Cruising Sailors Forum Archive

From Director Vessel Traffic Service Puget Sound, U. S. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound...

Now granted, this is in regard to sailing vessels and Ferries... but it may offer some insight....
http://ptyc.net/wp-content/uploads/Do-Sailing-Vessels-Always-Have-the-Right-of-Way-Over-Ferries-.pdf

Myself, I work to stay clear of anything bigger and faster than me... which is just about anything on the water. About the only thing I don't give way to is another sailor on port tack. I don't trust powerboat operators due to a number of observed incidents, so I work to stay clear of them regardless of my "stand on" status...

But looking at the situation posed in the video, to me it seems that the motor launch was the stand on vessel... and the ferry should be the give way vessel... Thus the ferry collided with the power boat... of course it can clearly be argued that the power boat failed to keep watch... According to the pdf, there are few restricted channels in the sound, and they are not on this particular ferry run.

Anyway, just wondering what you "old salts" had to say about this.

Messages In This Thread