"otnmbrd" wrote
| Let me state some points, then I'll end this nonsense.
| 1. A towing vessel is not automatically RAM

I agree with you....

| 2. "A vessel engaged in towing" could be a commercial vessel or a
| recreational vessel.

I agree with you again.....

| 3. Since the average recreational vessel does not have the day shapes or
| light signals to designate RAM,

I agree with you on this..... Most of them don't even have an anchor.

| this does not mean you can ignore that
| possibility he is RAM, while towing.... to do so means you don't know or
| understand Rule 2.

I totally disagree with you here. I can't agree because he CAN'T be RAM
unless he's "unable to keep out of the way of another vessel." / rule 3(g).
Your little pram towing IS able to keep out of the way of another vessel. He
can stop, he can turn, he can slow down..... He's able.
Rule 2? W'ere talking about rule 3. Duh!

| 4. If you don't think a small underpowered pram towing a 26' boat is more
| than likely "severely restricted" under all but the best conditions (if
| then), then you don't understand the potential dangers of towing and it's
| highly unlikely you can apply these dangers to other vessel
| configurations.

Even if I agree it's severely restrected I disagree that it's *unable*. It's got to
be both to be RAM. Rule 3 says it. I don't have to be a towing expert to apply the
rule. They wrote it so people didn't have to be experts at everything to understand
it. They wrote it so the average Joe could understand it. They put examples in so
the average Joe could see it in his mind. Your having trouble because your much more
experienced than the average Joe. You read stuff into the rule that ain't there. Your
like a chess player having to play checkers. I'm an average Joe. They wrote the rule
for people like me. That's why I understand it better. I don't complicate it. I don't
know how. I don't have the experience.

| In Scotty's case, he did not know the other vessel was towing until he
| had passed ahead and I took his questions to be "hypothetical", where he
| was trying to think of all the possibilities....rule-wise.... that may
| have existed for this incident.

I guess I had a different take on it. Scotty's a lovable red neck. He just wanted
to make sure he was right to flip them off..... I say he was right but he should have
hit them with an empty Budweiser long neck bottle too. It would've been even better
if he'd mooned them. :-)

Cheers,
Ellen