Skip to content

Photo of the Day: Playing Chicken

Today’s Photo of the Day was sent to us by Cuyler Binion. "My friend and I were out Thursday afternoon on his Corsair 31 Roshambo heading under the Bay Bridge when this freighter shot off not one, but two ‘five horn warnings’ to the boat seen in this picture," Cuyler reported. "It was hard to tell how close the sloop was to getting hit, but it was close enough for us to hold our breath!"

This incident should serve as a reminder that even though you may be under sail, commercial traffic has the legal right-of-way. And while it may look like you’ll have plenty of time to cross in front of an oncoming freighter, remember that the big boys are often traveling at 10-12 knots — they only look slow and lumbering. On top of all that, the behemoths are very difficult to maneuver and nearly impossible to stop on a dime — it can take a mile for them to come to a complete stop. When you’re on the water, the safest approach is to assume the helmsman can’t see you and take evasive action (just imagine standing on the bridgedeck 100 feet above the water, looking over the bow of a 700-ft ship, trying to tell the difference between a whitecap and a sail). Stay safe out there!

Leave a Comment




With the transpacific cruising fleet about to head to New Zealand and Australia to avoid tropical cyclone season, there’s good news.
For sailors, Sailfest’s low-stress yacht race is a major highlight. Seen here is Louis Kruk’s San Francisco-based Beneteau First 42 Cirque.
Readers — As reported in the August 29 edition of ‘Lectronic, cruiser Terry Bingham passed away from complications due to pancreatitis in a Bolivian hospital.