Meeting and crossing, Inland
Passing agreed by radio
A vessel that reaches agreement by radiotelephone or otherwise isn't obliged to sound the whistle signals, but may. If no agreement is reached, whistle signals shall be exchanged in a timely manner and prevail.
Who sounds it
Vessels in a head-on, crossing or overtaking situation.
How it's sounded
No sound is required when agreement is reached.
A short blast is about 1 second. A prolonged blast is 4 to 6 seconds. Clips use 1 and 5 seconds.
Worth remembering
Inland only. The International rules have no matching paragraph.
More in meeting and crossing
- Altering course to starboardInternationalone short blast
- Altering course to portInternationaltwo short blasts
- Operating astern propulsionInternational and Inlandthree short blasts
- Proposing a port-to-port passInlandone short blast
- Proposing a starboard-to-starboard passInlandtwo short blasts
- Agreeing to a port-to-port passInlandone short blast
- Agreeing to a starboard-to-starboard passInlandtwo short blasts
Study more
See every sound signal, try the free Rules of the Road practice test, or read who gives way, and how Inland differs.
Learn the whole set
Helm drills every signal with flashcards and spaced review, on the web and iPhone.
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