Editor's Note: This column is part of a partnership between Waterway Guide Media and the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. Commodore Vincent Pica, First District, Southern Region (D1SR) United States Coast Guard Auxiliary provides our readers with his valuable insights on a regular basis.

We continue our numerical march through the COLREGs. You may have noticed that these columns have focused largely on powered vessels, but what about those vessels that are powered by the most ancient of power sources – wind and human muscle?  Read on, sailor.

Rule 25 – What Does It Say?

It covers sailboats and “vessels under oars.” 

With respect to sailboats, the Rules look to find a way to telegraph to you that the vessel you are closing in on at night is underway, but not a powerboat. How? Well, it is lighted like a powerboat, save one feature. It has no mast light! Sailboats are required, like powered vessels, to have sidelights (red and green) and a stern light – but no mast light.

If the sailing vessel is under 20 meters (remember the 3x + 10% rule of thumb, so, approx. 66 feet), she may exhibit an all-around light at the top of her mast – white shining astern, red and green abeam and ahead, port and starboard. The light itself shall (must!) conform to the exact degree specifications we talked about with respect to Rule 21 – remember those “jet wings” we talked about.

What if you come upon a vessel at night which is exhibiting the side-light-stern-light configuration of a sailboat but also, high above, you see two lights – red over green?  Under Rule 25 (c), a sailboat may also exhibit the red-over-green configuration at the top of her mast to make her easier to see – “red over green, I’m sailing tonight and want to be seen!”

BTW, she cannot do it in conjunction with the all-around light we described above, regardless of her size. 

Under Rule 25 (d), a sailboat under 7 meters (~39.37 feet) “may” exhibit the light’s configuration of her larger cousins but, if she isn’t fitted with them, she “shall have ready at hand an electric torch [a flashlight, Bunky] or lighted lantern showing a white light which shall be exhibited in sufficient time to avoid a collision.”

Often, the sailor will shine the light on the sail as it creates a larger palette.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

What about rowing – which includes kayaks that are now, due to their growing popularity, amongst the highest sources of accidents and death at sea (or “at bay” or “at creek”, as it were.) 

The Rule for (wo)man-powered vessels – of any size – is just like 25 (d) for sailboats – she “may” exhibit the lights configuration of her wind-powered cousins but, if she isn’t fitted with them, she “shall have ready at hand an electric torch or lighted lantern showing a white light which shall be exhibited in sufficient time to avoid collision.” 

How many kayakers out there have a flashlight under their decks, or life jackets on them?  The stats on those that don’t are getting deadlier and deadlier by the year.  Don’t be a statistic!

Lest we forget our new emphasis on Shapes, are sailing vessels required to display a Shape and when?  Yes, there is a Shape for sailing vessels – it is called the “cone, apex-downward.”  It looks (or is supposed to look) like an ice-cream cone.  It is to be exhibited forward “where it can best be seen.” 

And when is it to be displayed?  the shape is required in International waters, but not required under inland rules for vessels under 12 meters.

When the sails are up – and the engine is on, in short, she must declare that “I am just a funny-looking power-boat right now” and be expected to act accordingly – and be treated accordingly.  (Just remember that there are no “100-0” accidents out there. She is still unable to respond as quickly and sharply as a powered vessel since her sails give her considerable “windage.”) 

BTW, sailing vessels under 12 meters (~26 feet) “may” exhibit the Shape but are not required to.

BTW, if you are interested in being part of USCG Forces, email me at [email protected] or go directly to the D1SR Human Resources Department, which is in charge of new members matters, at http://join.cgaux.org/ or, for NY/CT/North NJ/western VT, go direct to DSO-HR and we will help you “get in this thing . . .