COLLISION REGULATIONS
See First Class Sailing Cockpit Companion and RYA Day Skipper booklet.

Steering and Sailing Rules
Keep a proper look out.
Maintain a safe speed.
Determine if a risk of collision exists by taking a bearing of the other vessel. If the bearing doesn’t change after a few minutes you are on a collision course.
Determine whether you are the stand on vessel (see below). If you are not the stand on vessel you should take early and ample action to avoid a collision. Ie. A bold alteration of course/speed in good time.
BUT….! If the situation develops so that the collision cannot be avoided by the actions of the Give Way vessel alone, the Stand on Vessel must act to avoid collision. Ie. all vessels have a duty to avoid a collision.
On the high seas:
A power driven vessel gives way to a sailing vessel.
Both a power driven vessel and a sailing vessel give way to a fishing vessel.
All three of these gives way to vessels Restricted in Ability to Manoeuvre, vessels Not Under Command and vessels
Constrained by their draft.
In other cases:
In a TSS a sailing vessel or a vessel under 20m LOA shall not impede a power driven vessel using the TSS - Rule
10.
In a narrow channel a sailing vessel or a vessel under 20m LOA shall not impede a vessel that has to navigate within the narrow channel – Rule 9.
A vessel, regardless of it’s type, when overtaking another vessel shall keep well clear.

Sailing Vessels (Rule 12)
A yacht on port tack gives way to a yacht on starboard tack.
If both boats are on the same tack the boat to windward of the other keeps clear.
If a boat has the wind on her port side and sees a boat to windward but can’t determine if this other boat is on port or starboard tack she shall keep out of the way.
Power Driven Vessels
When 2 power driven vessels are meeting on reciprocal or nearly reciprocal courses both shall alter course to starboard and so pass port to port.
When 2 power driven vessels are crossing so as to involve a risk of collision, the vessel that has the other on her own starboard side shall keep out of the way and shall if the circumstances of the case admit, avoid crossing ahead of the other vessel.