Originally Posted by
Moe Zhoost
Is it? How so?
????
https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pdf/navrules/navrules.pdf
Avoiding collisions isn't a "right of way" issue (it's weird to talk about "right of way" here anyway). Captains have to attempt to avoid collisions regardless of any "right of way" issue.
Originally Posted by
Moe Zhoost
If your FIL means to be prudent and give way to larger vessels, then this may be a valid strategy to avoid collisions. On the other hand, there are a lot of small vessels with limited speed and maneuverability that do have legal right-of-way. Assuming that a big power boat is not in a limited special category, the operator is required to alter course. Failure to do this is criminal negligence.
What sort of "small vessels" are you talking about?
Originally Posted by
Moe Zhoost
....but I can tell you that when I am rowing my 600 lb sailboat with oars that are a bit too short, I am not going to be quick to get out of the way of a speeding jet ski. It all boils down to which vessel is more maneuverable in a given encounter.
No, your "rowboat" here
doesn't get special "right of way" privileges.