5
. The General Prudential Rule
7. Whistle Signal
The general prudential rule regarding right-of-way is that Out on the water, whistle signals are commonly used.
if a collision appears unavoidable, neither boat has right- Although using a whistle signal is not necessary every
of-way. As prescribed in the “Rules of the Road”, both time a boat is nearby, operators must signal their inten-
boats must act to avoid collision.
tions when necessary to avoid potentially confusing or
hazardous situations. Use whistle blasts early enough
to be noticed and understood by other boaters.
6. Night Running
Boats operating between sunset and sunrise (hours vary It is customary for the privileged boat to signal first and
by state), or in conditions of reduced visibility, must use the yielding boat to return the same signal to acknowl-
navigational lights. Nighttime operation, especially dur- edge she understands and will comply. Use the dan-
ing bad weather or fog, can be dangerous. All “Rules ger signal (five or more short and rapid blasts) if intent
of the Road” apply at night, but it is best to slow down is not clear. Ashort blast is one or two seconds long. A
and stay clear of all boats regardless of who has right- long blast is 4 to 6 seconds long. The Navigational
of-way.
Aids Chart at the end of this section lists the meanings
of the various whistle signals.
To see more easily at night, avoid bright lights when
possible. Also, it is helpful to have a passenger keep
watch for other boats, water hazards, and navigational J - 9 NAVIGATIONAL AIDS
aids.
Aids to navigation (ATONS) help you to travel safely on
To determine the size, speed and direction of other the water. They help you get from one place to another
vessels at night, you should use running lights. Agreen and are most helpful if you have a nautical chart. A
light indicates the starboard side, and the red light indi- navigational aids chart is at the end of this section.
cates the port side. Generally, if you see a green light,
you have the right-of-way; if you see a red light, give
way to the other vessel. See Figure J11.
NEVER tie your vessel to anATON. It is illegal
because it blocks the ATON from view of other
boaters. Decreased visibility can contribute to
a serious accident which may result in prop-
erty damage, personal injury, or death.
There are two ATON systems. The system used on
federal waters is known as the International Associa-
tion of LighthouseAuthorities System B (IALA-B). The
Coast Guard maintains this system. The second sys-
tem is the Uniform State Waterway Marking System
(USWMS). This system is maintained by state authori-
ties.
A. International Association of Lighthouse
Authorities System B (IALA-B)
IALA-B uses four types of ATONS. This section dis-
Figure J11: Night Running
cusses the two most common markers: lateral mark-
ers and safe water markers. Other federal markers
include special markers and isolated danger markers.
The Navigational Aids Chart at the end of this section
shows these aids.
Owner’s Manual
05/00
Section J
Page 9
| Categories | Four Winns Horizon Manuals, Four Winns Manuals, Four Winns Sundowner Manuals, Outboard Marine Corporation Manuals |
|---|---|
| Tags | Four Winns Horizon 200, Four Winns Horizon 220, Four Winns Horizon 240, Four Winns Sundowner 205, Four Winns Sundowner 225, Four Winns Sundowner 245 |
| Model Year | 2000 |
| Download File |
|
| Document Type | Owner's Manual |
| Language | English |
| Product Brand | Boats and Cruisers, Four Winns. For support contact your dealer at http://www.fourwinns.com/locate-dealer.aspx |
| Document File Type | |
| Publisher | fourwinns.com |
| Wikipedia's Page | Outboard Marine Corporation |
| Copyright | Attribution Non-commercial |
(0 votes, average: 0 out of 5)