Yamaha 60A Owner's Manual

Contents

E1-8its course and speed. You must stay outof its way until you are clear of it.Likewise, if another vessel is passing you,you should maintain your speed anddirection so that the other vessel can steeritself around you.OTHER SPECIAL SITUATIONSThere are three other rules you should beaware of when driving your boat aroundother vessels.Narrow Channels and BendsWhen navigating in narrow channels, youshould keep to the right when it is safeand practical to do so. If the operator of apower-driven vessel is preparing to goaround a bend that may obstruct the viewof other water vessels, the operatorshould sound a prolonged blast on thewhistle (4 to 6 seconds). If another vesselis around the bend, it too should soundthe whistle. Even if no reply is heard,however, the vessel should still proceedaround the bend with caution. If you navi-gate such waters with your boat, you willneed to carry a portable air horn, avail-able from local marine supply stores.Fishing Vessel Right-of-wayAll vessels which are fishing with nets,lines or trawls are considered to be“fish-ing vessels” under the InternationalRules. Vessels with trolling lines are notconsidered fishing vessels. Fishing ves-sels have the right-of-way regardless ofposition. Fishing vessels cannot, howev-er, impede the passage of other vessels innarrow channels.Sailing Vessel Right-of-waySailing vessels should normally be giventhe right-of-way. The exceptions to thisare:1. When the sailing vessel is overtakingthe power-driven vessel, the power-driven vessel has the right-of-way.2. Sailing vessels should keep clear ofany fishing vessel.3. In a narrow channel, a sailing vesselshould not hamper the safe passageof a power-driven vessel which cannavigate only in such a channel.Reading Buoys and Other MarkersThe waters of the United states aremarked for safe navigation by the lateralsystem of buoyage. Simply put, buoysand markers have an arrangement ofshapes, colors, numbers and lights toshow which side of the buoy a boatershould pass on when navigating in a par-ticular direction. The markings on thesebuoys are oriented from the perspectiveof being entered from seaward (theboater is going towards the port). Thismeans that red buoys are passed on thestarboard (right) side when proceedingfrom open water into port, and blackbuoys are to port (left) side. When navi-gating out of port, your position withrespect to the buoys should be reversed;red buoys should be to port and blackbuoys to starboard.Many bodies of water used by boaters areentirely within the boundaries of a partic-ular state. The Uniform State WaterwayMarking System has been devised forthese waters. This system uses buoys andsigns with distinctive shapes and colorsto show regulatory or advisory informa-tion. These markers are white with blackletters and orange boarders. They signifyspeed zones, restricted areas, dangerareas, and general information.