Stand on or give way?

At one time or another I am sure I have made mention of how to use relative bearings with an approaching vessel to determine if you are on a collision course. Whether you actually use a hand hearing compass to determine this or simply eyeball it using nearby landmasses as a reference, it is an important skill to have, especially in the Virgin Islands where there is a lot of boat traffic. At least a half a dozen times per outing we have to check our course against others on the water to see first, if we are on a collision course and then if so, which vessel must alter course to stay clear. Of course, the latter part assumes that the Captain of the other vessel is aware of the Col Regs and “playing by the rules.” One should not assume that!

A fast moving ferry cuts in front of us as we were under sail.
There was no risk of collision even though we were smoking along at about 9 knots.

Even though I have been keeping up with our Facebook posts, this blog has been a tiny bit quiet while we’ve been on charter. I’ll try to rectify that when our guests’ vacation is complete.