Sandbox

Legal Requirements

When and How to Sound Off

When two power-driven vessels encounter each other within ½ mile sound signals must be used. The initiating vessel indicates a maneuver and the responding vessel agrees or disagrees.

Rule of Responsibility

Earlier, we indicated the responsibility of the vessel operator to act in a prudent and reasonable manner consistent with the ordinary practices of boating.

• Stay active
• Stay alert
• Respect the weather, the water, your passengers, fellow boaters, divers, swimmers and property owners

In summary: vessel operators need to pay attention and operate their vessels defensively.

Proper Lookout

There are many distractions on the water. As the boat operator, it is your responsibility to constantly monitor your surroundings, on all boats at all hours. Make sure no passengers or equipment can impede your line of sight. Scan the bow, starboard and port sides for boaters, swimmers, dive flags and floating debris. You are required to use every available means, including radar and radio (if equipped), to determine whether there is any risk of collision with another vessel. That is not only common sense - that is the law!

Safe Speed

All vessels should be operated at a speed that allows time and distance to take necessary action to avoid a collision. Obviously, different conditions and levels of expertise will warrant different speeds.

To determine a 'safe speed' for your boat, take into account the following factors:

• The visibility conditions (fog, mist, rain, darkness)
• The wind, water conditions and currents
• Traffic density, type of vessels in the area and their proximity
• Vessel responsiveness (larger, more powerful boats require a larger turning radius and have a higher top-end speed - thus requiring more time and distance to stop)
• The proximity of any navigational hazards

Operation in Restricted Visibility

During periods of restricted visibility (such as: rain, mist, and heavy fog) you should slow your speed to give your vessel an opportunity to maneuver should the risk of a collision arise.

When visibility is restricted by fog or smoke, additional sound signals are required:

Unless the risk of a collision is present - you should reduce your speed to the minimum to be kept on course when you hear any of the sound signals above.

Visual Distress Signals

Knowing the following distress signals will help you call for help in an emergency and recognize those in trouble. Visual distress signals are taken very seriously. False alarms commit search and rescue personnel and make them potentially unavailable for real emergencies. Distress signals are required on Coastal Water, Great Lakes and Territorial Seas and those waters connected or diverted to them, up to the point where the body is 2 miles wide. Consult with your State boating authorities to determine the Visual Distress Signals that are mandatory in your State.

When a vessel is in distress, it can use or exhibit the following signals. Be sure to use appropriate signals for daylight and darkness (code flags, distress cloths, dye marker, and arm signals are less effective in darkness).

Aids to Navigation

6.6.1 U.S. Aids to Navigation System (ATON)

[[Image:|thumb|{| class="prettytable" | | General Rule of Thumb: Red-Right-Returning - keep the red markers on your right side when returning upstream from sea. |}]]The Uniform State Waterways Marking System

The most common non-lateral markers are white and have orange markings and black lettering:

Safe Water Marker - indicates safe water. This marker is used to indicate landfalls, channel entrances or channel centers. It may be passed on either side but should be kept to the left (port) side when proceeding in either direction.

[[Image:]]Diving Marker - indicates diving activity in the area. Particular care must be taken when boating in waters where there are divers. A vessel engaged in diving must display a blue and white flag (see left). A red and white flag carried on a buoy is used to mark areas where diving is in progress, although divers may stray from the boundaries of the marked areas. As a general rule - stay at least 100 feet from any diving activity. Consult your State boating authorities for State specific diving requirements.

Intracoastal Waterway (ICW)

The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a series of tributaries running parallel along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts. The ICW runs from New Jersey to Texas. Navigation aids along the ICW are the same as any other U.S. Waterway with the exception of yellow markings. The yellow markings override the shape or color of the lateral markers they are affixed on, if you want to continue on the ICW.

[[Image:|thumb|{| class="prettytable" | Yellow Squares - indicate you should keep this marker on your left (port) side. | Yellow Triangles - indicate you should keep this marker on your right (starboard) side. |}]][[Image:]]Western Rivers System

The Mississippi River and its tributaries above Louisiana use the Western Rivers System of navigation aids. Unlike the Lateral Markers in the U.S. Aids to Navigation System (ATON), the Western Rivers System does not use numbers. Instead, numbers are fixed below Day-Marks which indicate the distance to the river mouth.