Conduct of Vessels in Restricted Visibility Flashcards
CONDUCT IN RESTRICTED VISIBILITY
This rule applies to vessels not in sight of one another when navigating IN OR NEAR an area of restricted visibility, whether daytime or at night. Every vessel shall proceed at a SAFE SPEED in restricted visibility.
Contact on radar that indicates a possible close quarter’s situation or risk of collision requires that
early and substantial action be taken to avoid that. A course change alone may prevent a close quarter’s situation from developing.
When hearing the fog signal of another vessel somewhere ahead of the beam,
a vessel must slow down to bare steerageway, take all way off if necessary, then navigate with extreme caution until the danger has passed.
Lights shall be on from
sunset to sunrise (dark in the evening till light in the morning) and, in addition, at all times (day and night) in restricted visibility. Lights may be kept on at all times.
Proper day shapes shall be displayed during
daylight hours in clear and/or restricted visibility. Obviously you can’t see them at night, which is why you use lights. The annex (Annex I) to the rules indicates that smaller boats may carry smaller day shapes.
Rule # 21
LIGHT DEFINITIONS
MASTHEAD LIGHT
is a white light on the face of a mast. It shines over an arc of 225°, showing 22.5° abaft the beam on both sides.
SIDELIGHTS
are colored red for port and green for starboard. Since the sidelights are half the coverage of masthead light they are 112.5° from dead ahead, to 22.5° abaft the beam, on either side.
A STERNLIGHT
shines over an arc of 135° and is pointed dead astern. This is to say, 67.5° to either side of the keel line.
A TOWING LIGHT
is a 135° yellow light that is placed over the stern light. THIS LIGHT IS ONLY USED WHEN TOWING ASTERN!
An all around light
covers 360°.
A flashing light
s flashing 2X each second, or 120+ per minute. When assigned to a hovercraft or hydrofoil it is amber or yellow in color.
A flashing light
s flashing 2X each second, or 120+ per minute. When assigned to a hovercraft or hydrofoil it is amber or yellow in color.
Starboard light is ______ and port is ______
starboard green, ports red
Sternlight
a white light shown from 67.5 degrees on each side of the vessel (135 degrees total)
Special flashing light
A yellow flashing light 50 - 70 flash per minute (roughly half speed) for use in inlands waters onley
Rule 23
Power Vessel Lights
Vessels 50m (165 feet) and over SHALL carry
a masthead light forward and higher aft, sidelights and a sternlight.
On power vessels less than 50 meters,
the second (after) masthead light becomes optional and is usually not carried.
A power driven vessel of less than 12 meters may
, instead of other lights, exhibit an all-round white light and sidelights. The all-round white light is, in reality, the masthead light and the sternlight together.
Rule # 24
TOWING AND PUSHING
A powered towboat when working by pushing or hip towing will
carry another masthead light on the same mast in addition to the masthead light required if a power driven vessel.
This second light, in line, indicates that the vessel is engaged in the business of towing ahead, on the hip or astern.
A powered towboat with a long tow astern (over 200m) requires
a third masthead light in line. A long tow is measured from the stern of the towboat to the stern of the last object being towed (butt to butt).
Three Whites In a Row,
Long Tow Going Slow
Yellow Over White
My Towing Cable Is Tight (means they are towing, it is over the stern light). This helps other vessel avoid the towing cables.
The day shape for a long tow is
a black diamond shown on the towboat, and another black diamond shown on the last object or vessel being towed.
An object being pushed (say, a barge) will show
sidelights only, not a stern light, so as not to blind the pilot. When the barge is moved to the hip or placed astern, the sidelights and a stern light must be shown.
A white masthead light
Means I’m not a machinery powered vessel so its either a vessel being towed or a sailboat
Sailboats underway will show
sidelights & stern light. PERIOD.
Sailing vessels less than 20m may
have the three lights combined in one unit at the top of the mast (tri-color). It will not carry a regular deck level side lights in this instance.
A sailing vessel under 7 meters may instead show
only a white light in sufficient time to prevent collision.
A rowboat may be lighted like a sailboat (sidelights and a stern light) but
should at the very least have the white light shown in sufficient time to prevent collision.
At night, when a sailboat is under machinery power, it is considered
a powerboat under the rules and shall be so lighted.
In daytime a sailboat with engine in use and sails up, shall exhibit a
black cone, point down, saying “My motor is on and I am a power vessel.”
Vessel trawling
(not TROLLING), that is, dragging through the water nets and gear, SHALL display, forward, all around lights, which are GREEN over WHITE. The after masthead light is the same as the basic lighting rule, that is to say, optional under 50m and required 50m or over. Green Over White Gonna Eat Shrimp Tonight.
When underway and making way, vessels trawling must show
side lights and stern light.
vessels trawling not moving through the water
turn off their sidelights and stern light so as not to confuse approaching vessels
he Day shape for a vessel trawling
is two cones point to point.
A vessel fishing (not trawling or trolling)
360 degree (ro 32 point) lights that are Red over White. It uses the same day shape as a trawling vessel The after masthead light on fishing vessels over 50 meters is not carried. A fishing vessel will have running lights on when running. Shell have side lights and a stern light when underway making way. And no sidelights or sternlight when under way but not making way. RED AND WHITE We HOPE THE FISH BITE.
A fishing vessel with anchor down, but still engaged in the activity of fishing, is really
not at anchor because it is USING THE ANCHOR AS A FISHING TOOL, therefore it does not display an anchor light.
NUC lights
A vessel not under command shall exhibit two RED lights in a vertical line. She shall also exhibit running lights when running, but never masthead lights.
The day shape for NUC is 2 black balls displayed in a vertical line
Red Over Red The Captain Is Dead and His Balls Are In The Rigging
Rule # 27 RAM LIGHTS
A vessel restricted in ability to maneuver will show 360½ (32 point) lights that are RED over WHITE over RED. The day shape for RAM is a black BALL-DIAMOND-BALL.
Red, White, Red, the work I dread
A vessel involved in dredging or underwater construction that has an obstruction on one side (such as pipe lines or cables) will warn approaching vessels away from that side by
displaying two black balls during the day, one over the other. At night the vessel will show two all around red lights in a vertical line.
on the opposite side, if there is no obstruction, the dredge would carry t
wo black diamond shapes during the day, one over the other. At night, two all around green lights in a vertical line as an indication that this is the safe side to pass.
For dredges always
Call on the radio. They will have someone monitoring the radio 24 7
Diving operations cal
he Ball-Diamond-Ball shape, but if the vessel is so small that it would be impractical to show those shapes, a rigid replica of the code flag “A” may be shown instead. Many state laws require the red flag with the diagonal white stripe when diving in state regulated waters.
The RAM dayshape (or code flag “A”), indicate a CONDITION OF THE VESSEL FOR MANEUVERING. The sport diving flag warns other vessels of the presence of divers in the water.
International Dive Flag is
For the “A” or Alpha Flag
For Night Diving you have to have the RAM Light
Red White Red lights
Rule # 27
Mine Clearance
Mine clearance requires a light array called a
Christmas Tree array of three GREEN lights at night or 3 black balls during the day. Minesweeping or mine clearance is considered RAM but does not carry RAM lights or shapes, since it has its own distinctive shape.
How far away do you have to stay from a mine sweepers?
Other vessels SHALL stay clear of these vessels at work, keeping at least 1000 meters away, alongside and astern, under International (COLREGS) Rules. Vessels less than 12 meters are not required to exhibit the lights of this set of rules. However they may do so.
Rule # 28 CONSTRAINED BY DRAFT A vessel constrained by draft may in addition to her regular masthead, side and stern lights, must show
- show 3 all-round RED lights at night and a black cylinder in daytime.
- This category does not exist in the Inland Rules.
- Three Reds In Row - No Room Below
- The sign is cylinder because constrained by draft, so it’s a cylinder like a beer keg
Rule # 29 PILOT BOATS A vessel on pilotage duty will show lights that are
- WHITE over RED. When underway (both making way and not making way), sidelights and sternlight.
- When at anchor, but still on station, in addition to the white over red, she displays anchor light(s). There are no day shapes for a Pilot vessel however; they do show the letter H flag.
- White Over Red - Pilot Ahead
Rule # 30 ANCHORED. A vessel at anchor SHALL display
an all around white light forward and another one aft. The aft light shall be lower than the forward one. A vessel of less than 50m may show one light only. Vessels under 7 meters when at anchor, not in a traffic area, are exempted from lights and shapes. Vessels 100m or more must show deck illumination when at anchor.
The dayshape for a vessel at anchor is
one black ball.
A vessel aground will show
wo RED lights, plus one or two anchor lights, depending on its size.
he day shape for aground is
3 black balls.
A sailing vessel underway may exhibit _________.
a red light over a green light at the masthead
A vessel trawling will display a _________________.
green light over a white light
A sailing vessel which is also propelled by machinery shall show during daylight hours a _____.
black cone
At night, what lights are required to be shown by a dredge on the side of the dredge which another vessel may pass?
two green lights
What lights are shown by a vessel restricted in her ability to maneuver to indicate that the vessel is making way?
masthead lights, sidelights and sternlight
If a rowboat underway does not show the goths specified for a sailing vessel underway, it shall show a
wight like in sufficient time to prevent collision
a vessel at anchor shall display between sunrise and sunset pm the forward part of the vessel, where it can best be seen
one black ball
which vessel must exhibit three white masthead lights in a vertical line
a vessel who tow exceeds 200 meters astern
During the day, a dredge will indicate the side on which it is safe to pass by displaying
two black diamonds in a vertical. line
what type of vessel or operation is indicated by a vessel showing two cones with their apexes together?
A vessel trawling
What lights are shown by a vessel restricted in her ability to maneuver to indicate that the vessel is make way?
Masthead lights, sidelights and a sternlight
When navigating in restricted visibility, a power-driven vessel shall
have her engines ready for immediate maneuver
Day-shapes must be displayed
During daylight hours in restricted visibility
