Exam prep
Practical guides to the COLREGS, buoyage, lights and shapes, and exam prep - written to be useful at the chart table, not just in the classroom.
Rule 13 Overtaking: The Rule That Overrides All Others
Rule 13 makes every overtaking vessel give-way, full stop. Here's how to identify an overtaking situation, apply the stern-light test, and know when you're finally clear.
Sound Signals Every Skipper Must Know: 1 Blast to 5
From one short blast to five, here is what COLREGS Rules 34 and 35 actually require - and where US Inland rules catch skippers out.
Rule 12 Explained: Which Sailing Vessel Gives Way?
Port tack, starboard tack, windward boat - Rule 12 ranks them all. Here's how to apply the hierarchy confidently at sea and in exams.
Stand-On vs Give-Way: Who Moves, and When Rules Change
Rule 16 and Rule 17 explained clearly - including the moment a stand-on vessel must stop standing on and take action.
Rule 5: why look-out is the rule examiners care about most
Every COLREGS incident report seems to cite Rule 5. What "a proper look-out by sight and hearing" actually demands, why it applies even at anchor watch, and how examiners test it.