Paddling with the Big Boats: A ferry officer's advice

February-March 1996

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

by Gerry Lavalie, 2nd Officer, BCFC

I am occasionally asked what it is like to maneuver a large vessel when there are many small boats around. Eventually I found what I think is an honest analogy to the question. It's like driving a car through an elementary school playground at recess.

I've been a canoeist for twenty five years and a BC Ferry deck officer for thirteen years. I've been paddling in a small boat when a large ship went by and I've also been an officer-of-the-watch on a large vessel passing a small boat. Both situations can cause concern and always require due care and caution.

From the small boater's point of view, weather and tidal influences require that you navigate in specific ways if going from one place to another. If, on the other hand, you are out on the water for recreation only, then fun, relaxation, and maybe some excitement are the priorities. Believe me, being too close to 8,000 tons of steel approaching at twenty knots can cause unwanted excitement.

The marine phrase "Constant Vigilance" should not be under-rated. It is not unrealistic to think of yourself as invisible in a small boat near large vessels. Assuming ship's personnel cannot see you is a way of encouraging a more active role for yourself in avoiding a close quarters situation. The sooner the ship driver sees you the better, and since you can usually tell where the ship is going, the sooner you take steps to avoid a ship the safer you will be.

From the large vessel officer's point of view, all ship handling and maneuvering is regulated by "The Collision Regulations". The consequences of disobeying these regulations are very serious for any ship's deck officer.

Rule number five (near the front of the regulations indicating its importance) enforces the requirement for the officer to keep a safe lookout. Constantly watching out the windows, having the radar working and keeping an eye on the radar screen, listening to the radios, encouraging the seaman at the wheel to report any boats he sees, and staying focused on the job are all parts of keeping a safe lookout. The deck officer's expectation, with regard to other large vessels, is that the other ship is being maneuvered by someone who has to obey the same regulations. With regard to small boats, the ship's officer has no idea at all what that boat might do. Small boats can move very erratically and they can become erratic very quickly.

I work the Nanaimo-to-Horseshoe Bay route, in Howe Sound between Bowen Island and the mainland where there are many small vessels. Other ferry officers who work between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen tell me that Active Pass is similarly hectic.

 

Here are some general principles to keep in mind when paddling with the Big Boats: Constant Vigilance is required. Be aware of what is around you, especially behind. Wind conditions can muffle the sound of large diesel engines approaching. Small blue, green, white or grey boats tend to blend in and can be very difficult to see in the water. Canoes and kayaks have very poor radar reflectivity. This means that one of the "safe lookout" tools is less effective. An optical illusion is possible whereby the larger a moving thing is, the slower it appears to be travelling. Looking from a very low vantage point causes things to seem farther away. Ships may well be much closer than you think. Sea conditions affect your visibility to radar and eye. When the wind is up and the sea is choppy, boats up to 20 feet long might remain invisible on radar and not be seen by eye until less than a mile away. The weight of a large ship means than it may need close to a mile to stop. In the open, avoiding a small craft might be possible by quickly altering course. In a narrow channel the only option might be to slam the throttle handles in reverse and pray.

Gerry Lavallee is a 2nd Officer with BC Ferries based in Departure Bay, Nanaimo, B.C.