Rules are there for everyone’s safety. We’ll show you the basic rules you need to be aware

of, but you need to be aware that theses rules are only a small part of a lengthy international

publication called International Regulations for Prevention of Collisions at Sea, and includes

rules for heavy commercial shipping. As a dinghy sailor you need to only be aware of

the most basic rules but if you plan to race, further rules will also apply which are beyond

the scope of this video.

When afloat the priority of all vessels is to avoid a collision and any incident, so

you must keep a good look out at all times whilst sailing and be prepared to take avoiding

action in good time. Don’t forget to look under the boom as well as behind your back

as boats can come at you from any angle. Be aware that the wind may restrict your ability

to hear the sounds of approaching vessels, and sailing boats in particular can be hard

to hear.

In most situations sail has priority over power boats, and they should keep out of your

way, but you must keep out of the way of large commercial shipping or fishing vessels. They

are often constrained by their draught or their manoeuvrability. You must also keep

out of the way of any man powered vessels like rowing boats.

Any point of sailing where the wind is on the left hand side of the boat is called port

tack, and is the give way tack and is marked in red. Any point of sailing where the wind

on the right hand side of the boat is called starboard tack, which is the stand on tack

marked in green.

You must familiarize yourself with what point of sailing and what tack you are on at all

times, as this has a direct bearing on whether you are the give way vessel or not. If you

are the boat on starboard, you can alert your position to oncoming traffic by shouting loudly

STARBOARD. But you must be prepared to take avoiding action if the boat on port does not

respond.