McLendon's Nautical Rules of the Road

Free versions of the COLREGS are located here.
I am now getting over 10,000 hits per month. I guess that means sombody is interested in this stuff
so I have put my resume back onto the site and added the official U.S. version of the Inland Rules and the COLREGS.

`Hello Mariners and Welcome! Now available is a new version of Rules For The Rest Of Us. Included is a crisper discussion of the miscellany in Rule 1, a surprising new court case, the latest USCG Inland Rules corrections (some of which were already in the older version) and all the latest on the Nov. 2003 update to the International Rules.`

"Masters who choose
to divine the purposes of other vessels
and keep on,
may avoid the charge of overcaution,
but they take their chances.

If they escape, well and good;
if they fail,
their owners pay."

Justice Learned Hand - A. H. Bull S.S. Co. v. United States, 34 F.2d 614, 616 (2d Cir. 1929).

Hey!(That's how we say hello in the South). My name is John McLendon. My hobby is the nautical rules of the road, also known as the COLREGs. I have been teaching boating related topics in Raleigh, N.C. for about the past 12 years for a non-profit organization and have been operating various kinds of boats for about 22 plus years. I hold a current USCG Master's license along with various ASMFC and NMFS licenses, a North Carolina For Hire license as well as an Amateur Radio Service License (Technician Plus).

I have put this material on the web for the education of the general public (and so I can just point to this web page when referencing something in a discussion). I will occasionally update it with new articles and new revisions of the existing material, so you might want to check back occasionally. I hope this information is helpful to you and will help to keep you safe on the water.

Ahoy All Hands - This is kind of out of my area, but I have been contacted on occasion by folks looking over my material while seeking some sort of USCG license. Having had some experience teaching and some experience with USCG examinations - I do not recommend these discussion or the "Rules for the Rest Of Us" manual as examination preparation material. One will be much better served by seeking out some type of test preparation study guide like that offered by Starpath. The most important thing in considering purchase of study material is considering you learning style. My learning style adapts very well to intermediate term repetition of randomly generated questionaires for tests involving a multiple choice format, i.e. the USCG Rules of the Road Exam.

Nothing in the material contained on this page or in the links referenced by this page is to be construed as legal advice. For legal advice, please consult a competent attorney specializing in the area in which you require assistance.

John...

The links in the next two sections all link to Adobe .pdf files. "Rules For The Rest Of Us" is formatted to be printed double sided. That means there are some blank pages. These are the back sides of the previous pages.

COLREGs

Rules For The Rest Of Us - The Rules of the Road - includes many relevant court decisions (updated 12-Apr-2004).
COMMDINST 16672.2D - The U.S. version of the navigation rules. This is public domain material.

Articles

Right Of Way - No Way - A little diatribe on the misuse of the phrase "Right Of Way."
Four Not-So-Famous Wrecks - A layman's introduction to some basic admiralty decisions.
Responsibilities While Operating Astern Propulsion- Answers to recurring questions about backing. Read this and then look at the last picture.
A Discussion of the Differing Obligations Among Vessels - More detail than the layman's "Right Of Way" article.

Pictures

Stuff that landlubbers don't get to see...

Shallowbag Bay (Manteo NC) and Beaufort, NC

Just inside the stream on the way back from Mahi hunting out of Morehead and Running toward Cape Fear near the Oak Island light.

Cape Lookout light from inside the hook and a barge behind Oak Island

A Moran tug in the Savannah River

Starboard sidelights on a N.C. ferry. Look closely! Which way is the bow?

My son in the Savannah River - before we started catching fish.

My Boating Background

Boating Resume

I'm more than happy to answer questions - when I can find an answer - particularly if the problem is a knotty one. You can email me here. But, please do not email me your individual "legal" opinions unless you are a sitting judge. I don't make this stuff up. I just report it.

Legal Stuff

Here's the deal, folks. All of the material, except items specifically designated as coming from others, is (c) Copyright 2000-2004 by John McLendon. You are granted a license a possess one copy of each item for your exclusive personal use. You may freely link to this page. You may not link to any of the internal links on this page because it will bypass this license notice.

You are specifically prohibited from using my material in any commercial enterprise or any other endeavor in which you may or do receive remuneration or any other monetary or commercial advantage without prior written permission from me. This prohibition is expressly waived for U.S.C.G. licensed masters and crew while aboard to the extent that any additional copies are necessary for a licensed individual to comply with 33 CFR 88.05.

Any and all other rights are reserved to me.

John...