Baseline general rules: Paddle (& oar) has right of way over sail. Sail has right of way over power. So even if it was a petite wahine in a one-person racing outrigger, give her way. All the more so a six-man full of local blallahs :-) Within each class (paddle, sail, power) there's all the rules about same-powered boats rights of way, such as overtaking vessel stay clear, which side approaching boat gives way; and for sail, which tack gives way, and windward/leeward vessel rules. And then the other exceptions - mainly to do with when power has right of way, such as commercial vessels in marked shipping channels, commercial fishing vessels when actively fishing, etc.. Plus the "law of tonnage" - get out of the way of bigger boats regardless of the technicalities of "right of way." And finally the "clueless" rule - the other "skipper" may have no clue about any of these rules. It's always been interesting to me that I have to have a driver's license to drive a car legally but there's no boater's license required to drive a 300 hp 2000+ lb. testosterone boat around some little lake at 35-40+ mph. Where are you at in the islands Jim? O'ahu, or...? I will be on the Big Island the 18th to 28th...in case you & your M-15 are there, would love to get a sail in. The "little breeze" was on the Big Island some years ago, never saw her sailing - but she was for sale at one point back then, I saw her on craigslist, for a ludicrous asking price of something over $8000. I guess he was banking on the "celebrity" value or something. One of our sailing club members said after the reality of the sailboat market on the island sank in, we could suggest he donate it to the club for a tax deduction... :-) Don't know where she ended up. cheers, John On 03/16/2018 07:13 AM, Jim Sadler wrote:

Aloha skippers

Last evening I found myself underway on a starboard tack and a collison course with a outrigger canoe powered by 6 or 7 big Hawaiian boys.

Who has the right of way?

Captain Jim Sadler

Skipper sailing vessel Pelican M15

-- John Schinnerer - M.A., Whole Systems Design -------------------------------------------- - Eco-Living - Whole Systems Design Services People - Place - Learning - Integration john@eco-living.net - 510.982.1334 http://eco-living.net http://sociocracyconsulting.com