jrc]

I normally don't post, but had to one this one, I was out with a friend on Sunday and after he did not Change course and was complaining about people, I had to point out that they where the standon vessel. His said I thought that was only at night. So we now know that one more person is aware.

arrrrgh, that's why I don't tell people the green light, red light as a way to remember. A lot of people jumble that together.

I find that most people will get it right in a pure 90 degree crossing. But at other angles it get dicey. Say when two boats are merging on the same tight channel or when two boats are almost side by side and want to cross paths. This is where I get the most one finger waves.

[Dave R]

I usually give way unless the water is flat & there is room to "assert" my stand-on status with a squirt of throttle. I have a slight advantage over some in this since my boat is capable of some pretty good acceleration.


If you are stand-on, you're supposed to maintain course and speed. That said, I suspect you are using acceleration to prevent a collision course rather than force someone else to change course, and that's cool, IMO.

[hazelnut]

The MP has a great sticker that shows a good graphic on stand-on as well as the red and white tipped spars. I give them to people during vessel safety checks.

They should mail one out with every registration.

Best idea I've heard in a LONG time! That could go a long way towards educating a few people on the lake.