Question 1

SUNBEAM is sailing slowly across a harbour entrance when a fast ferry appears around the headland, moving quickly and clearly on a course that will cross close to SUNBEAM. What should the crew do first?

Accepted Answer

Keep a close, continuous watch on the ferry's bearing (the direction it appears from) to judge whether it is getting closer in a way that suggests risk of collision, and be ready to take early action — large fast vessels can close distance far quicker than they appear to from a small boat A fast ferry can close distance on a small boat far more quickly than instinct suggests, and from a low sailing boat it can be hard to judge speed and distance accurately. Watching its bearing closely (whether it appears to be moving forward or backward relative to a fixed point on your own boat) is the standard way to judge risk of collision, taught from SRC level upwards.

Question 2

Strictly speaking, does a large ferry in a marked channel always have right of way over a small sailing boat?

Accepted Answer

Not automatically by size alone, but in practice large vessels in a narrow or marked channel often cannot manoeuvre quickly or safely, and many channels have specific local rules requiring small craft to keep clear of larger commercial traffic — a small boat should always act early to stay well clear regardless of the strict right of way rule Even where the general rules might technically favour a sailing vessel, real-world good seamanship and many local harbour byelaws expect small craft to actively keep out of the way of larger vessels with limited manoeuvring room, especially in busy or narrow channels. Relying on a technical right of way against a much larger, faster vessel is exactly the kind of thinking that leads to real collisions.

Question 3

The ferry's bearing is staying roughly the same as it gets closer — a sign of real collision risk. What should the skipper do?

Accepted Answer

Take early, clear, and substantial action — alter course significantly (not just a small nudge) to pass well clear, ideally turning to make the change obvious to the ferry's crew, and consider using the engine for extra speed and control if needed A bearing that stays roughly constant as a vessel approaches is the classic sign of a genuine risk of collision. The correct response, taught at every level, is early and obvious action — a small, late, or subtle course change can be missed entirely by the other vessel's crew, especially on a fast-moving ferry with less time to react.