bport
New Member
I was coming through the Annisquam River on Saturday (a narrow channel full of traffic) when I see a 40 foot sailboat under sail :wow: coming toward me down the middle (the guy was nuts to sail the channel, but that's his problem). I am only going just above idle speed, but the channel is narrow enough and he is wide enough, with his boom extending off his port side, that if he turns to port (to hold the wind, or any other reason) I will have no place to go. So I give him a single blast of my awesome Sea Ray horn as to let him know that I am altering course to starboard and will keep to that side of the channel, and what do I get in return? He starts yelling and giving me hand gestures, obviously thinking I was honking like a car horn :huh:. Maybe I am not clear on the rules, but I think I had it right...and it was appropriate to 'ask' him if he felt passing on that side was safe.
Of the many times I have tried signaling with my horn, I do not ever recall recieving an appropriate response. It is always interpreted like a car horn. For that matter, I hardly ever notice motor vessel traffic on my port side 'give way'. I generallly hold my course until I feel it is time to avoid a problem, and then I make an exaggerated turn to avoid any risk of collision. Maybe the signals are just not used in pleasure boating...was it a waste of time learning them in the Power Squadron class?
Of the many times I have tried signaling with my horn, I do not ever recall recieving an appropriate response. It is always interpreted like a car horn. For that matter, I hardly ever notice motor vessel traffic on my port side 'give way'. I generallly hold my course until I feel it is time to avoid a problem, and then I make an exaggerated turn to avoid any risk of collision. Maybe the signals are just not used in pleasure boating...was it a waste of time learning them in the Power Squadron class?