Rule 5: Maintain a Proper Lookout

Rule 5: Maintain a Proper Lookout
Posted 2016, Mar 29 23:23
This is one of my favorite topics Rule 5 "Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision." In my opinion the helmsman is not the Lookout. Thus, anyone solo sailing is in violation of this. Any thoughts (for or against) on this?
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Reply 2016, Sep 23 02:19
I believe your opinion is...not fully accurate. A helmsman in a containership, for example, can not see around the entirety of his vessel and thus could not be considered the lookout. It is different on a 30-50' vessel where the helmsman can see entirely around his vessel. Even on the high seas, it takes a minimum of 20 minutes to collide with anything coming over the horizon, and therefore, as long as a visual lookout is completed every 20 minutes the helmsman has made "a full appraisal of the situation and the risk of collision" and is therefore not in violation of the regs. Further, if one were to be pedantic, one could argue that by not using a radar with a collision alarm and (not 'or' but both together) AIS (in my opinion there is no excuse if you are single handing as together you can equip for under $5000) you have not used "all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions...". I've included a link to the SF Bay Singlehanded Sailing Society's website where you can find (for free!!!) Andrew Evens book on single handed sailing. A must read, both for singlehanded and shorthanded sailers. And it's free. http://sfbaysss.org/main/resources/
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