Learn the Nautical Rules of the Road - An Expert Guide to the COLREGs

Paul Boissier has spent much of his professional life at sea, and has commanded a number of Royal Navy warships. He is also a very experienced yachtsman and has cruised extensively. These perspectives from the cockpit of a yacht and the bridge of a large ship make him the ideal author for a COLREGs guide that will be equally useful to leisure boat users and professional mariners. Paul is now the chief executive of the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution), the charity that saves lives at sea and operates over 340 lifeboats around the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

1 Introduction. 2 Context of the Rules: Rules 1 - 7. 3 How to Recognise other Vessels by their Lights and Shapes: Rules 20 - 31 and 36. 4 Sound Signals: Rules 32 - 35. 5 The Manoeuvring Rules: Rules 8, 11 - 19. 6 Narrow Channels and Fairways, and Separation Schemes: Rules 9 and 10. 7 Some examples of Collision Avoidance. 8 Particular Issues for Yachts and Small Boats. 9 Buoyage. 10 Distress Signals: Annex IV. 11 International Marine VHF Channels as used in the UK. 12 The Rules - Verbatim.