Well, read the regulations for example.
Here in Minnesota, the boating regulations state:
Non-Motorized Craft (sailboats, canoes, etc.) have right-f-way over motorized craft in all situations except when the non-motorized craft is overtaking or passing.
That’s pretty clear. Obviously you can’t be stupid about it and challenge a barge or something, but I’d be suprised to find many power boaters who are aware of this. I paddle on the Mississippi alot and a find that many many powerboaters ignore most of the posted and non-posted rules. There are plenty of great boaters, but here are also plenty of complete and dangerous idiots out there piloting boats, PWC and yes, even commercial vessels. I commonly see barge pilots running too fast in posted slow and no-wake zones as well as endangering rowers and others who cant deal with their wakes as well.
Run down
he never even slowed down and was never aprehended though others saw the event. Broken boat, broken paddle, broken collar bone. Lucky I was able to remain conscious and get out.
#3
While I understand your intent - the result of following your advice in #3 is far more likely to add to the all too common perception that paddlers are a pain in the rear, and such added attention will bring us that much closer to being regulated and restricted.
While it should be the right thing to do to report unsafe operators - the official will consider the source. Like it or not, paddlers are not always taken seriously - thanks to all the wake wimps and self righteous speed bumps that have complained before you.
If you’re injured or sustained damage to gear - definitely file a report. If your pride got hurt or you got wet, get over it. When’s the last time you called in a license plate number on a car that ran a red light or changed lanes without signaling? Some perspective is needed.
Step up the skills…
and learn to paddle in chaotic waves. Granted, I’m coming from the canoe side!, but once you learn to enjoy waves, you’ll have a lot of fun with em’.
Both ways
Kayakers definitely need to learn to be better seamen. We invite the local Power Squadron to come present the view from the wheel house and it really enlightens some paddlers to thier own erratic paddling behavior.
My most memorable motor boat challenge was off Fort Desoto at the inaguaral Sweetwater kayak symposium back in '97 or so. After finnishing teaching a session in the bay, I paddled out and along the swim area bouy line towards the surf clinic. A 28 footer came out from the channel as if had come straight out of MTV spring break or something, complete with at least a dozen bikini clad young ladies dangling legs off the bow and many drunk young men. The pilot made eye contact with me from a distance and began to grin; he was enjoyiong our head-on collision course straight along the outer edge of the bouy line designating the outer limit of the swim area. we were both about 3 feet off the bouy line.
I held my course but instinctively paddled high angle to set off the reflective tape on my paddle blades with the sun's rays, in a show of good faith and to give the hint of saying "ha ha, ok , I get it, yes you're bigger and more powerful, now if you'll excuse me please". He had nothing but open gulf waters to his starboard and was hugging the swim area on his port, directly head on with me in my line. I could see his grin widen and he was so close the girls hangin off his bow began to scream.
Just as I was ready to roll over and take it on the hull he swerved out and away, then cut back into the swim area behind me and tried to stop at the beach, as people began to jump off the boat into the swim area.
I stopped and evaluated my choices: i could turn around, paddle over and kick the livin sh-t out of him and any of his drunk friends that wanted to join in, or I could paddle over to the surf clinic and surf it off.
The boat began to was ashore in the surf, and it took all the drunk kids to push it off the beach. He powered out through the now cleared swim area and sped off. I went and surf it off. I took a while, but enough good surf will bring a smile to anybodys face. And I never forget a face, especially under those circumstances.
And of course I realize it wasn't because he was a motor boater, rather becasue he's an idiot.
Motor Boats and Kayakers
I am a kayaker and took the safe boating course last spring so that I would have a better idea what to expect from jet ski’s, power boats and sail boats. It wasn’t even in the course, but when I asked the instructors, kayaks are next in line of priority over boats at anchor. Of course barges and trawlers should be included in that simplistic ruling. That doesn’t mean I expect people to follow it but some of the boaters who complain about kayakers might want to keep that in mind.
Peace,
Mark
Some definitions
Sternsquirt, your story is scary, and yes that guy was an a-hole… On behalf of power boaters I apologize. First off, people hanging off a bow is illegal. Secondly, don’t ever assume that rolling and taking the “hit” is viable. You’ll turn to sauce when the outdrive, or prop(s) hit you. Better to glance off the bow. Realize that you were perhaps not serious, rather making a point…
Pilot is used a lot here, so I’d like to explain that in the maritime world a “Pilot” is an exceptionally experienced Master who is employed by local ports to guide ships into said ports in safety. They are transported to the bridge of these ships via pilot boats or helicopter. Less and less by helo these days. They then assume control of the ship/vessel and guide it into port. They are experts of their ports. Interrestingly, the ships Master (Captain)is ultimately still responsible, should the Pilot mess up.
The rec power boaters so often described by kayakers are simply helmsmen. Typically they are not licensed mariners. Any of you could buy a power boat, insure it (cheaper slightly if you take a safe boating class) and head out. As someone here said, like kayakers, many of these folk don’t really understand much. But, they surely do not want to hit you or anything. Mostly just naive.
A Captain is a licensed individual who has x amount of docummented sea time and has passed a USCG series of exams. You sometimes hear the term “six-pack” license. CG hates that term. That is an OUPV license (operator of uninspected vessel). this is a captians license that allows a person to operate “for hire” an uninspected small vessel for up to six paying customers. Typical charter boat.
Beyond that it’s a Masters license, which is broken down into tonnage and inland, near coastal, and ocean ratings. A Pilot typically would be an unlimited tonnage, any ocean Master with years of Merchant Marine, or Navy service.
Hope this helps. This post has been a bit heart warming to me as it seems fellow paddlers on this site aknowledge that most boaters are fine, and are resisting the simplistic blanket hatred of power vessels. Be safe.
You got bad information Mark
The Rules are quite complex…visit the USCG site and look up the nav rules. Learn for yourself. Lots of strange info gets tossed out in these courses by non-licensed people. You for example might take that information to mean that all other vessels must avoid you. That is blatantly wrong! There is an established pecking order and kayaks aint #2!
Regarding Priority
The course I took was presented by the Coast Guard Auxilary. The answer to my question was given and explained in the context that kayaks under power are the slowest boat among the other three boats mentioned and could not avoid collisions and therefore would get priority.
Sorry for any confusion,
Mark
Even more wrong?
It’s not about speed or power. It’s about size/tonnage, and the ability to maneuver (combination of ability to alter speed and make directional changes). Bigger craft have the right of way specifically because they can’t maneuver as well.
Kayaks are THE MOST MANEUVERABLE craft on the waters. We can turn quickly at any speed, even at a dead stop. We can stop and reverse course in one boat length, and hold position with great ease. None of this takes more than a couple seconds. Show me another vessel with that level of control (assuming a somewhat capable paddler).
Given that, WE are the ones who are best able to give way - and should do so in the vast majority of encounters.
We are not like pedestrians in an intersection, or even like bikes sharing the road. Things are a bit reversed on the water. When dealing with other traffic use your paddle, not your pride.
The rules are based on physics and common sense - not on looking out for the little guy. We are expected to be able to look out after ourselves. Some seem resistant to this simple logic, and give all paddlers a bad name among our fellow boaters.
I canoe on a river where there
are sections of shallow water and at times there are jet boats running on step because they have to get the boat up as high in the water as they can…if you happen to share that piece of water at the same time you and your paddle craft can be in for a real ride…not their fault…some paddlers don’t understand why this guy is going so fast and it has led to trouble from time to time…
How about…
if two boats were heading towards each other on a collision course in open water, an assessment of which boat could most successfully avoid a collision attempt by the opposing boat determined to hit it? The boat most able to do that would be considered the most maneuverable of the two.
In the case of big ships and most sailboats, the kayak would win that comparison, however with smaller power boats, probably most anything with a planing hull including big cabin cruisers (to a point), I’d say the kayak would be the least maneuverable of the two, I don’t care how good you think you are, the boat could run you over if it wanted to, and easily evade any attempt you make to run into it.
Just a thought.
Mike
Headstone…
…right or wrong - I give way as not giving way could be fatal. Who cares if you are right or wrong if you’re dead!?!
I paddled the narrow channel out from Mystic Harbor last fall and waited as all the boat traffic went through under the drawbridge. As the drawbridge lowered and the traffic stopped to wait again, I knew I could proceed. That’s when the idiot in the 20+foot Striper boat decided to see if he could beat the bridge lowering and went full throttle past me (about 10 feet away)…
I didn’t yell, flip the middle finger, or try to get his hull number, as the (must have been) 3 foot wake picked me up and flipped me so fast all I could do was try not to get washed UNDER the wood dock/pier. And actually - my anger was gone as fast as it got there once I surfaced out of my boat, as the other boat pilots reacted so swiftly to help that I almost felt guilty.
Now, I always give way to anything larger than my kayak…
Scott
not even more wrong
Not legally anyway.
Outside of a marked navigational channel or lane a kayak is regarded almost as a stationary vessel. Boats at anchor, under sail, and not under power get priority over kayaks in questions of right of way. All other power vessels are supposed to give way to human powered craft. Exceptions are obvious, draft restricted and manueverability restricted vessels get the right of way. But we shouldn’t be getting in the way of these anyway.
An example of a typical powerboat encounter for me: I’m doing 1000m time trial down a lake that is 750m wide and 3000m long. Another vessel is out there going 4-5X faster than me. As far as he is concerned I am a stationary object to be avoided, even at a 1000m race pace. Given the difference in speed, I can dodge all I want but if he actually comes towards me I am not fast enough to evade. Hence, though my kayak can be stopped, turned quickly, etc…because of the average pleasure boat’s speed they have to avoid us.
That is of course where we should be courteous and not make a nuisance of ourselves. And as always, the law of tonnage trumps all.
Oh, and a note on inland barge traffic: If they are moving downstream and the current is the least bit pushy, they have to make pretty good headway just to maintain steerage. A barge on the St. Johns was negotiating a turn in an idle speed zone and got swept into a pier on the outside of the turn. I imagine they have to steam pretty hard going upstream to make time, don’t know about the legally of their wake in that case, but when going downstream the need to maintain steering trumps just about everything else.
Mark, I appreciate
that you tried to get good info from an authority. Please understand that not all auxiliary members are licensed merchant mariners! In fact, I’ll bet most don’t have an OUPV or Masters license. As such, misleading, or confusing info gets passed along. For example, last year on the internet a kayaker told everyone that his local USCG detachment said using a blue flashing light was OK! That was terrible info! Only law enforcement can display such a light. I called District 13 in Seattle and the officer there agreed with me that it was bad info, and wished to get the url of that site! I suspect a well meaning “auxilliary” person said this.
Get a copy of United States Coast Guard Navigation Rules International - Inland
Rule 18 pertains to your question of pecking order. Rule 10 deals with traffic separation schemes (shipping channels) Rule 8 deals with narrow channels, …and so on.
When in doubt, consult this text, as it is the “word”
If you really want to get well educated on this, as well as navigation, I strongly suggest a Masters license prep course. You won’t have the sea time etc., to test, but you can pay for and attend these prep courses. You will come out informed, and will have a very different view of things. Your instructor is wrong…sorry.
Consult the Rules, then post!
THAT EXPLAINS IT, JACK!
When we were in the Matecumbe Channel, you made a jesting remark about why those boats went zooming by in that sometimes tather shallow channel…
Well, the clueless ones, at least. You said “I guess that’s how they keep the channel open”…
But jet skis? With jet, and not prop, propulsion…?
And you gotta admit that those smaller cabin cruisers and eben the runabouts and flats boats that flashed by us on the flats threw up some dandy breaking waves -one of them hosed Sally as she was getting in, wave wash came in over her coaming…
But you’re right -most wakes aren’t that much of a problem, and most skis and boats aren’t.
But I’ve gotten scared by a couple of big thunderboats too closely rounding the bulkhead wall on Virginia Key behind the Sequarium as they roared by the sign that says Manatee Zone after coming in from the Ocean on Bear Cut…
And I’ve been pretty nervous as I had to skirt a couple of marinas crowded with weekend pirates all backing down, pulling out, reversing away, and motoring out -they all look out at about eye level, looking for others of their own species. We can get lost “below the horizon”, so-to-speak, and that calls for extra vigilance.
I remember paddling Penneklamp, in a an unmotorized craft only zone well back into the channel, when these 2 lids, undoubtedly knowlegeble locals just to have gotten in there, come out towards us at a wake-full clip, buit whoi slowed, and then laughed and said they wer ‘uh, lost,’ whe I pointed out this eas a no-motor zone, and then took off pretty quick. I hope they didn’t run down the yakangler we left placidly fishing midchannel 300 yards or so behind us…
Most boaters and jet skiers are OK, a few are purposeful fools and dangerous, but most -like, indeed, many of us, are clueless.
May we ALL learn a little more, and tolerate a lot more, as we
PADDLE ON!
-Frank in Miami
Sorry Salty but I don’t see anything …
in that document that pertains to kayaks. None of the “vessels” mentioned would describe a kayak. And I read all the sections you cite. So, a little help here please.
Exactly my point!!!
Kayaks have no special treatment, yet kayakers place themselves in the sailboat category all the time. A kayak is simply another vessel, be it human powered or otherwise. Some inland lakes may annex the rules and make a further distinction for paddle craft, but the Colregs do not. So, when paddling in waters governed by International, or Inland Rules kayakers cannot assume right of way just because they are “slower”!!!
Rule 18 says:
“Except where Rules 9, 10, and 13 otherwise require:
(a) A power-driven vessel underway shall keep out of the way of:
1. a vessel not under command;
2. a vessel restricted in her ability to maneuver;
3. a vessel engaged in fishing;
4. a sailing vessel.
(b) A sailing vessel underway shall keep out of the way of:
1. a vessel not under command;
2. a vessel restricted in her ability to maneuver;
3. a vessel engaged in fishing.
© A vessel engaged in fishing when underway shall, so far as possible, keep out of the way of:
1. a vessel not under command;
2. a vessel restricted in her ability to maneuver.
(d)
1. Any vessel other than a vessel not under command or a vessel restricted in her ability to maneuver shall, if the circumstances of the case admit, avoid impeding the safe passage of a vessel constrained by her draft, exhibiting the signals in Rule 28.
2. A vessel constrained by her draft shall navigate with particular caution having full regard to her special condition. [Intl]
(e/d) A seaplane on the water shall, in general, keep well clear of all vessels and avoid impeding their navigation. In circumstances, however, where risk of collision exists, she shall comply with the Rules of this Part.
(f)
(i) A WIG craft shall, when taking off, landing and in flight near the surface, keep well clear of all other vessels and avoid impeding their navigation;
(ii) a WIG craft operating on the water surface shall comply with the Rules of this Part as a power-driven vessel. [Intl]
If you haven’t read Burch’s book on kayak navigation, you should. He gives a pretty good synopsis of “The Rules” in it.”
If you don’t have a sail up, you are not a vessel under sail. If you are not actively fishing, you are not fishing. At that point you need to behave like every other vessel. We are NOT special.
If you haven’t read Burch’s “Kayak Naavigation”, it’s a good book to get. He has a very good synopsis of “The Rules”.