Re: [Paddlewise] How to ruin a perfectly good paddling day...

From: Craig Jungers <crjungers_at_gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 12:01:44 -0700
Well, of course one needs to be diligent and alert and not assume the other
person is. Some of the issues you raise might be valid for navigation
purposes, but my post referred to the legalities of navigation signals (they
aren't all lights, you know) and liability issues after an incident. If the
opposing team can show that your vessel, regardless of intent, displayed the
wrong signals, they can move at least some of the liability to you.

Regardless of what you think are ambiguities in the rules, nothing is going
to make an all-around white light legal on a moving kayak powered by oars.
Even if you include red/green bow lights.

And remember that a vessel overtaking another vessel has an obligation to
keep clear (is "burdened" in Rules-of-the-Road-speak) of the vessel being
overtaken. If the overtaking vessel is going too fast to determine the
status of any "white light" they see, then they are obliged to slow down or
stop to determine the safe course before proceeding.

Craig Jungers
Royal City, WA
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Received on Tue Jul 31 2007 - 12:02:01 PDT

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