Sailing right of way rules, colregs & IRPCS explained

[@philswatersports]

Do you find it confusing that the racing rules are different to the colregs?

[@darthkek1953]

No, racing rules can be different because they're designed to manage a race. Colregs are or should be designed to be easy and understandable to all sailors and other water traffic, designed for simplicity and safety, not speed. Racing rules can be different because they are specialist conditions in different circumstances, the rules are there to for speed and safety, not simplicity. It's the same for on-track motosports, there are different rules for different classes, events, and tracks, for overtaking, etc., which are different to road rules. That said one difference is you do not get onto motosports race track from the road (except in comedy films) whereas you can sail through racing lines on a standard pleasure vessel.

[@Poundforce]

Your examples and explanations are the clearest around! Thank you for another great video!

[@philswatersports]

Thank you so much! Glad you've found it helpful. There are more videos on my channel to support your sailing skills 🙂

[@ninaclarke3634]

Great explanation. I'm a hobby sailor and familiar with colregs but I sail in the Solent and summer weekends are great fun attempting to dodge any number of races with all size of boats, from many clubs. Add in the restricted area and the regular ferries and even though I'm not racing and try to stay out the way it's not always possible. Although racing rules don't apply to me it is useful to understand the differences when you end up in the middle of the race unintentionally.😮

[@philswatersports]

Thanks. I used to sail around there too, yes it can get really busy! I think sometimes people push the boundaries of the rules because they're trying to get a good time in. Also, people racing with each other will give each other a lot less room than 2 people sailing leisurely, for example, so leisure sailors might find racing boats getting uncomfortably close. It doesn't change what the rules are though!

[@Palundrium]

After seeing the port and starboard sticker, the red and green lights on boats now make a lot more sense as to why they’re on which side. 🤣 Something I’ve wondered for quite some time now, despite being familiar with right-of-way!

[@philswatersports]

Great! Yes, green is for starboard and red for port. Navigation lights are situated accordingly, split into 3 segments, so you can see which way a boat is going. From the front you'll see red and green, from the side you see one colour so you know which side you're looking at, and from behind it should be a white light. Well, more or less anyway, the segments should be 120 degrees each around the boat. Think of a mercedes badge in terms of the 3 segments 👍

[@martineyer5336]

Simple and nice little refresher just for the start of the sailing season.

[@philswatersports]

Thanks, glad it's helped!

[@madmaveric]

I always remember "port and starboard" as they map to "left and right" as I would naturally say them. This only works for people that, when asked what directions can you turn at a T junction, would naturally answer "left and right" rather than "right and left". Hope that makes sense. Another trick is to look at your hands in order that you say them (as we read left to right in English), then port is the first hand (the left one) and starboard is the next hand (the right one). There is also the standard "no port left in the bottle" as another memory trick to learning them. (I found it easier to to map the speech order than remember the phrase though but every one learns differently). Nice video. 👍

[@philswatersports]

Yes that's true, everyone always talks about port and starboard, not about starboard and port! Even the port/starboard rule is often called it in that order. Glad you enjoyed the vid

[@DannyboyUpstate]

I always remember Port has 4 letters, so does left.

[@elwhagen]

Very clear an concise explanations. I'm not a sailer, so I'll just give way to you, unless my fishing gear is out of course (an it's almost always is)! 🙂

[@philswatersports]

Thanks for your feedback! 🙂 Yes, colreg 18 describes the responsibilities between vessels.... As you describe, a sailing vessel underway shall keep out of the way of a vessel engaged in fishing. Although I wonder how many people display the cones or correct lights?

[@jonitrost8124]

We also like to fish and sail. We always try to respect fishing and everyone is out to have fun. You may want to check the colregs carefully. Fishing is defined as commercial fishing. Just tossing out a line is not necessarily going to give right of way. I have always heard the rules are shields not weapons. Rules are meant to save us from injury. One rule not mentioned is to treat others the same way you would like to be.

[@philswatersports]

I agree Also, if someone has just tossed a line out, this could be pretty hard to spot anyway from another boat. People need to learn all the scenarios, which is way beyond what I have been able to cover in this video

[@stevec-b6214]

Crystal clear as usual! - Are lasers designed to slide over the top of each other when they crash?

[@philswatersports]

Thanks! I believe that when the laser was first being designed to be a mass-market boat, one of the considerations was that it should be easily transportable, so the deck is pretty flat to be able to sit upside down on a roof rack. I'm not entirely sure whether that's 100% true though. I guess it was helpful in this example where one boat can slide over the other, but it doesn't always happen like that!

[@philswatersports]

Ah, yes, and there were such a range of colours when they first came out too!

[@timseytiger9280]

What if you are downwind, but sailing by the lee? Is it the wind or the sail that counts? Sorry answered nicely in the video, good work.

[@philswatersports]

Thanks, it's a common question, glad it was cleared up. The wind direction doesn't set the rules, just the windward and leeward sides, based on where the mainsail is actually set. There's no arguement that way! Happy sailing 🙂👍

[@amorestperpe]

That dude was like I'm on port tack and going to sail into everyone on starboard with a smile on my face.

[@philswatersports]

Haha yeah, fair play to him for letting me use the footage

[@eutha6]

Laser's bumping into each other is how you control your speed in a race :D

[@philswatersports]

🤣 There's always plenty of lasers to have a crash with 😂

[@mitchahbw]

14:50 - Did you get a chance to include some information about cameras and mounting positions?

[@philswatersports]

Hi, Yes I've put a few ideas on my website, hope it helps: www.philswatersports.com/filming

[@taylorjs2534]

On the same tack, a leeward boat comes up on a windward boat at the start line (overlap). Slowing down and tacking away are options for the windward boat. If they choose the first (luffing main or pointing too high for a few moments), they might still impede the leeward boat, but they avoid tacking on the line. Has the windward boat broken a racing rule? Also, if, next time, the windward boat sees this scenario developing, can they bear off briefly into the path of the clear astern boat to prevent them from overlapping?

[@philswatersports]

Hi, A rule is broken if the right of way boat has to take action to avoid a collision with a give way boat, whether or not a collision occurs. In your example, if the leeward boat had to change their course or take action to avoid a collision with the windward boat, or if there actually was a collision, then the windward boat would most likely have broken rule 11 (windward boat keeps clear). I say ‘most likely’ because it depends on the situation and there are a few other possibilities. If the windward boat had plenty of time to react, then they have failed to keep clear. A boat is deemed to be tacking after she has passed through head to wind, so, on the start line, the leeward boat would normally be able to luff to head to wind, and the windward boat would probably need to do the same to keep clear, and so on along the start line. If your windward boat only makes a small change of course momentarily, most likely they haven’t done enough, but it really depends how much room there is between the boats and whether the leeward boat is able to sail where it wants to go. If the leeward boat had come from behind at speed, it does not become the right of way boat until an overlap is established. At this point and not before, the windward boat must start reacting, but if the leeward boat has come in so fast or so close that the windward boat cannot avoid a collision, the leeward boat may have broken rule 14 and 15 (14: Avoid contact if reasonably possible, and 15: When a boat acquires right of way, she shall initially give the other boat room to keep clear). Also there is a limitation on luffing up if you come from behind, although this only applies from the start signal of the race. (Rule 17: If a boat clear astern becomes overlapped within two of her hull lengths to leeward of a boat on the same tack, she shall not sail above her proper course while they remain on the same tack and overlapped within that distance, unless in doing so she promptly sails astern of the other boat.) There is no proper course before the start, as described in the definition of ‘proper course’. If a boat establishes a leeward overlap from behind and within 2 hull lengths to leeward, she would then be able to start luffing the windward boat up before the start signal. However, at the start signal the leeward boat would have a ‘proper course’ and would therefore be required to bear away onto a close haul, assuming that it’s an upwind leg to start with. For your second question, yes you can try to prevent the astern boat from becoming overlapped in the first place. Bearing off might make the overlap happen sooner though because you’d be turning the side of your boat towards them. You’d probably be better just trying to manoeuvre to keep your transom facing them so that they can’t get alongside you. If there’s a small overlap, the windward boat might be able to break it by luffing up to point her transom at the other boat. Luffing up would also push your back end further downwind, and if the other boat has to sail behind it and to leeward of you, this would help to create more space between the two boats if an overlap is established. Sorry this is quite long, but I’m just trying to explain the different possible scenarios. Hope this helps! Phil

[@oldshipmatesadventures]

thx, that was helpful! did some screenshots and will create a A4 laminated go-to paper, which I will place in the cockpit. ;-)

[@philswatersports]

That's a good idea, to have a quick prompt. Glad you found it useful 🙂

[@timwisner8449]

In your racing rules overtaking chapter - colreg overtaking chapter, you illustrate when racing the boat that is catching up going to the windward of the slower one. Thus, once overlapped, it is the give way boat since it is windward of the slower boat. If it had instead gone to the leeward side of the slower boat, once overlapped it would then be the stand on boat since its now on the leeward side of the slower boat. Am I correct in my understanding?

[@philswatersports]

Yes, you're right - if a racing boat had come from behind, when it establishes an overlap to leeward of the other boat, it would become the right of way/stand on boat. However, in the racing rules there are also some limitations which make this scenario a little more complicated. If a boat gains the right of way from behind as you describe, she is not allowed to sail above her proper course (rule 17) - the proper course is the course that she would sail in the absence of other boats. Occasionally when racing, a leeward boat may wish to turn upwind as far as head to wind to defend her position against a following boat, to prevent them overtaking - this limitation is to prevent someone coming from behind from being able to 'attack' in such an agressive manner. In the video I'd intentionally avoided making it too complicated!

[@timwisner8449]

@@philswatersports Much appreciated!

[@Name-ot3xw]

LMAO at those guys in the intro. I sail in close proximity to float planes, it's an exercise in trust when one decides to takeoff over me.

[@philswatersports]

Wow, that'll add some extra excitement!!

[@husse]

A simple way of remembering some of this, if seating or standing on a sailboat/board facing the middle of it, righ hand closest to the Bow has the right of way.

[@philswatersports]

Yes, if you're on opposite tacks, as long as you still realise you might be give way boat from the windward/leeward boat rule :)

[@husse]

@@philswatersports yes right, sorry, in was seeing it from a windsurfers perspective hahaha

[@megr7734]

I think 'Stand-on vessel' is not used for racing. It's right-of-way and has a totally different requirement compared to Stand-on as defined in the ColRegs.

[@philswatersports]

Hi, yes, this is explained at 3:18 We need to be aware of both rule sets incase one of the boats is not racing

[@adamatch9624]

0:27 that bloody man is crazy he just killed somone and is smiling

[@philswatersports]

🤣🤣😂😂 Best comment yet 👍

[@PennWolfsSailingAdventures]

Pretty simple to understand the rules of the water, if your on a race course with other racers you are able to do much more without consequences than if your just skippering your pleasure boat. Sailing the same as in close racing in general in the US can get you removed from the water for unsafe vessel operation, and often unsafe operation around anchored vessels and vessels engaged in fishing.

[@philswatersports]

Not sure I agree, if someone's broken a rule they're still liable for the aftermath. People get prosecuted for it, upto and including manslaughter. Maybe it's different in the US, that's how it works in the UK at least

[@PennWolfsSailingAdventures]

@@philswatersports I'm not sure about the UK myself. Here in the US they had to actually put into law to enforce what use to be common courtesy. Thing's like being responsible for your wake, not operating at speed close to anchored vessels and fishing vessels, keeping at least a boats length apart if possible when overtaking. Those sorts of things. Florida itself has just put into law on its waterways a mandatory 50' rule, basically pleasure vessels must stay at least 50' apart when operating on the waters if the situation allows, then they must slow and operate with caution. If they keep enforcing that rule it will be nice for when your running in the channel and hopefully the larger pleasure boats will stop passing at full wake speed. In close course racing though boats can still run board and board passing the Grey Pupon mustard, if you haven't seen it before it's a old commercial.

[@philswatersports]

Yeah that all makes sense. In the UK there might be local byelaws with rules that are specific to certain areas. And speed limits etc in harbours and rivers

[@darthkek1953]

@@PennWolfsSailingAdventures Florida needed regulation thanks to all the "credit card captains" who get drunk or entitled and go all "nutty banana", see the many "Boater Fails of the Week" or "Haulover Inlet" videos, sweet mother of Mary...

[@PennWolfsSailingAdventures]

@darthkek1953 they already have regs in place,they just don't enforce them

[@Edmarkel]

Hey Phil, could we get a bunch of those stickers on the Fusions at Scaling? I know I and an other noobs would benefit greatly from that.

[@philswatersports]

Hi, yes I'm going to do all the club boats 👍🙂

[@cadenorris4009]

Why are the collision and give way rules different, sometimes opposite, during races? Seems needlessly confusing and dangerous.

[@philswatersports]

Yes it is confusing! That's why I've tried to explain the differences, but it would be simpler if the rules were always the same. Especially when racing boats come close to non-racing boats, and they might not know what the other boat is planning on doing

[@lewisgordon8465]

I think all you need to remember is "there is no PORT LEFT in the bottle

[@philswatersports]

Yes, great thinking! That is often the case in my house 🤣

[@Edmarkel]

Haha thanks. I’ll be using that one

[@zooknut]

It’s actually there is no Red Port Left… Or another way to remember it is Right + Starboard + green are over 5 letters and over. Left, Port, red are under 4 letters and under. All these sayings give the side of the boat, and colour of the nav lights.

[@philswatersports]

Yes It's handy to get the colours in there too... And with red for port tack and green for starboard it also helps a bit like traffic lights with the rights of way for the port/starboard tack rule 👍⛵

[@dougaltolan3017]

​@@zooknutfun fact: normally hot and cold taps, are laid out similarly.. Hot, left, red, port. Cold, right, green starboard.

[@user-friendlyhuman]

PORT = RED like port wine + LEFT (both port and left have 4 letters) STARBOARD = green and right just because RED and Left belong to PORT. That's how I remember 😊

[@philswatersports]

Good way to remember! Have you heard, 'there's no red port left in the bottle'? It doesn't help for the green and starboard though 😂

[@skippywinters]

Thank you so much

[@philswatersports]

Glad it helped!

[@matt92099]

at 1:17 anyone know what that is that they are sailing like make model type thing lol

[@philswatersports]

Hi, yeah it's a Hartley 15, made by Hartley boats in Derby, UK. It's a general purpose style plastic dinghy

[@PennWolfsSailingAdventures]

Easy way to remember port from starboard, at least in the US. Port has 4 letters, so does left.

[@philswatersports]

True! I'm not sure how it works in other languages 🤣

[@PennWolfsSailingAdventures]

@@philswatersports Believe it or not I only recently was told this about 10 years ago, so 32 years trying to remember my port from starboard the hard way,lol.

[@philswatersports]

Lol 🤣 There are a few ways to remember, a common one that's already been said, is that there's no red port left in the bottle. Also associating red nav lights with port being on the left

[@jeffreyerwin3665]

Why is starboard the right side of the boat? Why does starboard tack have the right-of-way?

[@philswatersports]

The 'starboard' side is derived from old longboats that had a steering oar or steering board on the right hand side of the boat, or the 'stoerbord' in old English. Because this was mounted on the starboard side, they would put the other side of the boat against the port, hence the 'port side'. In terms of why the rules give the starboard tack boat the right of way over port tack, I don't know why it's that way round to be honest. Maybe there's a reason or maybe it was just 50:50. Or maybe, if the steering board was on the starboard side, and two boats are sailing upwind, the the helm of the port tack boat would be on the starboard side and have a better view of the starboard tack boat - the other helm would have their view more obscured by the sails. Dunno tbh! Any thoughts from anyone who knows would be great!

[@jeffreyerwin3665]

@@philswatersports TY for answering! Actually, it was a retorical question that you are partly correct on. One thing that needs to be added is that the "stoerbord" would have been located on the right side of the vessel because most people are right handed. My opinion on the starboard tack right-of way rule is that, on starboard tack the vessel is healed to port, that that causes the stoerboard on the right side to be raised which makes for less effective steering. On port tack, the steorboard would become deeper in the water and would be more effective. Since right-of-way rules have generally been based on relative manouverability, I think that this idea makes sense. Capt. (ret.) Jeff

[@philswatersports]

Yes, good thinking. I was thinking about manoeuvrability and I guess I didn't really think about the board being raised and lowered. You're probably right 👍

[@FrankJohnson-d5v]

PORT has 4 letters, LEFT has __ ______?

[@philswatersports]

Yep that's an easy way to remember it 🙂

[@WILSON.1]

All you really have to know is if there is an angry skipper flailing his arms and yelling in your direction, make sure to give way.

[@philswatersports]

Lol! I've seen many skippers flapping their arms around for no obvious reasons 😂😂

[@wilfredprins9718]

the problem with wafi's is they still think sailing rules when they dealing with a 200mtr steel motorvessel...

[@philswatersports]

Everyone should know ALL the rules of sail meets power, vessels restricted in their manoeuvrability etc. I think sometimes people just think that sailboats have priority which isn't the case a lot of the time

[@wilfredprins9718]

@@philswatersports they for sure think that way, I have seen it in the deep water channel approaching Harwich years ago. A sailing boat, with a very posh accent on the vhf, was thinking it had preference over a container vessel of 300+meters. real-life wafi's

[@philswatersports]

It's worrying, and there's no excuse really when it's so easy to access the resources and information about these things

[@wilfredprins9718]

@@philswatersports common sense should be used, if you think a 300mtr container vessel can stop in a few meters to let you cross in your sailing boat than I'm sure you have a lack of common sense

[@flyingthesails6801]

Racing rules vs Colregs = very stressful.

[@philswatersports]

Especially if you don't know if the other boat is racing or not, I which case you should default to the colregs 🤦

[@SteveJones-gz4vd]

You need to understand the term WAFI , there are many many WAFIS on the sea

[@philswatersports]

I agree, and the people you're referring to are probably not on here trying to further their knowledge..... What's the equivalent for powerboating?

[@adamsyclone7409]

Might is right don’t care if u have a tiny sale up if u would be killed in a collision then move the F out of the way

[@philswatersports]

Rule 18 describes the pecking order. The rules here are only for *sail* meets sail. Obviously the other rules apply in addition. Doesn't matter how big you are, a vessel not under command isn't going to move 🤣

[@captain-Dan]

This is fine for dinghies and racing. Do not watch this and sail into a VTS. You're going to get quite the suprise otherwise.

[@philswatersports]

Yes we'd really hope anyone navigating at sea would actually take some form of skippers course to learn everything properly! It amazes me how many don't understand these basics

[@jamesholmes6808]

It does NOT give sailing yachts the right to aim at a motoring yachts stern as is common in the Solent. These weekend sailors should be banned or at the very least, sunk.

[@philswatersports]

Sounds like you've got some stories?

[@JesperMilling]

There is no "right of way".

[@philswatersports]

Not in the colregs, but the racing rules of sailing describe a boat as the give way or right of way boat. A stand on vessel or right of way boat can still be found to have broken a rule

[@thetabest]

Its not bumper boats...😂

[@philswatersports]

🤣🤣 You'd think but it really seems to go that way sometimes for some people 😂

[@tibbsazoid]

This feels over complicated.

[@philswatersports]

This is for when sailing boats meet other sailing boats. There are loads more rules about other types of vessels coming together. Hope it doesn't put you off going on the water but it's important to understand the rules 👍🙂

[@leecudmore-ray6697]

Biggest boat wins.......... its as simple as that.

[@philswatersports]

🤣 let us know when you're arguing that in court so we can all watch

[@scottingram580]

Big plastic boat crashes into a little tugboat, your the loser

[@philswatersports]

Yep, worrying that these people are on the water and have no idea what they're doing

[@philswatersports]

Yes, I agree, people hiring a boat for a party may not have much sense around the water either, I've come across a fair amount of this before too. Good skippers are always having to take into account that other people may not know the rules or even how to handle their boats properly.

[@PennWolfsSailingAdventures]

Not always, a few factors go into play. Size,draft, maneuverability And sail,power, or manual propulsion

[@ines-mp3xxx197]

In Deutschland gibt es den Spruch: Segel links, vorfahrt bringst (Sail left, right of way brings)

[@philswatersports]

It's interesting to hear what people use around the world to remember. Thanks for commenting 🙂

[@velonico]

Stickers are a great idea! Seems childish... but hey... cant hurt to have simple reminders!

[@philswatersports]

Thanks, yeah they can be useful to help people who are first learning, one less thing to think about when you're still trying to control the boat. And also they can be useful if you suddenly have a mental block in a busy situation!