Winner! A rampant problem with the Chesapeake charter boats captains - they interpret the COLREGs to infer that them fishing gives them a RoW. Trolling ain’t trawling.
Collision today
- Thread starter DAVA390
- Start date
To be fair the article used the same "engaged in fishing" wording as the actual rule. It's just the definition of "engaged in fishing" that's often misunderstood.
A rampant problem with charter boats every where. If they were at trolling speeds, ~3 knots they would have T-boned the sailboat not ridden on top of the captain.
One of 2 scenarios, the charter was done and the skipper (doesn't deserve the title of Captain) was hustling back to the dock to pick up his next victims or it was the end of the day and he was hoping to get back to his honey before she sailed off with a competent skipper on a sailboat.
I assumed this was a video of some of the really good speed docking guys. I was going to reply that the Skipper in the collision didn't have those skills. Then I watched the video...
As Captain Ron says, “if it’s going to happen, it’s gonna happen out there”. As far as commercial fishing goes, there is a huge difference between commercial and sport fishing. A charter fishing boat is not “commercial “ fishing, it is sport or recreational fishing.
Sportfishing is not considered fishing under the rules.
That J/105 looks pretty evenly balanced with all that weight on it, doesn't not. That fishing boat must weigh 7,000 pounds (not all the weight is on the J/105, but still...
The wind would have been pretty much abeam of the boat. I think the picture is looking eastward.
The wind would have been pretty much abeam of the boat. I think the picture is looking eastward.
I tried to explain this to a recreational fisherman (who sped up to cut in front of me when he was trolling instead of going behind me) once and I will never try it again. Dude made a box of rocks look like Einstein-he had no clue about COLREGS, just that "sailboats have the right of way, except for fishermen" wow! I just try to stay as far away from them as possible now.
Yes, I know. The question was "Can you find the erroneous statement in this story?" My answer was a quote from the article.
Not to be argumentative, but I read the COREGS. If a boat is towing six long lines while trolling, what's the distinction with "limited maneuverability" of a trawler with a long or multiple long lines?
My understanding is, as most people have written above, that "sport fishing" isn't "Engaged in Fishing". However, for purposes of exploring the "authority" under the Regs, where is it clearly defined that multiple long lines didn't restrict navigation?
Of course, there are day shapes which the sailing vessel wasn't displaying; and, that fishing boat wasn't displaying the shapes anyway....
HOW MANY OF US DISPLAY SAILING DAY SHAPES? OR MOTORING DAY SHAPES?
From Rule 3 of the COREGS:
d. The term “vessel engaged in fishing” means any vessel fishing with nets, lines, trawls or other fishing apparatus which restrict manoeuvrability, but does not include a vessel fishing with trolling lines or other fishing apparatus which do not restrict manoeuvrability.
The interpretation below isn't the "REG" - I'm not sure where it's codified?
Meaning: Fishing vessels means vessels actually fishing and which due to their equipment in the water are unable to move away and keep clear of other vessels. If the fishing vessel is not fishing or is using equipment, which does not restrict their taking evasive, action for safety then they are not termed as fishing vessels. The equipment as specified under the Rules is nets, lines (long line tuna fishing), trawls or other equipment, which are similar.
My understanding is, as most people have written above, that "sport fishing" isn't "Engaged in Fishing". However, for purposes of exploring the "authority" under the Regs, where is it clearly defined that multiple long lines didn't restrict navigation?
Of course, there are day shapes which the sailing vessel wasn't displaying; and, that fishing boat wasn't displaying the shapes anyway....
HOW MANY OF US DISPLAY SAILING DAY SHAPES? OR MOTORING DAY SHAPES?
From Rule 3 of the COREGS:
d. The term “vessel engaged in fishing” means any vessel fishing with nets, lines, trawls or other fishing apparatus which restrict manoeuvrability, but does not include a vessel fishing with trolling lines or other fishing apparatus which do not restrict manoeuvrability.
The interpretation below isn't the "REG" - I'm not sure where it's codified?
Meaning: Fishing vessels means vessels actually fishing and which due to their equipment in the water are unable to move away and keep clear of other vessels. If the fishing vessel is not fishing or is using equipment, which does not restrict their taking evasive, action for safety then they are not termed as fishing vessels. The equipment as specified under the Rules is nets, lines (long line tuna fishing), trawls or other equipment, which are similar.
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If it wasn't motoring, no day shape required.
But it's really silly, if the fishing boat was trolling, they wouldn't have climbed up onto the sailboat like that.
To be purely academic though, the article wasn't wrong about that. A vessel engaged in fishing is stand-on. It's just that recreational and charter fishermen aren't engaged in fishing.
Context matters. And I might add that no one has claimed, as far as I am aware, that the power boat was "engaged in fishing." Just because you are on a fishing boat doesn't mean you are "engaged in fishing" from dock to dock.
Anyone trolling who intentionally goes close in front of any other vessel is way too much of an idiot to grasp the ColRegs. As Murphy has continually shown us, it would be at that moment of crossing that the fisherman would hook up a world record fish, potentially worth between $20,000.00 and $50,000.00. And the fish would promptly cut itself off on that convenient boat astern. Hello..........................
Trawling is towing a very large, possibly larger than the boat, net, from the sides or stern of the vessel. Long lines are multi-hook lines that can extend 5 miles or more behind the fishing vessel. We aren't talking about a few mono-lines on rods which do not hamper the vessel's ability to maneuver even slightly.