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Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board
Correction Jerry
Posted By: M. Hamilton In Response To: No, and No (Jerry)
Date: Monday, 11 December 2000, at 8:31 a.m.
Jerry, While I appreciate your effort I think you need to re-visit what is International vs Inland waters. Three miles out typically? NO! In Alaska blurred destinction? NO! This is incorrect. Unless you see a line of demarcation on the chart you are in international waters. Rivers, lakes, bays, to the land side of demarcation lines are Inland. Great Lakes is an example, western rivers, lakes in general. It is absolutely not correct to state that in most areas of the world this line is three miles out. MANY people consider Puget Sound to be Inland rules. It is NOT!! For the kayaker the distinction is mute, as you correctly stated the differences are not great enough and really do not apply to kayakers. (whistle signals - tug lighting etc.) International rules do not allow for a strobe light, but as I said in my above post, in an emergency use it! This is a technicality and you should use whatever you have to attract attention in an emergency. Inland rules allow for a strobe 50-70 high intensity white all round flashes per minute. Hovercraft display a yellow flashing light by the way. As for kayak lighting. As I said above a kayak is a paddle craft and as such is ONLY required to have an all round white light or lantern kept at hand to be deployed to prevent collision.(rule 25) You can display side lights and a sternlight if you wish, but this is not required, and is not practical. The other point that I'd like to make is that there is great confusion regarding rules on the water even among avid boaters. The Coast Guard does not inforce all the rules to the letter. For example in International rules all sailboats (under 12 meters are exempt in Inland rules) must display an inverted conical shape in the forward part of the vessel when under power with sails up. This is to tell others that the vessel is in fact now a POWER vessel. Very few sailors adhere to this, and in the Pacific Northwest it isn't inforced.
Kayakers are often confused about right of way. As a paddle craft we are considered just another vessel, and have no special rights over any other vessel!!!!!! The pecking order is as follows: (Rule 18)1. Vessels not under command, 2. vessels restricted in ability to maneuver, 3. vessels engaged in fishing, 4. sailing vessels (sails up-no engine power, otherwise not a sailing vessel at that time!), 5. power vessels. There are clarifications to these rules and exceptions in narrow channels etc., but my point is that many kayakers, like sail boaters believe for some reason that they have right of way over others, and this is dangerous.I'm always happy to answer rules questions, and if I don't know the answer directly I'll find it. Last summer I had a Coast Guard ship captain on my water taxi as a customer. She laughed when she saw my cheat sheet for nav rules, and said she had the exact same one on the bridge of her ship! There is a lot to know and no one "who has a life" can remember all of it!
Capt. M. Hamilton
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