1. You are not allowed to give way until it has become apparent that the give way vessel is not taking appropriate action. For ship-on ship encounters in open water, this is probably when they are about 2-3 miles apart. For ship-yacht encounters it is probably rather less. Rule 17 (the one that requires the stand-on vessel to stand on) is just as binding as any other rule.
2. You should not normally attempt to contact another vessel by radio to resolve potential collision risks.
3. Two points for keep to the right hand side of the centreline, nothing for any of the others. The rules say “ as close to the starboard side “as is safe and practical”. It is difficult to think of many situations in which this will not be to the starboard side of the centreline. But it is seldom safe or practical to hug the extreme edge of the channel, -- not least because this gives you no opportunity to alter course to starboard if you need to avoid a potential collision.
4. All of them. But no points for an incomplete answer (i.e for excluding the motor cruiser.) A sailing vessel is required to avoid impeding any power driven vessel which is following a traffic separation scheme – there are no length limits
5. It must show the normal lights for a power driven vessel -- red to port, green to starboard, white astern, and a white masthead light. The stern and masthead lights can be combined into an all-round white, and the sidelights can be combined into one bicolour unit, but they are still compulsory: an all-round white is not enough for a vessel capable of more than seven knots, even if she is not actually doing seven knots.
6. Knowing Left from Right
When the two ships were about five miles apart, one of them – let’s call it ship A – tried to call the other by VHF, The watchkeeper on ship B wasn’t sure whether the call was for her, so she responded. So did someone else – let’s call them Ship X.
Ship A and X agreed – as they thought – to pass “green to green” i.e. to both alter course to port – but the watchkeeper on Ship B didn’t hear that. Nor did her Captain. By this time, the range between ships A and B was down to about 2 and a half miles, so the Captain of ship B altered course fifty degrees to starboard. At the same time, the Captain of Ship A altered course fifty degrees to port.
Ship X was not involved. In the collision.
Five points for knowing that this was a VHF assisted collision.
Back to quiz