COLREGs Rule 2: Responsibility

Rule 2 says nothing in the rules excuses you from the consequences of neglecting them or of ignoring ordinary good seamanship, and that you must depart from the rules if that is needed to avoid immediate danger.

What Rule 2 says

1. Nothing in the rules excuses any vessel, owner, master or crew from the consequences of not complying with them, or of neglecting any precaution an ordinary seaman would take.
2. In applying the rules you must consider all dangers of navigation and collision, and any special circumstances, including the limitations of the vessels involved, which may make a departure from the rules necessary to avoid immediate danger.

This is a plain-English summary, not the official wording. For the exact text, see the IMO convention. In UK waters the rules are given legal force by the Merchant Shipping (Distress Signals and Prevention of Collisions) Regulations.

What it means on a yacht

Being the stand-on vessel is never a reason to hold on into a collision. If a ship clearly has not seen you, getting out of the way is good seamanship, and the rules expect it.

Practise it

Test yourself on who gives way in the free COLREGs trainer, or print the rules of the road cheat sheets for the chart table.

Other rules in Part A

• Rule 1: Application
• Rule 3: General definitions

Frequently asked questions