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Comment by CalChris | Hacker News Reader

An additional starboard/port issue is right of way for sailboats. Suppose that you're going upwind and two close hauled boats are crossing. Who has right of way?

  When boats are on opposite tacks, a port-tack boat shall keep clear of a starboard-tack boat. Rule 10.

  A boat is on the tack, starboard or port, corresponding to her windward side. RRS Definitions.

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Also a convenient way to remember right of way while on the water is to use the port/starboard lights of the approaching boat. If you see green (their starboard side) that means you have the right of way, and red means they have the right of way. Just like traffic lights :)

That only applies between power boats. Between sailboats the direction of wind is what determines the right of way.

And of course power boats must give way to sailing vessels.

The rule of thumb I go for with boats is that the vessel with worse steering has right of way. For instance a freighter has right of way over a sailing boat regardless of direction or wind because the freighter isn't going to be able to change course in any appreciable amount of time.

Freighters have right of way in constrained waters, but offshore they still need to make way for sailboats.

(Yes, I know colregs is a bit more nuanced than that, but I think this is a decent approximation)

Plastic boats give way to wooden ship, wooden ships give way to metal ships, and nothing gives way anything much smaller than itself - Not the colreg rules, but a good approximation for unskilled crew members. Especially on a wooden ship.

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