Right of way Crissy Field

[yancek]

Hi,

I was wondering about the right of way at Crissy Field with respect to boat vs windsurf traffic. I remember reading somewhere or overhearing that Between Anita Rock and the North Shore is the shipping channel and boat trafic has right of way over sailboats. And between Anita Rock and the Shore is outside of the channel thus sailboats and windsurfers have right of away.

Could someone post the rules, or point to where the rules are? Nearly got ran over today assuming right of way over a tourist boat that first tried to run me over then when I yielded slowed down and dunked me in its wake. I assumed the behaviour must have been due to the captain being a jackass, or wanting to show his clients a good time by dunking a windsurfer, or he had the right of way anyways or a combination of these factors.

Thanks.

[charlie12]

are you for real
if you think your going to pull right of way rule over boats ferrys and ships at crissy
you better think again
just stay out of in front of every one
you may last longer that way


the rule is
He who is BiGGer gos frist

[isobars]

Any commercial vessel, anywhere, any time has ROW over any pleasure craft. Violate that, and, if you survive, you are subject to very significant fines.

Besides, he slowed down for your safety (which will get you that big fine), and he didn't "dunk you" ... you fell down because you're not yet good enough to sail around big boats.

You would be very well advised to take a boating safety course, or at least read the book "Chapman Piloting: Seamanship & Small Boat Handling (Chapman Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling)". I recommend both, as most such course use that book. And this is advice, not criticism: learn more about sailing safety and get better at it before mixing it up with heavy traffic or the Golden Gate Bridge. This isn't a video game, especially in the San Francisco Bay.

Mike \m/

[human_catapult]

I thought everyone just tried to cross right behind the tour boats so you can get a jump off their wake. I figured the tour boat captains were in on it...

[jp5]

Crissy may not be a good place for this guy to sail.

[jse]

Welcome to iWindsurf forums. I see this is your first post. Sorry that it produced so many critical replies. Don't worry you're welcome here.

As for sailing Crissy, It can be sublime and it can be rediculous. I've had days under the north tower where the swell was like being in the deep end of a swimming pool. And I've had days where the chop was so nasty I swore I wouldn't return. But the worst was a windy Sunday afternoon: Container traffic, party boats, Red&White, Blue&Gold, at least 50 sailors and half as many kiters. If you sail every day like you would on a day like that, you'll do fine. Never challange anyone, not even a fellow sailor. Pick a safe line and follow it. Find a comfy spot - where the chop is not bone jarring and the wind is good and the traffic is light and stick there.

Most important: Look east and west for container traffic. Learn how fast they move - it's surprising. And don't even think of crossing in front of one unless it's at least 10 boat lenghts outside of the gate. Just park yourself on the north side or inside by Anita and wait for it to go by.

Steve

[yancek]

flamesuit on

As the question was technical in detail, it would be good if the answers are technical in detail too. Let's leave attitude out of this and just concentrate on right of way rules.

charlie12, you are especially rude and I am not sure you will make it in this economy with that attitude. Maybe you need to take a chill pill before you get into a shooting or something.

iso, jp, since you guys don't even sail Crissy you may need to consider how relevant you are to the question at hand before doling out your attitude.

Plenty of attitude, no technical response. Why are you guys wrapped up so thight anyways? It's Friday morning, relax ...

BTW, I was not try to pull ROW over the vessel, the vessel was vectoring in on me no matter what I did. If you guys were relevant to the issue at hand, you would have known that the distance between Anita Rock and shore is short, not a whole lot of room to change course for anyone. And wind may not be in that region so you are not in full planing speed a lot of times, further limiting your manevourability to slogging speeds...

again, let's just keep it civil and technical and maybe someone does actually have some technical information that they can post and we might something out of this, other then a juvenile rise.

[victor]

technically, it is unlawful to interfere with commercial boat traffic no matter who has the right of way. not sure a party/tour boat qualifies as commercial traffic but ferries, tankers and container ships definitely do.

realistically, on a sailboard if you collide with almost any watercraft larger than a swim noodle it's probbably going to mess you up to some degree.

regardless of legal right of way or common courtesy it is wise to stay clear of anything else in the water.

[jp5]

The same rules apply whether at Crissy or the Gorge or anywhere else. It is laughable that anyone would even attempt to "assume right of way" over a ferry, barge, tourist boat, container ship, nuclear submarine or any other commercial traffic that travels across your path. What ever happened to good old fashioned common sense?

[VinceSF]

In San Francisco, all I know is that the landlord always has right of way.