Second yacht/trawler collision in two months

'The yacht will come off worst every time - this yacht was lucky' .

Trawler Betjay operates from Iluka - .. .

Editor's Note: There are a number of reasons why fishing boats may not keep a proper watch at sea and pose a hazard, particularly to a yacht which, for whatever reason, cannot make way:

Cannot be relied upon to keep proper watch at sea - .. .

** They are often undercrewed, and sometimes do not get enough sleep during their sojourns at sea, so a watch may be imperfectly kept.
** On occasions the entire crew can be called and occupied with some facet of fishing, and they do not monitor their radio.
** At some stages of the fishing process their fishing lights are so bright that their night vision is severely impaired
** While they are manoeuvrable compared to a ship and hence do not pose the same threat, the noise of their engines often masks the approach of another vessel, and one cannot get their attention.

It is also worth noting that dependence on an AIS system will not guard against collision with fishing vessels, which are not currently covered by AIS regulations. There are also some jurisdictions in the world under which it is not necessary for ships to carry an AIS transponder. For safe ocean travel by a yacht, it is advisable that a visual human watch should still be maintained at all times, using an AIS as supplementary aid.

by Roslina Mohamad, The Star/Sail-World Cruising

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