Know exactly who has to give way before you ever leave the dock.
Navigation rules can feel like a wall of legal jargon standing between you and confident boating. The Boater's Guide to Navigation Rules strips away the confusion and explains, in plain English, exactly how right-of-way, navigation lights, sound signals, and safe passage actually work - using real-world logic and original worked examples instead of dense legal text.
Written for recreational boaters, sailors, and anyone new to the water, this guide walks you through the underlying reasoning behind the rules of the road, so the ideas actually stick instead of just being memorized and forgotten.
What's inside:
- The real logic behind give-way and stand-on roles - and why they're roles, not "rights"
- How to instantly read meeting, crossing, and overtaking situations
- Decoding navigation lights and daytime shapes at a glance, without diagrams
- Sound and light signals explained in plain language, including fog and restricted-visibility procedures
- Special circumstances: narrow channels, traffic separation schemes, and reduced visibility
- Vessels with special status - fishing boats, sailing vessels, tows, and restricted-maneuverability craft
- Safe speed, proper lookout, and collision-avoidance judgment
- Over 100 original practice scenarios and FAQs to test your understanding
- A full glossary of nautical terms and a guide to finding the official COLREGS and Inland Rules text