Quote:
Originally Posted by FlyingScot
That's pretty good. But I caution that sailboat speeds on the lake are highly variable, going up and down even more quickly than the breeze itself as the boat's position relative to islands, points, etc can change speed and direction of the wind. Further, sailboats change direction ("tack") more frequently than many powerboat captains realize in order to compensate for these wind changes and other navigational requirements. And of course, many sailboat pilots often have a blind spot when their sails obstruct their view of your power boat.
None of this is to suggest that sailors do not have right of way/stand on obligations, only to point out that the reason they usually have right of way is that they have a significantly tougher time navigating than a non sailor might think. So they should not be expected to be as easy to predict as a power boat.
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Totally agree. My point was that the "offending" boat captain in the photo was very likely well aware of the sailboat and "aiming" for it on purpose. Assuming that the captain is well aware of the other boat and paying attention means he or she is already prepared to adjust course or speed as-needed if the stand-on boat does not stand-on.