Chapter 3: Operating Your Boat—Safely
Navigation Rules—Traffic Laws of the Waterways

Collisions can be prevented easily if every vessel operator fulfills three major responsibilities.

1. Practice good seamanship.
   It is the responsibility of every boat or PWC operator to take all necessary action to avoid a collision, taking into account the weather, vessel traffic, and limits of other vessels. Such action should be taken in ample time to avoid a collision and at a safe distance from other vessels.
2. Keep a proper lookout.
   Failing to keep a sharp lookout is the most common cause of collisions. Every operator must keep a proper lookout, using both sight and hearing, at all times. Watch and listen for other vessels, radio communications, navigational hazards, and others involved in water activities.
3. Maintain a safe speed.
   Safe speed is the speed that ensures you will have ample time to avoid a collision and can stop within an appropriate distance. Safe speed will vary depending on conditions such as wind, water conditions, navigational hazards, visibility, surrounding vessel traffic density, and the maneuverability of your boat or PWC. Always reduce speed and navigate with extreme caution at night and when visibility is restricted.

Navigation Rules: Definitions

For the purpose of the navigation rules, the following definitions apply.

• Vessel: Every kind of watercraft capable of being used as a means of transportation on water, including seaplanes
• Power-driven vessel: Any vessel propelled by machinery, including a sailboat using an engine
• Sailing vessel: Any vessel under sail and with no engine in use
• Vessel engaged in fishing: Any vessel fishing with nets, lines, trawls, or other fishing equipment that restricts maneuverability; however, this does not include a vessel fishing with trolling lines or other fishing equipment that does not restrict maneuverability
• Underway: Not anchored, tied to shore, or aground
• Vessels in sight of one another: One vessel can be observed visually from the other
• Restricted visibility: Any condition in which visibility is restricted by fog, mist, falling snow, heavy rainstorms, sandstorms, or any other similar cause
• Risk of collision: Any situation when an approaching vessel continues on a collision course (the bearing of the approaching vessel does not change), or when you are approaching a very large vessel

Encountering Other Vessels

There are rules that every operator must follow when encountering other vessels.

Two terms help explain these rules:

• Give-way vessel: The vessel that is required to take early and substantial action to keep well away from other vessels by stopping, slowing down, or changing course. Avoid crossing in front of other vessels. Any change of course and/or speed should be large enough to be readily apparent to another vessel. (A series of small changes should be avoided.)
• Stand-on vessel: The vessel that must maintain its course and speed unless it becomes apparent that the give-way vessel is not taking appropriate action. If you must take action, do not turn toward the give-way vessel or cross in front of it.

The action a vessel operator should take when encountering another vessel depends on the answers to two questions.

• How are the two vessels propelled?
  • Two power-driven vessels
  • Two sailing vessels
  • A power-driven vessel and a sailing vessel
• How are the two vessels approaching one another?
  • Meeting head-on: A vessel operator sees another vessel ahead or nearly ahead
  • Paths that cross: Two vessels are on crossing paths so as to involve risk of collision
  • Overtaking: A vessel is coming upon another vessel from behind or nearly behind the other vessel

The rules that follow cover most of the situations you will encounter as a recreational boater. However, be aware of these exceptions to the rules.

• If you approach a vessel that has less maneuverability than your vessel, the other vessel will usually be the stand-on vessel (see Encountering Vessels With Less Maneuverability).
• If you are operating in a narrow channel, there are special considerations (see Operating In Narrow Channels).

Remember—If operating a power-driven vessel, you must always give way to a sailing vessel unless the sailing vessel is overtaking your vessel.

Responsibilities Between Vessels

If operating a power-driven vessel, you must give way to:

• Any vessel not under command, such as an anchored or disabled vessel
• Any vessel restricted in its ability to maneuver, such as a vessel towing, laying cable, or picking up navigation markers, or a vessel constrained by its draft such as a large ship in a channel
• A vessel engaged in commercial fishing
• A sailing vessel unless it is overtaking

If operating a sailing vessel, you must give way to:

• Any vessel not under command
• Any vessel restricted in its ability to maneuver
• A vessel engaged in commercial fishing

Rendering Assistance—The navigation rules also require operators to stop and render assistance to a vessel in distress unless doing so would endanger their own vessel or passengers.

Operating in Narrow Channels

• A vessel in a narrow channel must keep as far to the edge of the channel on the vessel's starboard (right) side as is safe and practical.
• If you are operating a power-driven vessel heading upstream (against the direction of the current) on the Mississippi River system, all power-driven vessels coming toward you from the opposite direction have the right-of-way and you must give way.
• If operating a vessel less than 65.6 feet (20 meters) in length, a sailing vessel, a vessel engaged in fishing, or a vessel crossing the channel, you may not get in the way of vessels that can only navigate within the channel (such as a large ship).
• You must not anchor in a narrow channel, unless the circumstances require anchoring.
• You must use the appropriate sound signals and use caution while operating in a narrow channel when:
  • Overtaking or being overtaken
  • Your view is obstructed such as when you approach a bend in the channel
• If you are leaving a dock, slip, or tie-up mooring, you must give way to all approaching vessels.

Operating During Restricted Visibility

All operators should navigate with extreme caution if visibility is restricted. The following applies to vessels not in sight of one another.

• Every vessel must proceed at a safe speed given the conditions of restricted visibility. A power-driven vessel must have its engines ready to maneuver immediately.
• Unless a risk of collision does not exist, an operator who hears the fog signal of another vessel ahead, is in a close-quarters situation with another vessel ahead, or detects the presence of another vessel by radar must reduce speed to the minimum at which the vessel can be kept on course. If necessary, the operator should reduce speed to idle speed.

Additional Information

The navigation rules summarized here cover the most common situations for the recreational boater. Additional and more in-depth rules apply regarding various types of waterways and operation in relation to commercial vessels and other watercraft. It is the responsibility of an operator to know and follow all the navigation rules. For a complete listing of the navigation rules, refer to the U.S. Coast Guard publication, Navigation Rules, that can be obtained by writing to:

Superintendent of Documents
U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C. 20402

Or you can download the rules at www.navcen.uscg.gov/mwv/navrules/navrules.htm. For state-specific navigation requirements, refer to the laws of the state where you intend to boat.