Re: [Paddlewise] Sea Kayaker - Feb

On Wed, Jan 28, 2009 at 9:37 AM, Nick Schade <nick_at_guillemot-kayaks.com>wrote:

> If a sailor can not see what is in his path, that is not the fault of
> whoever is in the way, it is purely the responsibility of the sailor to make
> more of an effort to see better. There is no color bright enough for a
> kayaker to be seen through a spinnaker, the sailor must maintain sufficient
> watch to overcome their own blind spots. The fact that sails are large and
> opaque doesn't not give the sailor a pass to avoid basic responsibility. If
> a sailer can not do this, it is the sailor who is doing something dangerous,
> not the kayaker.


This is all absolutely right both from a legal standpoint and from a logical
standpoint. But it's not just sails in the way of visibility for a
sailboater. The bows of a large sailboat can be quite high and reduce the
ability of a helmsman to see anything relatively close to the boat. And on a
tack the helmsman sits on the high side of the boat so objects on the
leeward side might be hidden by a jib sheeted close-in. Most sailors know
all this and move around often in order to see all quadrants. And, all in
all, sailors seem much more amenable to knowing (and following) the Rules.
The scariest boats of all - at least to me - are the 17 to 21 foot open
runabouts.

But if anyone operating a recreational vessel or small fishing boat
> operating in open water, who can not steer clear of any 17' long floating
> object, is in no position to accuse kayakers of operating dangerously.


Amen to that! The entire idea that what we're doing is dangerous because it
makes them work harder to see (and avoid) us is ludicrous on the face of it.


Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************