Overtaking or Passing a Sailboat

My BIGGEST gripe with blowboaters, is on the ICW when you slow down to attempt, and I mean attempt, to overtake them without waking them. 98% will not slow down from the 6.5-7knots that they are doing for 1 minute of their 14 hour day of getting nowhere, so you can overtake them at 6 knots instead of 8 knots and still rolling somewhat of a wake at them. Of which they still give you horrible looks, the finger, or anything else, as you are doing your best to accomodate them and not wake them as you overtake them. And during this adventure, 98% of them do not have their VHF radio on so you can hail them on the radio and ask them to slow down to 4 knots for a brief minute for their own comfort.

I actually had a 60+ ft sail catamaran cut right in front of me to go through a bridge we were waiting on one time many years ago with a fast zone in front of it, and proceded to do 9 knots. I was in a little 35' Carolina Classic and just set it up to cruise and passed him.

This is where I use the loudhailer, after repeated attempts to hail them on the VHF fail.
I will run up behind a sailboat at normal cruise speed (+/- 25 knots or so), then cut the throttle to idle right behind them.. and get on the hailer and say, in as friendly a tone as possible, and as politely as I possibly can, "If you pull back to idle speed I can pass you without rolling you"
Usually works pretty good. Except for the ones who actually look behind them once in a while to see this big boat with a bone in her teeth headed right for them. Some of them are savvy enough to know what I am about to do, the other ones have conniption fits.

When running on plane i usually hail the slower boats about a quarter Tina half mile out go let them know I ll be slowing down... When running at hull speed I hate when someone approaches at 25 kts without calling since half if them do not slow down... Doesn't cost anything to call stating your intentions instead of letting the other guy wonder if I ll have to deal with a 4' wak

That really is a south of Norfolk thing, and a good one. Up north it's open warfare. Can't tell you how often clients are surprised by my courtesy. I keep hoping it'll catch on up here, but I'm not optimistic.

The blowboaters don't answer the radio 98% of the time. And, I have to go around them at 8 knots because they're doing 6.5-7knots and still am throwing a little wake most of the time in my experiences.......

The rule of thumb powerboat to powerboat in a meeting situation, is if they're similar size, if they slow down, I slow down. If they don't slow then I feel they have no problem with my wake. NOW, if they are 15' shorter than I am (or more), I slow down anyways to idle speed.

Still a good idea to make the call ahead of time

I found that most sailboats monitor ch16, at least half. Now they may not reply but sometimes you see head moving when you hail or may get a wave to go by. Still if you make the call, they can't jump on the radio *****ing about the wake...

I dont think size is a good criteria... Having been on the receiving end I can tell you that the wake of a 50' sportfish running 18kts can seriously roll a 70 footer... And you never know what s going on down below, you could have folks going up stairs or preparing food in the galley.

To be fair, many of those blowboaters have their VHF down in the cabin. They may or may not even be able to hear it, but responding isn't always an option. And cruising at 7 knots all day puts one in a "zone". So they're often oblivious to what's behind them, especially since they live by "sailboats have right of way". That's why we have sound signals. How you handle powerboat meetings is right on target. Just wish more followed it. Too often I've slowed only to realize they had no intention of returning the courtesy. When I see that coming I once again raise my bow to just below on plane to make sure they get more than they give.

I'm talking about both boats being on plane. If I am passing another yacht at slow speed, and I'm at cruise than I will slow down as well. I try to hail on the radio also, sometimes it works, a lot of times most people on the ICW don't know they're between markers 54 and 55.......As courteous as you try to be, it seems like you never fail to piss 1 person off each day when you're taking the ICW North or South. Also a lot of people don't realize that idle speed on a 70 footer, with one engine in gear is 6 knots a lot of times......even though you're not throwing a wake at all, I've seen unknowledgable boaters get mad at that also......

true... when i'm being passed, i go to neutral... cost me 10 seconds, no big deal, pass happens quickly everybody is happy.

one things most folks dont' understand, power or sail, is that the closer you pass, the faster it is and the less wake. Worst case scenario is the guy who moves away as you approach as you end up having to spend 3 times more time at slow speed. I usually mention keeping it close in the VHF excahnge but some just dont' get it.

Blow Boater Perspective

Ok.... there's a lot of sailboater bashing going on, but I'm learning a lot by "listening in". I'm ALWAYS monitoring channel 16 on my VHF. I've NEVER been hailed on the radio by an approaching and overtaking private power boater, telling me of his intentions about passing and exchanging logistics about making it smooth and easy. Towboat captains, however, are probably the best at this type of communications. The advice about the slower boat being overtaken, slowing to 3 knots or less while a power boat is overtaking is pure gold! Thanks for the heads up and the advice! That is not common knowledge for many sailboaters. NOW, if we can just control the clueless kayakers! (just kidding)

P.S., I bet, that if you went to sailboat forums, if you're thick-skinned enough, you power boaters could learn a nugget or two also. In my opinion, you can't teach boaters how to be considerate, but you CAN teach considerate boaters skills on how to be better sailors and boating citizens.

Generally on Inland Waterways most yachts will try to hail on channel 09 because that is also what the bridges monitor and what most people keep their VHF on channel 09 the entire day. Offshore most yachts will monitor 16. Unless of course you have 2 VHF radio's and then you monitor both on the ICW waterways.