Well for me, now that I see the diagram I would have done exactly what his diagram shows as what "racers" think he should have done! Not because it was race involved at all... It just looks like he'd keep some speed and avoid two boats he'll eventually have to deal with. The diagram helped me a lot. Why wait? would not have even considered getting to the "pink"zone. Thanks for the clarity of a diagram, I'm very visual
I agree. We would have made a heading chang earlier as well. If there was only one boat presenting a potential issue we might have continued on but seeing how there were two boats to deal with why not change heading sooner and avoid the conflict. We give power boaters in their 40 foot pens extender hell for not doing that very thing when crossing our path so it would be hypocritical of us to not do the same when we see an issue we could prevent with a simple heading change early on no matter which boat thinks they are the SOB.
I know the logic of being the SOB but I also like the logic some one shared many post back that you only have ROW if the other boat gives it to you.
I am sure others probably feel like us in that we are always the boat giving way to others, even other sailboats. At the end of the day does it really matter unless you have to be at some place at a given time. For us we aren't in that group and if we were I would chose another means of travel.
We sail to have fun and relax, so the further we stay away from others the more opportunity we have to do that. Amazing how three boats meeting on a lake can create so much turmoil not only on the water but in our little forum here.
I avoid sailboat races like I avoid airshow and fly ins. I fly for a living and try my best to avoid putting myself in situations that can cause me problems. I have had nothing but problems around air shows and fly ins so I just avoid them like the plague. I unintentionally flew a job on a Saturday a few weeks ago in which they were having a local fly in with airplane rides. I had no choice but to return in the middle of it. No notam was issued saying any differently so I "expected" everyone to be adhering to the FAR's and flying the approved traffic pattern. Of all the times you want to be doing it by the book this is one of them. Instead the group giving rides had made up their own traffic pattern and failed to notify the rest of the flying population. I wound up getting cut off not once but twice in the pattern by planes giving rides. Even though I was doing it all by the book their actions put me in the position that had I continued my pattern around to land I would have now been the plane causing the conflict. Amazing how quickly you can go from being in the right to being the villian. Again, I was only going to have the right away if the others involved gave it to me and it was obvious they had no intention of doing so. I was beyond furious but instead of coming uncorked I just put the plane in the hanger and went sailing, far away from other boats.
I guess my point is that as long as there is more than one boat on the water or more than one plane in the sky there will always be the possibility of conflict between them. My dad wore me out growing up telling me to "Look ahead, think ahead". It is a very simple principle but if followed could help prevent so many of the issues we run into in regards to others but not all of them. Sometimes it just happens mostly due to either a failure to communicate effectively or one or more parties thinking for the other party or parties involved. There will always be two lines of thought when it comes to conflict with each party thinking they are right, dam the rules.
So just see and avoid, look ahead and think ahead. Life is much simpler and less frustrating when you make a slight change to avoid conflict early on no matter who thinks they are "right".
Sam