Seamanship

Seamanship on the farm goes hand-in-hand with common sense. Employees should always keep an eye on their surroundings, taking note of shifts in weather and wind patterns. They should be aware of the tides and currents and plan accordingly. Good seamanship on the farm is characterized by vigilance, attention to detail, and the propensity for problem-solving. Many of the most common problems encountered on the farm can be avoided with a combination of routine maintenance checks, foresight, and planning.

On the farm, most work takes place in small skiffs. These boats are versatile and easy to maneuver, making it easy to conduct work both inside and outside designated channels. Despite their versatility, employees should follow all navigational rules and travel at safe and respectful speeds throughout the work day. Unless channels are marked with “No Wake” zones, skippers are left to judge safe speeds for themselves. They should always take into consideration tides, currents, visibility, traffic, and the boat’s ability to maneuver. Maintaining a respectful speed is especially important for farms located in residential areas and busy harbors where many are quick to form judgments of the working waterfront. It is advisable to practice best seamanship while being stewards of the rivers, estuaries and bays where you work.

Rules of the Road

The basic rule of “good seamanship” is to avoid collisions at all costs! This means practicing good seamanship, keeping a watchful eye at all times, and maintaining a safe speed and distance. In general, power boats give way to sail boats as well as any vessel with restricted ability to maneuver (this includes boats engaged in dragging or fishing). In narrow channels, boats should stay to the right side of the channel unless there is a navigational indication otherwise.

Encounters with other vessels:

In a head-on encounter, neither boat has right of way. The general rule is that boats should keep starboard (right), the same way you would if encountering an oncoming car on the road and pass “port to port”

In a situation where one boat is overtaking another, it is the responsibility of the overtaking boat to stay safely clear of the overtaken boat.

In a crossing situation, the vessel on the operator’s port (left) side must give way.

Navigation

Employees should have extensive knowledge of the waters surrounding the farm site. This includes knowing the locations of navigational buoys, shallow areas, high traffic areas, moorings, and floating gear that is easily snagged.

Charts and Navigation

Larger vessels should be equipped with paper charts and/or chart plotters and GPS systems. Employees should be able to read a chart to ensure safe travel over the water at all times. Charts can be purchased electronically from the NOAA website or in “chartbooks” sold at most marine stores. Like maps, nautical charts include information about water depth (soundings), hazards and aids to navigation, channels, land area, shorelines, bottom type (sandy, rocky, mud etc.), shore facilities, and traffic patterns. Below are few important notes to keep in mind:

Distances on nautical charts are given in nautical miles (6076 ft or slightly over one statute mile (5,280 ft)
One nautical mile corresponds to one minute (1/60th of a degree) of latitude
Depth soundings are recorded in feet, indicate the depths at mean lower low water, and represent the average depth at the lowest low tide of the day. This is important to note in coastal Maine waters where tidal ranges can be over 12 feet.

Navigational Aids

Aids to navigation are meant to give you a series of floating or fixed objects meant to indicate channels, hazards, ledges, or shallow areas. They can take many forms such as buoys, beacons, lighthouses, pieces of wood, or rock piles.

Red buoys mark the starboard (right) side of a channel when entering (returning) from sea. You must pass these buoys by keeping them to starboard. A helpful phrase to remember is “red, right, returning,” meaning pass red buoys on the right when you are returning from sea.

Green buoys mark the port (left) side of a channel when entering from sea. Green buoys should always be passed to port.

Can Buoy: These are odd numbered floating cylinder buoys. Cans are usually green and are most commonly used to mark channels.

Nun Buoy: These are even numbered floating buoys shaped like a cylinder with a cone on top. They are typically red and are often used alongside cans to mark channels and shallow areas.

Bell Buoy: Bell buoys are large tower-like structures equipped with a bell. Bell buoys are typically located at the entrances to harbors or areas with significant traffic or wave action.

Day Beacon: These beacons are fixed to a substrate and often indicate ledges, rocks, shallow areas, or other navigational hazards. They are often equipped with a light and reflective surface.

The images below depict the most common types of non-lateral markers, which are typically orange and white buoys that provide information beyond water safety.