Understanding Right-of-Way on the Water

Collisions occur between boats more often than you might think, usually because one or both captains did not know or were not applying the Rules of the Road. The rules come from the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS), with which the U.S. regulations are consistent. Following are the basic rules that apply to all sailboats in U.S. waters.

Whenever two boats come close to each other, the rules designate one as the stand-on vessel and the other as the give-way vessel. The rules are designed to prevent a situation like two people walking toward each other on a sidewalk who both step out each other's way in the same direction and thus run into each other.

The stand-on vessel must continue on its course and the give-way vessel must turn away to avoid collision. Therefore both captains must understand the Rules of the Road and know whether, in any given situation, their boat is to stand on or give way.