Fishing Vessel hits large Sailing Vessel in Good Visibility 20/8/2010 

"With her unmistakable bellow, and green sails on full display, this vessel has indicated to the blue trawler that she is ready to mate. The trawler wastes no time in subduing his quarry, mounting her side and puffing smoke to calm her from his sudden approach."

Clearly the problem is the ocean being sooo narrow.

The entire ocean. And this happens. It's like driving into the one tree in the Sahara desert.

I single-handed a 28' sailboat on Chesapeake Bay for six years, and dealt with very large freighters in the shipping channels nearly every time out. I don't mention this to prove some kind of great sailing prowess, but to point out that over the years I had many opportunities to be run over by large boats. Forget about stand-on and give-way vessels for a moment, and just look at the situation as it unfolded: On the sailing ship you can immediately tell you're on a collision course because your angle of bearing on the fisherman isn't changing. The sailing skipper thinks so , too , as he starts blowing his horn. However, he is NOT blowing the requisite five short blasts for the signal, but just long blasts over and over. Another 15 seconds have passed, the other boat hasn't reacted, and you have 80-some souls on board for which you are responsible. This is no time to play chicken. I was taught when in situations where the give-way vessel is not doing so, the stand-on vessel MUST take action to avoid a collision, and that action should be very direct and definitive. A square-rigged ship can only come to within about 65 degrees of the wind, so his options were limited. Still, he could have fallen off, or maybe even gybed, or even come up into the wind. He had time to do any of it,, but he chose to do nothing and get crashed into. Not the choice I would have made with that many on board.i

Must have been in the Atlantic. If they had been in the Pacific, they would have had enough room.

When the smoke came out he probably had been awake for three seconds 😂

Know the rules... Rule #1 Avoid collisions no matter who has right of way.

This is very entertaining and instructive, and not uncommon. Classic crossing situation. Under the Rules the fishing vessel under power and under way is the 'give way' vessel. (I'll assume the sailing vessel did not have it's auxiliary engine running). 'Stand-on" vessel is the sailing vessel under sail. So far so good. Using what's called the "doctrine of stages" the fishing vessel, at a safe distance, would normally maintain speed, give one short blast and make a 'broad and early' alteration of course to starboard so as to pass well clear of the stern of the sailing vessel. Job Finished! [This would be the stage where the action of one vessel alone will avoid a collision}. The sailing vessel's duty is to maintain course and speed until the danger has passed. In the next stage the 'give-way' vessel (i.e. the fishing vessel) does not give way and maintains course and speed. Since the sailing vessel prudently monitors the bearing and range of the fishing vessel, and notes that she is not giving way, then she must sound 5 short and rapid blasts on the ships whistle to indicate to the other vessel that she is not satisfied with her actions. Nothing changes....the fishing vessel's bearing is unchanged, but it's range is closing; the sailing vessel is still maintaining course and speed as required, but starts to continuously sound his whistle, probably as a General Alarm to rouse his crew. The long blast has no meaning within the Rules. The final stage is the most difficult and easily forgotten. Moving through the Rules we reach the point where action by one vessel alone can no longer avoid a close quarters situation (i.e. risk of collision). It is now when most sailing vessels start insisting upon their rights, when in fact their rights have just disappeared and all they're left with is obligations. I have compressed stages 3 and 4, and now collision is imminent. The Rules now require BOTH vessels to take action to avoid the collision. This can be a slackening of speed, alteration of course, stopping the vessel, or a combination of them all. So it now requires that both vessel sound the appropriate sound signal (one for an alteration to starboard, 2: to port, 3: engines astern), and take appropriate action so as to clear the other vessel. In this case the sailing vessel should have put his rudder hard to starboard and turned to parallel the course of the fishing vessel. This would have reduced the closing speed and converted the fishing vessel into an overtaking vessel(but not within the meaning of the Rules). A further alteration to starboard, when it is safe to do so, would take her away from the track of the fishing vessel at right angles. However, if the sailing vessel had left it any longer, and a turn away (to starboard) would have resulted in her stern swinging towards the very near fishing vessel, he might had been better off to go hard to port to 'kick' his stern clear of the vessel's bow. That manoeuvre should be accompanied by a prayer. Obviously somebody gets to the bridge of the fishing vessel eventually. Watch for the big chuff of black smoke as he puts the propellor or engine Full Astern, 'lugging' the diesel into overload. Later you can see the prop wash boil as the propellor starts to bite astern. The fishing vessel should also have put her rudder hard to starboard immediately, to get the bow swinging. The crew of the sailing vessel just seem to stand and stare until after the contact. Luckily the fishing vessel was able to take off almost all her way, so the result was only a dented poop and some rigging lost. What bothers me is that the sailing vessel did nothing, and they have a rookie or paying crew on board. I hope the Master read his ColRegs and held a tarpaulin muster afterwards, telling his charges what he did wrong, otherwise they'll all go around muttering about 'we had right of way' etc. I'd apportion costs on about a 80-20% basis against the fishing vessel. Worse things happen at sea. Enjoy!! Captain Colin Smith, M.Sc, ex-Examiner of Masters and Mates, credits in Salvage, Admiralty and Collision Law, ex-Marine Casualty Investigator, Canadian Government. REMEMBER!!! Eventually everybody moves!!

Number 1 rule of navigation: avoid collision whether you think you're stand on vessel or not. Both captains are at fault to a certain degree the trawler being the greater guilty party

I realised early in my motorcycling career that it doesn't matter a fig having right-of-way if you're dead. That's probably why I'm still alive.

No doubt in my mind the fishing vessel was on auto-pilot. When I heard the horn I would have run to the bridge with an un-wiped rear end and my pants down.

I've been Captain of large ships, commercial fishing boats(grew up on a family boat), tugs, offshore oilfield vessels, and when I retired sailed my Ingid 38' "Solitude" all around the Pacific Basin, Alaska to New Zealand, for ten years. I always had the biggest radar reflector possible. Most Ships these days sail with short and unqualified crew. I had bright deck lights and spot light. Even so I had several close calls way at sea.

Friday, 01 July 2011 11:26 AT a hearing yesterday at Southampton Magistrates Court, the Officer of the Watch of a fishing vessel pleaded guilty to one safety charge brought under Section 58 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995. On the 20th August 2010 the Andrea had finished fishing and was returning to port in the Netherlands. The skipper and rest of the crew were below leaving Jan Baarssen alone on the bridge in sole charge of the vessel. The Andrea is a 36.5 metre beam trawler registered in the UK but is based in the Netherlands. The Alexander von Humboldt three masted sail training vessel was returning to Germany after a training voyage with a crew of fifty nine (59) consisting of thirty three (33) trainees and twenty six (26) full time crew. The visibility on the day was good, wind was southerly force 5-6 with weather being grey and overcast. During the afternoon of the 20th August 2011 the Alexander von Humboldt detected the Andrea on a steady bearing on its port side. The Andrea was not fishing and was the give way vessel. The Alexander von Humboldt started sounding its whistle. The Andrea failed to give way. The Alexander von Humboldt also tried to contact the Andrea by VHF radio but had no response. The Andrea claims to have gone hard to starboard and when within 15-20 metres of the Alex von Humboldt, the Andrea was seen to go full astern. The Andrea struck the port quarter of the Alexander von Humboldt. It was a fairly low speed collision. Apart from some scratched paintwork, the Andrea was undamaged. The Alexander von Humboldt was lucky to suffer only some dented shell plating with associated damage to internal wooden bulkheads and deck planking together with bent or buckled handrails. It was very fortunate that no harm came to the crew of the Alexander von Humboldt and that it’s rigging and watertight integrity remained intact. Mr Jan Baarssen, 51, of Urk, Netherlands pleaded guilty for conduct endangering ships or persons. He was fined £1,700 plus costs of £6,435. In passing sentence the Magistrates stated that it was fortunate that they were no injuries especially among the sail training crew. Mr David Fuller OBE, Principal Fishing Vessel Surveyor for the Eastern Region of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency stated: “This is yet another incident occurring on the return of a fishing vessel to harbour. Fishermen are reminded of the requirement to keep a good lookout at all times. Also that that the trip is not over until the vessel is safely tied up in port. We would like to thank the German and Netherlands Police for their assistance in this matter.”#2 Fri, July, 1, 2011 2:32pm

"BLAST HORN ALL YOU WANT, THESE *OUR* FISHING WATERS ROUND EYE"

A lot of people seem to blame both captains here as it may appear that either could have stopped or changed course, but they appear to know little of the situation. The Von Humboldt is a 65m (200ft) three masted, square rigged, classic sailing vessel, under sail. The wind was 5bft. The options the captain had was (1) stay on course, which is usually the right thing to do and happened here. (2) slow down by dropping the sails and putting engine in rear, this would take 10 minutes with a well-trained crew and requires putting the ship on a course where this can be done given the wind direction, but this was a training vessel, so probably even longer. A vessel this size, can easily take a minute or more to bring to a full stop when running under engine alone. Even if that were possible here, it could have led to being hit midship. (3) speeding up by adding engine power. While this may seem logical, ships of these types have a maximum speed given by their size and waterline. A ship like this hits that speed from 4bft, depending on course. In these winds, it was most likely at max speed, and no amount of horse power would change that. Even if it would, it'd be marginal, and while we can't hear it, it's possible that the skipper actually tried it anyway, preventing a worse bow or midship collision. A ship is not a car, you often cannot speed up or even quickly slow down. (4) change course. Being square rigged and having winds that exceed 20 knots, gusts maybe even higher, such a maneuver requires careful planning to prevent dangerous situations. Such change requires almost all crew (here 59 people). It's likely, but not visible in the video, that he did change course within the safety margin and prevented worse. There are other options, but I think you'll get the gist of it. Bottom line, he only had bad choices. Slowing down meant worse collision, speeding up was likely not possible, and changing course would be a danger to the crew and against the "good seamanship" rule of being clear in your intent by staying on course. It's also not uncommon to use the horn to warn another vessel, or radio, and typically you get an answer within seconds. After exhausting that option, in the few seconds left the skippers of both vessels were out of time and out of luck. I'm writing this as I sail in the same waters and am well aware of the danger of reckless behavior of fishing trawlers even when they aren't fishing. My ship is only 44ft and 10 ton, but even such a small ship, when under sail, takes a skilled skipper easily 20 seconds to bring it to a standstill (heat the engine, start the engine, steer in the wind, drop main sail and genua). But the real problem is that you usually expect the other vessel to react properly (and in 99.999% that's exactly what happens), by the time you find out he doesn't or is sleeping, it can be too late to take action instead. Luckily the chance on accidents at sea is far far less than on the road, train, or even by plane.

In my opinion both helms men are guilty, especially the one on a training vessel should be a better example and turn his vessel out of the danger zone. Having right, is not always being right.

I wouldn't stay on a collision course just because I had the right-of-way.

1-FV exhibit day shapes = engaged in fishing = stand on vessel = SV give way vessel. 2-FV without day shapes = power driven vessel = give way vessel = SV stand on vessel. The fact that the SV is eventually under power (exhibiting day shape) doesn’t change those two cases. COLREGs rule 5 for FV. COLREGs rule 2 & 17(a ii) (b) for SV.

Here lies the body of Captain O'Day, He died defending his right of way, He was right,dead right, as he sailed along, But just as dead as if he was wrong.

That's right, I want to go just like my grandpa in his sleep peacefully, not like the screaming passengers of his boat.

The whole entire ocean- and they both have to come together on this one tiny part of it.

The fishing boat was clearly at a very high throttle just before the collision, I assume this was in reverse...?

Fishing vessels only get the status of VEIF (Vessel Engaged in Fishing) when they are engaged in fishing with fishing apparatus which restricts maneuverability (ie nets, lines, trawls). In this case the fishing vessel was using no such devices and is therefore treated as a power driven vessel.

The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972. The trawler:- Rule 5 failure to maintain a lookout Rule 7 (a) (b) failure to determine a risk of a collision Rule 16 action by give way vessel Rule 18 (a) (iv) responsibilities between vessels failure to give way The sailing vessel:- Rule 7 (d) (i) failure to determine a risk of a collision Rule 8 (a) action to avoid a collision Rule 17 (a) (ii) action by stand on vessel 90/10

Paul Langford must be right: "A maritime court of law decided otherwise, with all the facts and witness statements...." A large number of the comments here show a great lack of understanding of the collision regulations. Just remember that the sail-training vessel "Alexander Von Humboldt (1)" was 205 feet long and not nearly as manoeuvrable as many seem to think!

When I sail, I avoid the power boats like the plague.

Unless in a designated area e.g ferry crossing harbours, the number one rule of the sea is 'power gives way to sail'. Let's face it, he didn't do it purpose he was fast asleep at the helm.

The person on watch probably fell asleep after an all night fishing.

Number one rule of safe boating: Don't hit any other boats no matter what. Your fault my fault nobody's fault, it doesn't matter. Don't hit any other boats no matter what.

It is crystal clear who is at fault here. Too many stupid comments to count!

No evasive action was taken other than blowing his horn, what a pleb. The captain on the fishing boat could have become incapacitated for some reason not known. The sailing captain had plenty of time and spent too much time second-guessing and not even turning to port once he was broadside of the fishing vessel to minimise the impact if not actually clear the impending bow.

Look we all know what Happened , they were done fishing all of the crew were below sleeping . one crewman left to steer the boat fell a sleep and woke up too late to avoid the ship under sail .

I bet the fishing boat captain was on board 24/7 for the entire time until he had to go unload a huge baked potato, 2 big slices of ham, some canned beans, 2 pieces of chocolate cake with extra thick frosting from the big dinner the night before...It happens all the time...The stress from the horn blowing just made him more constipated and he took longer than usual ...

That ocean was just NOT big enough for those two boats, period.

So many people debating this. This isn't difficult. It's cut and dry. The fishing vessel is the give way vessel The sailing vessel is the stand on vessel. All fault lies with the fishing vessel.

As they reported the sailing boat, due to the situation, had right of way. And the sailing vessel usually does (when the other is motorized) due to the simple fact that it is MUCH easier for the vessel with an engine to make way. Quite shocking and really hard to imagine, especially with as much time as they had (from commencement of horn, maybe even before), I would have enjoyed hearing what the officer in charge had to say from himself, explaining what was going on such that he did not make a very simple course correction.

The real issue while playing Chicken, is knowing when to flinch Jonesy.

From my experience on fishing boats in Alaska, many skippers set their gear, turn on the auto-pilot and go down for a nap. They usually have some sort of alarm that is activated if their radar detects another vessel. Sometimes they are working on the deck and no one is in the pilot house. They know its risky to do this but... time is money.

When it became clear that the power vessel was nor responding, the sailing vessel should have come right to parallel the power vessel's course to avoid collision.

The sailing vessel made no attempt to maneuver to avoid a collision once it was clear that the fishing vessel was not going to give way. That makes them partially at fault. Rule two people, rule two.

More to the point the sail boat seen him coming from a mile off why didn't he turn to avoid it knowing the fishing boat hadn't seen him

All vessels, regardless of who has the right of way, are required to take whatever measures necessary to avoid collisions.

"We know a thing or two because we have seen a thing or two" "We are Farmers"

Why is there a different ship at the beginning

I was going under the Lions' Gate bridge out to sea from Burrard Inlet, and a Swedish tanker was on the way into the harbour. On Vancouver Traffic radio I hear the tanker announce "taking evasive action" in this narrow passage, and I'm in a 27 foot sailboat and RIGHT BESIDE the guy. A sailboat behind me was coming out IN THE MIDDLE of the passage, with no room left for the tanker. (i.e. you're supposed to bear to the side, sail UP for immediate maneur). I thought the tanker was going to go shopping in the big mall just off the Capilano River. Instead, being empty, he performed the most incredible maneuver I've ever seen a boat of ANY size do: he pivoted around the little boat with ZERO room for error. I guess decades of experience just save the asshat behind me........his life.

It's quite simple, the guy steering the fishing boat went for a crap!!

You’re in charge, wake me if we hit anything

As someone who's been 50 miles offshore around commercial fishing boats, I've learned that lots of the commercial fishermen don't give a shit about anyone else. I've seen them drive straight into groups of smaller boats and force the smaller boats to quickly get out of the way to avoid getting crushed

Now, to find a curb (to pull over to) and share insurance information.

They tried to say Trump was at the helm on both vessels

having been a fishermen for 16 years fatigue was probably the fault here on the fishing vessels side however the sailing boat could have avoided a collision when it became apparent that the give way vessel was doing nothing ,, rule 17 collision regulations ..

The fishing vessel was not fishing -- so it has no special rights, and as such is the Give-way vessel. Even if the sailing vessel was under power, which isn't clear, it was the Stand-on vessel in the Crossing Situation. Also, clearly the fishing vessel wasn't standing a proper watch. However, anytime vessels with the means to navigate collide, both are at fault to some degree. Even if you are the Stand-on vessel, and you can take action to avoid a collision, you must do so under Rule 17 (a, ii) (b). International Regulations for Prevention of Collisions at Sea Steering and Sailing Rules RULE 16 Action by Give-way Vessel Every vessel which is directed to keep out of the way of another vessel shall, so far as possible, take early and substantial action to keep well clear. RULE 17 Action by Stand-on Vessel (a) (i) Where one of two vessels is to keep out of the way the other shall keep her course and speed. (ii) The latter vessel may however take action to avoid collision by her maneuver alone, as soon as it becomes apparent to her that the vessel required to keep out of the way is not taking appropriate action in compliance with these Rules. (b) When, from any cause, the vessel required to keep her course and speed finds herself so close that collision cannot be avoided by the action of the give-way vessel alone, she shall take such action as will best aid to avoid collision. (c) A power-driven vessel which takes action in a crossing situation in accordance with subparagraph (a)(ii) of this Rule to avoid collision with another power-driven vessel shall, if the circumstances of the case admit, not alter course to port for a vessel on her own port side. (d) This Rule does not relieve the give-way vessel of her obligation to keep out of the way.

PD126 Scottish registered vessel, crew are probably still celebrating new year.

Came to read comment section full of experts...not disappointed.

Powered vessels are supposed to give way to sail, the only time the sailboat would have to give way to that boat was if it was actively engaging in fishing, which it wasn't.

I sailed busy inland waters for years in my 30 foot Tartan, and was constantly surprised by the number of fellow sail boat owners who had the mistaken idea that sail boats always had the so-called right of way over power, no matter when or where. Local charts clearly indicated specified shipping lanes, cross sound ferry routes, restricted military areas, etc. If I had a dollar for every time I saw a small sail boat (or power, for that matter), playing "chicken" with a 300 foot ferry, container ship, or tug with a barge in tow, I could have been sailing a Tartan 37!

Many people think a sailboat has ROW because it is a sailboat, WRONG. A fishing vessel in the act of fishing has ROW It is vessel not under command or restricted in its ability to maneuver that have ROW over fishing vessel fishing. If not fishing then it is a powerboat.

I would regard the fishing vessel as an enemy pirate and react accordingly when it hit. (fire and guns)

Time spent sounding the horn could of been used to turn the tiller/wheel. Probably one of the most avoidable collisions I've seen.

Ok just my 2 cents but....... Neither vessel looked to be restricted in their movements soooo......holding right of way was a dangerous mistake. As has been pointed out there could have been MANY reasons that the fishing vessel was holding course (heart attack, asleep etc etc). It would have been far safer and prudent for the sailing vessel to have altered course as soon as it became obvious both vessels were on a converging course and they had received no radio response. Assume they do not know you are there and act accordingly, especially with so many lives under your charge.

NOW I know. I must be a sailor. Because that's exactly how I blow my horn at idiots on the road.

"I had the right of way" Is always impressive on a tombstone.

Please note b:iii Rule 18 Responsibilities between vessels . Except where Rules 9, 10 and 13 otherwise require: (a). A power-driven vessel underway shall keep out of the way of: (i). a vessel not under command; (ii). a vessel restricted in her ability to manoeuvre; (iii). a vessel engaged in fishing; (iv). a sailing vessel. (b). A sailing vessel underway shall keep out of the way of: (i). a vessel not under command; (ii). a vessel restricted in her ability to manoeuvre; (iii). a vessel engaged in fishing. (c). A vessel engaged in fishing when underway shall, so far as possible, keep out of the way of: (i). a vessel not under command; (ii). a vessel restricted in her ability to manoeuvre.

I was Master in British Ships in the 1960's and 70's and the Rules of the Road were our bible,especially in narrow or congested waters.The man in charge of the bridge on the fishing vessel should have had his certificates withdrawn.He was probably listening to the radio or having a cup of coffee in the chartroom or was drunk!That he was oblivious to the AvH's whistle leads me to suspect the latter!And,by suddenly going astern he lost all steerage way.A hopeless case.I only hope that he is a better fisherman than he is a seaman

Chinese "fishing" vessels do this all the time, and they portray it as an accident, even if it happens 10 times in a single week. They don't like other fishing vessels competing with them.

You can see the exact moment when the captain throws it into reverse. Like 10 meters from collision. 5 Seconds earlier he would have stopped in time.

Fishermen … not the first time. They don't care about sailing vessels whatever their size… Their lookout is perfunctory, they only care about their catch.

This is hysterical... The fishing vessel simply had to turn the wheel to avoid collision... The skipper and crew were below, Mr. Baatssen was either not looking, or not smart enough to know how to turn the wheel... It's really that simple. He had plenty of power... It's a joke to try and make an argument against the sailboat...lol

Mounting cannons was practical way of preventing things like this from happening in the past.

Large sailing boat helmsman had the responsibility to luff up and avoid collision, even the they had right of way.

No one was clearly in the wheel house of the fishing boat.

I do hope criminal charges were brought against the captain of the motor vessel. No one on watch, no one at the helm of the motor vessel, That captain needs to be held accountable.

Yea it's great to be in the right , and he was, absolutely. Sometimes being right isn't worth being dead right, though. See ditty below.

I thought the video was interesting ... but the comments are hilarious!!! So many experts that don't have a clue!!! Typical maritime fools!! Argue about who has the right of way right up til the crash!! No one has "right of way". You are either the stand on vessel or the give way vessel ... BUT .. EVERY mariner shall take every action possible to avoid a collision or allision. The only action taken was full astern by the fishing vessel at the last minute. This is a total failure on the part of both captains. Classic "How not to do it" flic for both sail and power vessel operators!!

It is surprising that no mention was made of the Alexander von Humbolt, when it realized the Andrea was not giving way, making any attempt to avoid the collision. As someone previously stated COLREG rule #17b. I agree that generally the sailing vessel is less maneuverable than the trawler, if the trawler does not have it's nets out. However, if the trawler had its nets out, it is even less maneuverable than the boat under sail and becomes the stand-on vessel. When I see a commercial fishing boat I always assume it is engaged in fishing, especially if it has it's poles out, and give way per COLREG 18 b iii, and take early and clear action to stay out of it's way. Here is a good insight from Wikipedia: A commonly held misconception concerning the rules of marine navigation is that by following specific rules, a vessel can gain certain rights of way over other vessels. No vessel ever has "right of way" over other vessels. Rather, there can be a "give way" vessel and a "stand on" vessel, or there may be two give way vessels with no stand on vessel. A stand on vessel does not have any right of way over any give way vessel, and is not free to maneuver however it wishes, but is obliged to keep a constant course and speed (so as to help the give way vessel in determining a safe course). So standing on is an obligation, not a right, and is not a privilege. Furthermore, a stand on vessel may still be obliged (under Rule 2 and Rule 17) to give way itself, in particular when a situation has arisen where a collision can no longer be avoided by actions of the give way vessel alone.

I know a sailing vessel has the right of way but to sit in the path of a steel boat coming at you is stupid. Maybe the captain had a heart attack and the crew is asleep or they all died from carbon monoxide... You never know. "I have the right of way" **Crash** They are lucky the fishing boat tried to stop. It would have chopped their boat in half...

So, that’s the reason boats got a horn. Took awhile to wake up n find reverse!!!!

Don’t working boats have the right-of-way? And since the sailboat crew obviously SAW the fishing ship approaching, why didn’t it turn out of the way instead of just blowing its horn? Not a boater...but as a driver I’ve seen many collisions where it was avoidable except for the stubbornness of the drivers.

+dezent I see you know absolutely NOTHING about sailing, YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY POWER AND CAN NOT MOVE QUICKLY, CAN NOT TURN QUICKLY, CAN NOT REVERSE POWER TO COME TO A FULL STOP, YOU ARE AT THE TOTAL MERCY OF THE WIND!!! the fishing boat can do ALL OF THAT AND MORE!

Too small ocean, that's why.

Stand on vessel is all very well but the first duty is to avoid a collision and Rule 17 deals with the action of the stand-on vessel, including the provision that the stand-on vessel may "take action to avoid collision by her manoeuvre alone as soon as it becomes apparent to her that the vessel required to keep out of the way is not taking appropriate action.

You should have changed course when it was obvious he wasnt going to give way. No point being in the right and dead.

Whenever I meet a fishing boat when sailing offshore it seems to needlessly alters course to obstruct my progress. Many are a pain in the A!

They're from Dutch fishing village Urk. Do I need to say more?

Alright! Where’s the Captain of the fishing vessel? And...anyone seen the cabin bo....OH MY GAWD!🤭

Really didn’t seem like much either captain could do. They both simply just ran out of room to maneuver.

This collision should never have taken place! For the fishing vessel to have had no Officer on Watch, and to have ignored the repeated whistle blasts and radio calls is wholly unacceptable and the prosecution was right to have been brought.

I think that sailing vessel might have been there just to mess with the fishing vessel.

If a powered boat doesn't respond to radio/horn no matter who has right of way you take evasive action, to me that's just common sense!

Not too sure what whistle the Capt was sounding, but the danger signal is five short blasts and in a crossing situation sailing vessel was the give way vessel and should have turned to starboard to keep out of the trawler's way.

the time when the sea is not wide enough LOL

I think I'd give way rather than take a chance on being sunk.

A lot of commenters do not understand the right of way laws. A vessel with right of way MUST not give way until the last possible moment, because if the burdened vessel (the not-currently fishing fishing boat,) changed course, the chances of a collision INCREASE!

"Evasive Action! Hard to Starboard Mr. Sulu!''

Who is right & who is wrong, you make an effort to avoid a collision regardless! None did so! 🙈👈🏿👈🏿👈🏿🤕

The comments here highlight the problem: 1. There is no right of way! 2 . Sailing vessels must keep clear of vessels engaged in fishing (rule 18) and BOTH are required to take action necessary to avoid a collision.

The captain of the fishing boat should be KEEL HAULED .

All below decks eating noodles no doubt.

The skipper of the fishing trawler was put before a UK Court and charged. AT a hearing yesterday at Southampton Magistrates Court, the Officer of the Watch of a fishing vessel pleaded guilty to one safety charge brought under Section 58 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995. The crew member on watch :- Mr Jan Baarssen, 51, of Urk, Netherlands pleaded guilty for conduct endangering ships or persons. He was fined £1,700 plus costs of £6,435. Those who say the sailing vessel should have turned are not living in the real world or have no knowledge of the capabilities of such a large sailing vessel. The sailing vessel could have turned slightly but may not have avoided the fishing trawler. It seems the fishing vessel returning to NL left a crew member on watch. So the bets are, he fell asleep. The German three masted sailing training vessel The Alexander von Humboldt suffered structural damage the Andrea (trawler) suffered scratches to paint work

That boat was being a Karen. "You can't tell me I can't continue in my lane. I have a right to be here..."