[QUOTE=seadog6608;113817] I was coming up the South Atlantic in 05 from Capetown and saw a ship on the brand new AIS. the ship’s name was the Titan Uranus! Damn we were rolling on the deck we were laughing so hard. Stay safe out there.[/QUOTE]
I came across that same ship sometime a year or two earlier in Boston Harbor. Naturally we had the same reaction. How could anyone ever forget that name.
[QUOTE=Kennebec Captain;113864] Even lazy mates will change course early if for no other reason then they don’t want to have to pay the attention it takes to monitor a close quarters situation. [/QUOTE]
Maybe the wrong reason for it but it is a good thing to do.
[QUOTE=Kennebec Captain;113864]
At night a strong flare-up light on the sail has a good chance of being seen. [/QUOTE]
This is an old trick that is still valid and I use it.
I am a Captain who got laid off a few years ago, and started doing yacht deliveries to fill the time. Now it is almost full time and is an actual business. So I see both sides of the discussion. I have a regular run Transatlantic from Europe to USA and obviously meet many large commercial ships in open ocean, Typically every day. I have never had the first issue with communicating with any of them. And I mean communicating not just seeing and avoiding them. The only issues I have had are related to too close CPA for my comfort level not theirs. But they always know by one means or another that I am there. Many of the boats do not have all the fancy electronics, but I and my crew are on WATCH, not just awake. I also have standing orders to wake me for any vessel seen by any means. Then I can decide whether I need to be on deck or not.
Honestly I have pissed off some crew because I run the small boats to the same standards as I used to do commercially, as far as possible. At least as far as watch keeping and navigation is concerned.
We can all work together but only if we communicate. This thread is a part of that communication.