Prerequisites
You should know COLREGs Rules 5 to 19 at Day Skipper level (lookout, safe speed, narrow channels, sail versus sail, overtaking, head-on and crossing). You should also have studied the CEVNI lights and day marks lesson (especially the blue board) and the CEVNI sound signals lesson, since this lesson uses both.
Learning Objectives
- Define a small craft and explain why small craft must keep out of the way of other vessels.
- Apply the rules between small craft: motorized, sailing and non-motorized.
- Explain how upstream and downstream vessels meet, and what the blue board means for you.
- Apply the rules for narrow stretches, overtaking, turning and crossing.
- Know who has priority when entering and leaving harbours and tributaries.
- Explain how to deal safely with ferries, convoys, wash and berthed vessels.
- Know the general duties: good seamanship, lookout, safe speed and the limits of the rules.
The principle behind inland rules
At sea, the rules are mostly about vessels of similar type that can manoeuvre freely. Inland, a 110 m barge loaded to 3.5 m draught is sharing a 60 m channel with a 9 m hire cruiser. The barge can barely stop, cannot leave the channel and may have a blind spot hundreds of metres ahead of its bow. CEVNI is built around that reality.
The basic idea is: the small and nimble give way to the large and constrained, and the vessel going upstream gives way to the one coming down, because the downstream vessel has less control with the current under it.
The rules come from CEVNI Chapter 6, explained for UK skippers in RYA G17 European Waterways Regulations. National rules (Rhine Police Regulations, the French RGP and RPP, the Dutch BPR, the German BinSchStrO, the Danube rules) follow the same logic but differ in detail. Always check the current national regulations for the waterway.
General duties
Good seamanship and the duty to avoid danger
As at sea, the rules never excuse bad seamanship. Every boatmaster must take all precautions that ordinary practice and the circumstances require to avoid danger, damage to other vessels, banks or structures, and must depart from the rules if that is needed to avoid immediate danger.
The boatmaster
Every vessel must be under the command of a person with the right qualification. For you that means the ICC with the inland (CEVNI) endorsement where it is required, plus any national licence the country asks for. The boatmaster must be on board when the vessel is under way and is responsible for following the rules.
Lookout and safe speed
Keep a proper lookout by sight and hearing, and on busy rivers by VHF on the ship-to-ship channel. Speed limits are common on canals and in towns (often between 6 and 12 km/h on canals; for example 18 km/h is a limit for pleasure craft in central Paris). Limits are in km/h, not knots, and vary by waterway, so check the signs (sign B6) and the local rules.
Even without a posted limit, reduce speed near berthed vessels, locks, ferries, floating equipment at work, vessels showing the protection from wash signal and near banks where wash can cause damage.
Small craft
Definition
A small craft is a vessel under 20 m long, except a ferry, a vessel licensed to carry more than 12 passengers, and a vessel built or fitted to tow, push or move vessels other than small craft. Almost every yacht, motor cruiser and hire boat is a small craft. A 15 m passenger boat carrying 40 tourists is not.
Small craft and other vessels
Small craft must leave all other vessels enough room to hold their course and to manoeuvre. They cannot demand that other vessels give way to them. In practice:
- Keep out of the fairway centre when large vessels are around.
- Make your intentions obvious early: a clear change of course, not a small one.
- Do not cross ahead of a large vessel unless the gap is huge.
- Expect a large vessel to keep to its course, even on what looks like the wrong side of the river.
This applies whether you are motoring or sailing. On inland waters, a sailing yacht does not have right of way over a barge. "Power gives way to sail" does not apply between small craft and larger vessels.
Small craft among themselves
Between small craft the rules are:
| Situation | Who keeps out of the way |
|---|---|
| Motorized small craft and non-motorized small craft (sailing, rowing, paddling) | The motorized small craft |
| Non-motorized, non-sailing small craft (rowing boat, canoe) and sailing small craft | The non-sailing small craft gives way to the sailing craft |
| Two motorized small craft on crossing courses | The one with the other on its starboard side |
| Two motorized small craft meeting head-on | Both keep to starboard and pass port to port |
| Any small craft overtaking another | The overtaking craft |
So between small craft, the order is like the sea: motor gives way to rowing and sail, rowing gives way to sail.
Sailing craft between themselves
Sailing craft follow the same rules as at sea:
| Situation | Who keeps out of the way |
|---|---|
| Wind on different sides | The craft with the wind on its port side gives way to the craft with the wind on its starboard side |
| Wind on the same side | The windward craft gives way to the leeward craft |
| Port-tack craft cannot tell which side the other has the wind | The port-tack craft keeps out of the way |
The windward side is the side opposite to that on which the mainsail is carried (the boom). On rivers, wind is funnelled and shifts quickly; think ahead.
A sailing yacht is often not allowed to sail on canals at all, and many rivers restrict sailing in busy sections or near locks. Signs A15 (no sailing) and E17 (sailing permitted) tell you.
Meeting: upstream and downstream
The rule for vessels other than small craft
When two vessels meet, the upstream vessel (going against the current) must leave a suitable passage to the downstream vessel, considering local conditions and the traffic.
- If the upstream vessel leaves the downstream vessel to pass on its port side (the normal port-to-port meeting), it gives no signal.
- If it leaves the downstream vessel to pass on its starboard side (starboard-to-starboard), it shows the light blue board with a white scintillating light on its starboard side. The downstream vessel confirms by showing the same signal.
- The vessels normally agree by VHF on the ship-to-ship channel. The meeting sound signals (S for port to port, S S for starboard to starboard) are used only if radio contact is not possible.
Why starboard to starboard? Large vessels going upstream look for the slack water on the inside of bends, where the current is weakest. That may be the left side of the river. The downstream vessel, carried by the current, follows the deep water on the outside of the bend. So on a winding river, starboard-to-starboard meetings are routine.
On waters without a current (canals, lakes), or on the Rhine and other waters where the national rule says so, the vessel heading in a defined direction takes the role of the upstream vessel. Check the rule.
What this means for small craft
The blue board is not for you. You never show it and you should not try to join the agreement. When you see a blue board or a scintillating white light on a large vessel's starboard side, it tells you where that vessel is going: it will pass another big vessel starboard to starboard, often across the river from where you expect. Keep well out of the way and do not get caught between two large vessels as they meet.
Narrow stretches
In a stretch too narrow for two vessels to pass, vessels must not meet. The downstream vessel has priority. The upstream vessel waits below the narrow stretch until the downstream vessel has passed. Where the narrow section is marked by sign A4 (no passing or overtaking), no meeting or overtaking at all is allowed. Small craft also must leave room: if a barge is coming down through a narrow gap, wait well clear below it.
On canals without current, the vessel that is nearer the entrance of the narrow section often goes first. Local rules, traffic lights and lock signals take priority.
Overtaking
General rule
Overtaking is allowed only when the overtaking vessel is sure it can be done without danger. The vessel being overtaken must make overtaking easier where necessary and possible, by slowing down or moving over.
- The overtaking vessel normally passes the overtaken vessel on its port side.
- Where the fairway is wide enough, it may pass on the starboard side.
- Overtaking is prohibited where sign A2 (no overtaking) is shown, and convoys may not overtake convoys under sign A3.
- The overtaking vessel keeps out of the way until it is clear.
If overtaking cannot be done without the overtaken vessel changing course, the overtaking vessel must signal its intention (by VHF, or by the sound signals L L S and L L S S), and wait for the reply.
Practical overtaking for small craft
You will often be overtaken by barges and passenger boats. Watch astern frequently. When a large vessel is coming up, move to the side it is not passing on, slow down, and let it go. Expect a strong wash and a suction effect as it passes: keep at least a boat length or two off, and keep steerage way.
Overtaking a barge yourself is possible on wide rivers. Pass with plenty of room, as quickly as is safe, and never in a bend, under a bridge or near a lock approach. A loaded barge creates a strong stern wave and pulls water from the bank as it passes. Stay outside its wash zone.
Crossing and turning
Crossing
Large vessels on crossing courses in the fairway follow the rules for their situation (meeting, overtaking, harbours, ferries). Between small craft on crossing courses, the motorized small craft that has the other on its starboard side keeps out of the way. A small craft crossing the fairway must do so without impeding other vessels: wait for a gap, cross at right angles and quickly.
Turning
A vessel that wants to turn round (wind) may only do so after making sure the movement is safe and others will not be forced to change speed or course abruptly. It gives the turning signal: L S to turn to starboard, L S S to turn to port. Other vessels must, where necessary and possible, change speed and course to let it turn.
As a small craft, if you hear L S or L S S from a barge ahead, slow down and give room. When you turn yourself, choose a wide place (often marked by sign E8), check up and down stream, and turn into the current where possible so it helps you round.
Getting under way
A vessel leaving a berth or an anchorage may only do so when it can do so without danger and without forcing others to change course or speed abruptly. If it must turn or cross, it uses the turning or harbour signals. Look carefully upstream before you let go: you will be pushed down onto anything below you.
Harbours, tributaries and ferries
Entering and leaving harbours and tributaries
A vessel entering or leaving a harbour or a tributary, or crossing the main fairway to do so, may only do so after making sure it can without danger and without forcing others to change course or speed abruptly. Vessels on the main fairway have priority unless signs or lights say otherwise.
Signals: L L L S when heading to starboard, L L L S S when heading to port. A large vessel coming out of a harbour into your path sounding three long and one short is going to turn to its starboard. Slow down and give it room.
Where signs E9 or E10 mark the junction of a tributary, the main waterway is shown in a heavier line. Where light signals control the junction, obey them.
Ferries
A ferry may only cross the fairway when it is sure it will not force other vessels to change course or speed abruptly. A ferry not moving independently (on a cable or chain) must not stay in the fairway longer than its service needs.
In practice, ferries are not small craft, so you must give them room. Treat them like any other large vessel crossing ahead:
- Look for the ferry sign on the bank and the green over white (cable ferry) or green over green (independent ferry) lights.
- Slow down as you approach the crossing.
- Never cross between a cable ferry and its anchor or bank fitting, or close astern of a moving ferry.
- Pass behind a ferry once it has passed, not in front of it.
Convoys and other vessels needing room
Convoys
Pushed and towed convoys are long and slow to answer the helm. Small craft must not enter the space between the vessels of a towed convoy, or come close to the bow or stern of a pushed convoy. The pusher's skipper may be over 150 m from the bow and cannot see anything close ahead of it.
Floating equipment and vessels aground
Pass on the side showing two green lights or two green bicones, slowly. Do not pass on the side with a red light or red ball.
Wash
All vessels must avoid making wash that could damage berthed vessels, small craft, banks or structures. Near berthed vessels, locks, ferries, floating equipment at work and vessels showing the protection from wash signal, reduce speed, but not so much that you lose steering. Sign A9 marks stretches where no wash is allowed.
Berthing and anchoring
Do not berth or anchor in the fairway, in narrow stretches, under bridges, near lock approaches, at ferry landings or where signs A5, A6 or A7 prohibit it. Use the designated berths (signs E5, E6, E7). Keep the distances from vessels showing blue cones (10 m for one cone, 100 m for two or three). Do not use navigation marks to moor.
Worked Example
Scenario 1: meeting on a bend
You are motoring upstream on a big river in a 10 m motor cruiser. Round the bend ahead comes a loaded barge heading downstream on your side of the river, close to the left bank (your starboard side). An upstream barge further up is showing a blue board on its starboard side.
- The upstream barge and the downstream barge have agreed to pass starboard to starboard.
- The downstream barge will stay close to the outside of the bend.
- You are a small craft: you must leave room for both.
Action: slow down, move towards the inside of the bend on your side only if it leaves room, and stay clear of the gap between the two barges. If in doubt, stop and hold position until both have passed. Listen on channel 10.
Scenario 2: two yachts on a lake
You are sailing on a lake on port tack, close hauled. Another yacht is approaching on starboard tack.
The port-tack yacht keeps out of the way: you must tack or bear away early. If a motor cruiser is crossing from your port side, it is a motorized small craft and must keep out of your way, but you should still act if it does not.
Scenario 3: leaving a marina
You are leaving a marina into a river with a strong current. A barge is coming upstream about 400 m away and a passenger boat is coming down.
- Vessels on the fairway have priority.
- You may not leave until you can do so without forcing either to change course or speed.
Action: wait in the marina entrance until both have passed, then leave and turn into the current.
Scenario 4: a narrow stretch
You arrive at a narrow stretch under a bridge going upstream. A downstream barge is just entering it from the other side.
The downstream vessel has priority. Wait well below the narrow stretch, off to the side, until it is through.
Common Mistakes
- Assuming sail has right of way over a barge. Small craft, sail or power, must keep out of the way of larger vessels.
- Expecting port-to-port meetings every time. Large vessels often pass starboard to starboard. Watch for the blue board.
- Leaving a berth or harbour in front of traffic. Vessels in the fairway have priority.
- Overtaking or meeting in a narrow stretch. The downstream vessel goes first; upstream waits.
- Cutting close behind a ferry or across its cable.
- Passing too close to a barge. Wash and suction can pull a small boat in. Keep well off.
- Forgetting national differences. The Rhine, France, the Netherlands, Germany and the Danube each have their own rule books. Read them.
Summary
- Good seamanship and avoiding danger come first; the rules never excuse a collision.
- Small craft are under 20 m (not ferries, tugs and pushers, or vessels licensed for more than 12 passengers), and must leave other vessels room to hold their course and manoeuvre.
- Between small craft: motor gives way to sail and rowing; rowing gives way to sail; overtaking craft gives way; crossing motor craft give way to the one on their starboard side.
- Sailing craft: port tack gives way to starboard tack; windward gives way to leeward.
- The upstream vessel leaves a passage for the downstream vessel; the blue board means starboard to starboard.
- In narrow stretches the downstream vessel has priority.
- Overtake normally on the overtaken vessel's port side, only when safe; the overtaken vessel helps.
- Turning: L S or L S S; others make room.
- Vessels on the main fairway have priority over those leaving harbours and tributaries.
- Give ferries, convoys and floating equipment plenty of room; avoid wash.
Check Your Understanding
- Does a sailing yacht under sail have right of way over a 90 m motor barge on a river?
Answer: No. The yacht is a small craft and must leave the barge room to hold its course and manoeuvre.
- Two vessels meet on a river. Which one decides the passing side?
Answer: The upstream vessel, which must leave a suitable passage for the downstream vessel.
- What does a blue board with a white scintillating light shown by an upstream vessel mean?
Answer: It will leave the downstream vessel a passage on its starboard side, so they pass starboard to starboard.
- At a narrow stretch, who has priority: the upstream or the downstream vessel?
Answer: The downstream vessel. The upstream vessel waits below the narrow stretch.
- On which side does an overtaking vessel normally pass?
Answer: On the port side of the vessel being overtaken, or on the starboard side if the fairway is wide enough.
- A motor cruiser and a rowing boat are on crossing courses. Who keeps out of the way?
Answer: The motor cruiser. Motorized small craft give way to non-motorized small craft.
- Two sailing dinghies on the same tack are converging. Who gives way?
Answer: The windward boat.
- You want to leave a marina into the main river. Who has priority?
Answer: Vessels already on the main fairway. Leave only when you will not force them to change course or speed.
- Why must small craft keep well clear of the bow of a pushed convoy?
Answer: The skipper is far astern and has a blind area ahead; the convoy cannot stop or turn quickly.