OK, but commercial/pleasure doesn't matter. What does matter is
participation in a VTS, type of power, constrained by draft, etc. Although
commercial vessels are often constrained by draft and restricted to a
channel, etc, it isn't the fact that they are commercial vessels that make
them stand on, it's the fact that they are, for example, constrained by
draft to operation in the channel.


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William Andersen Jun 27, 1:32 am show options

Newsgroups: rec.boats
From: "William Andersen" - Find messages by this
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Date: Sun, 26 Jun 2005 22:32:29 -0700
Local: Mon,Jun 27 2005 1:32 am
Subject: Question: Right of way
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Chuck,
He said it was a narrow channel and the other boat cut across the
channel,
on a collision course with him.
Clearly, the other boat was wrong.
Clearly, he did the right thing by avoiding a collision.

*********

I agree with those points. My comments had to do with the breadth of
the comment implying that commercial vessels had no special rights of
way- when under a number of common and important circumstances they do.
There is almost no way to know whether any or all of those
circumstances may have applied in this case, but all boaters should be
aware that when encountering a vessel constricted in its ability to
manuever (as by draft, etc) or a power driven vessel following a VTS,
there will be many cases where the vessel ordinarily considered "stand
on" must indeed "give way".