Right of Way in the Traffic Lanes

In a recent article on how to know if you are in the lanes or not, we received a question (below) in the comments that has come up before. We answered there, but expand a bit here with actual links.

"Rule 10 (j). A vessel of less than 20 meters in length or a sailing vessel shall not impede the safe passage of a power-driven vessel following a traffic lane."

Does this rule apply to ANY "power-driven vessel following a traffic lane", or just to power-driven vessels >20 meters which are using the shipping lane?

Asked another way, if two boats each < 20 meters are in the shipping lanes, one is following the edge of the lane motoring north, and another crossing over the lane heading west (on the stb. side of the boat heading north), which rule applies? (Rule 10j or "boat to stb"?)

Finally, same boat <20 meters, motoring north following the traffic lane, but with a boat also < 20 meters under sail crossing the lane (heading east, and to the port side of the boat motoring). Which rule applies? (Rule 10j or sail over motor?)

There seems to be a lot of confusion about this situation in the Sound.

There are two key references that answer your questions. First is the full set of Nav Rules, and we have a super convenient document online called Starpath Pocket Nav Rules Handbook.  You can use it for quick reference with all related documents in one place—in fact, they are all on one webpage. You can also save it to your phone.

The next key document is the Puget Sound VTS Users Manual, which very specifically addresses points raised in the questions. This is a very useful document for all Pacific Northwest boaters.

In Rule 10 (j) the statement “following a traffic lane” means a vessel in full participation in the VTS, which in practice are ships and tow boats, and other larger commercial vessels.  The key part of their full participation is their scheduled radio contact with the VTS center, along with actually following the lanes. These vessels are to be contrasted with vessels that just happen to be in the lanes at the moment, but later or earlier along their voyage they take other routes that do not follow the lanes.

The vessels you refer to are not "following the lanes," they just happen to be in them at the moment.

The User's Manual explains who is required to have full participation and who may participate and under what conditions they may do so when not required.

20m is not required;  >40m is.  In practice, recreational vessels are expected to participate passively, as defined in the manual. (I leave these terms undefined here to encourage reference to the Manual itself.)

The fact that the track of a vessel is parallel to the lane,  inside or outside of the actual lane boundaries, is not the key factor when interacting with a vessel clearly not required to follow the lanes with full participation.

First part answer:
“Does this rule apply to ANY "power-driven vessel following a traffic lane", or just to power-driven vessels >20 meters which are using the shipping lane? “

So the answer to that is NO,  and again using the lane is not the issue; it is participating in the VTS that matters,  which is here called following a lane.

Second part answer:

“Asked another way, if two boats each < 20 meters are in the shipping lanes, one is following the edge of the lane motoring north, and another crossing over the lane heading west (on the stb. side of the boat heading north), which rule applies? Rule 10(j) or 'boat to stb' ?”

Assuming neither are “following the lanes” as described, these are just two vessels interacting in open water that has lanes defined in them, in which case normal crossing rules or sail-power rules apply.

On the other hand, if there are indeed ships following the lanes in the near vicinity, then both of these vessels must not impede them.  Non-participating vessels are encouraged to use the inshore zones, not the lanes themselves, which would minimize such three vessel encounters.


Third part answer:
“Finally, same boat <20 meters, motoring north following the traffic lane, but with a boat also < 20 meters under sail crossing the lane (heading east, and to the port side of the boat motoring). Which rule applies? (Rule 10j or sail over motor?)”

Again, we have the same answer.  I can see there could be confusion about the wording, but I believe that once these points here are noted this should remove that confusion.

In other words, if you are not in full participation with the VTS, which in almost all cases, you would not be doing unless you are a vessel required to do so, you gain no special rights when sailing in the lanes, regardless of your course.  When you see other vessels not following the lanes in this sense, you interact as you would in open water, assuming there are no ships near by, as they then become, in the wording of  the Racing Rules (whether or not you are actually racing), obstacles to your course.

We are standing by for discussion if it might come up.