Why You Need To Stay Clear
Of Navigational Aids

The Coast Guard places Aids to Navigation in waterways to help keep mariners safe. The marks denote the edges of waterways deep enough to navigate, alert mariners to where channels diverge, and provide reference points in safe water to help the navigator fix his or her position on a chart.

The problem is that the aids themselves can become hazardous when boaters don’t stay a safe distance away from them.

In the Redwood Creek channel, Aids to Navigation on posts mark the edges of the waters deep enough to sail. A metal structure atop those posts present a particular hazard to sailboats that come too close. 

If a sailor gets too close, that metal framework can snag and damage shrouds, possibly leading to dismasting. 

The reason I’m writing this is to bring home to Spinnaker sailors how dangerous this can be. One sailor’s death and another’s serious injury happened in a race held out of Redwood City seven years ago when the boat snagged a shroud on a navigational aid. 

More recently, a Spinnaker Merit clipped a navigational mark and dismasted during another race. No one was seriously hurt in that incident, fortunately, but the boat was out of service for weeks until an expensive repair was completed.

And everyone on board was put in danger during this incident.

And this year, two Merit skippers have had issues. One Merit lost a mast after its shroud hit and ultimately wrapped around Mark 11 while its crew was out for a daysail. No one was seriously hurt. Another Merit hit a mark with its shroud during a race and damaged both the shroud and the boat’s mainsail. In that incident, the mast didn’t come down, but the shroud was compromised and had to be replaced. And the boat’s crew was, likewise, endangered. 

Part of the problem is that marks are often hidden from the helmsman by the jib as a sailboat heads upwind. Even a helmsman who knows a mark is out there may miscalculate the boat’s sideslip and potentially put the boat in danger.

Adding to the difficulty is the tidal currents in the Redwood Creek channel which can move boats closer to marks than skippers may expect. 

The hazard presented by navigational aids in Redwood Creek is greater than what is posed by other navigational marks because the metal armature of the aids extend several feet horizontally from their supporting posts. That means that a sailboat’s shroud can hook on a Nav Aid even though the boat’s hull may never contact the post. Looking at the distance to a post, a skipper may think there’s plenty of room to clear the mark without considering that the mark’s structure extends outward, and that the boat’s heel could bring the mast and shrouds into contact with the mark even as the boat hull seems safely clear.

Keeping clear of navigational marks is part of the situational awareness challenge that all skippers face. A boat’s captain must remain cognizant of all the potential dangers he or she might reasonably face, even while also steering, keeping an eye on other boats and interacting with crew members. Think reciting Shakespeare while standing on one leg and juggling in the wind. There’s a lot to keep in mind. 

Handling unexpected situations is one of the things I enjoy about sailing. During any given sail I can generally expect something to occur that I’ve never experienced or seen. My goal is to ensure that whatever surprise I encounter is either a good one, or one that isn’t likely to create a serious or dangerous problem. 

But there are the surprises that should probably not be such a big surprise. Your gybes are always perfect, except when someone you really want to impress is watching. Ooops! You have no problem docking except when crunch into the dock with your critical mother-in-law is aboard. Surprise!!

If you’re intending to tack right in front of Mark 9 in the Redwood Creek channel, why would you not expect that to be the one time your usually flawless tacking goes awry. Seriously, don’t even consider risking it! Something about the retribution of the sailing gods applies here: Don’t tempt them.

One strategy some skippers employ is to reduce the number of things that have to be kept on top of mind. That takes the stress off and makes sailing a little more enjoyable. Making a habit of keeping well clear of potential dangers means the helmsman has fewer things to be concerned with while sailing. That may be why I have observed that experienced sailors usually keep a significant distance away from aids to navigation and other hazards. You wanna be that person. Come home with stories to tell. But just be sure your story isn’t a horror story about the Navigational Aid that didn’t get far enough away.

Note:

One dead, one seriously injured in Redwood City boating accident – Article