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Colregs - IRPCS - Collision Regs Test yourself online RYA Day Skipper and Yachtmaster International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea Mouse click or Page Down to start ©

2. Day Skipper Colregs
Before the detailed Collision Regs examples, there is a short section on what you need to know for the RYA Day Skipper course.
The full text of IRPCS is here:

3. Day Skipper - Colregs 2 General Rules for Priority:
1. Not Under Command 2. Restricted Ability to Manoeuvre 3. Constrained by Draught 4. Fishing 5. Sail 6. Motor (including motor sailing) Tugs are treated as motor vessels, unless they are also RAM or CBD
Exceptions to General Rules: Narrow channels Traffic Separation Schemes.
Overtaking boats keep clear - sail and power.
Sailing Rules
1. Starboard tack boat 2. Port tack boat Sailing boats on the same tack: Windward boat keeps clear.
Motoring Rules
Boats meeting head on - both turn to starboard.
If two power vessels are crossing, the boat which has the other on her own starboard side shall keep out of the way.

4. Day Skipper Colregs 3
What is the meaning of this sign?
What are the rules concerning lookout?
Vessel at anchor
Keep a good lookout at all times by all possible means
What is the meaning of this flag ?
Do the words ‘Right of Way’ appear in the Rules? No
Diver down
Keep well clear at slow speed

5. Day Skipper Colregs Sailing vessel Motor sailing Vessel fishing
Two motor boats meet head on, what action is required?
What is the meaning of this sign?
Head on: Turn to Starboard Keep to Starboard side of channel
Sailing vessel
Motor sailing
What is the meaning of this sign?
Two motor boats converge B A
Converging: Boat on right stands on
B goes behind, slows down or stops
Vessel fishing

6. Day Skipper Colregs 5 give type of vessel, size and aspect
What vessel carries these lights?
What vessel carries this light?
Over 50m long
Motor vessel
from ahead
What vessel carries this light?
Vessel at anchor
Stern light - any vessel
Sailing Port side
Small craft

7. Any overtaking vessel must keep clear
Overtaking - Rule 13
When is a vessel overtaking?
A planing sailing dinghy is overtaking a motor cruiser.
Which keeps clear?
When it is approaching from an angle more than 22.5º abaft the beam of another vessel (ie in the arc of the stern light).
22.5º
Any overtaking vessel must keep clear

8. Rule
Which vessels can you distinguish as either ‘under way’ or ‘making way’ at night?
Not Under Command
Restricted Ability to Manœuvre
Fishing
All other vessels can only be identified as ‘under way’ at night.

9. How do vessels at night indicate they are making way?
Rule
How do vessels at night indicate they are making way?
Not Under Command:
shows side and stern lights NB no steaming light at masthead.
Restricted Ability to Manœuvre, and Fishing:
show side lights, stern lights and masthead (steaming) lights.

10. Which vessels can only be distinguished as ‘under way’ at night?
Rule
Which vessels can only be distinguished as ‘under way’ at night?
Sail
Power
Constrained By Draught
Pilot
Define Tugs as ‘Towing’.

11. Definitions - Rule 21
Match the lights listed to their arcs of visibility:
Masthead light, Sidelight, Stern light, All round light
360º
112.5º on each side of bow
112.5º on one side of bow only
67.5º on each side of stern
All-round light
Masthead light
Side light
Stern light (overtaking sector is 22.5 º aft of the beam)

12. Rule 24
What additional lights are shown by a tug with:
length of tow 200m or less
length of tow greater than 200m?
One additional masthead light.
Yellow towing light at the stern
Two additional masthead lights
Yellow towing light at the stern

13. What lights are shown by a vessel being towed?
Rule 24
What lights are shown by a vessel being towed?
Sidelights and a Sternlight
(Same as a sailing vessel, ie no power)

14. Fishing Vessels - Rule 26
What additional lights must a vessel engaged in trawling show at night?
What shape must it show by day?
All-round green over all-round white
Two cones, apex together

15. Rule 26 All-round red over all round white
What additional lights must a vessel engaged in fishing other than trawling show at night?
When its gear extends more than 150m to the side what further additional light and shape must it show?
All-round red over all round white
All-round white light in the direction of the gear

16. Rule 27
What additional lights are shown by a vessel not under command?
What shape does it show by day?
Two all-round red lights
Two balls in a vertical line

17. What shapes does it show by day?
Vessels not under command or restricted in ability to manoeuvre - Rule 27
What additional lights are shown by a vessel restricted in its ability to manœuvre?
What shapes does it show by day?
All-round red, white, red in a vertical line
Ball, diamond, ball in a vertical line
1 metre apart

18. Rule 27
What lights and shapes are shown by a vessel engaged in dredging or underwater operations to show which side to pass?
The safe side?
Unsafe: two 360º red lights vertical
Two balls vertically
Safe: two 360 º green lights vertical
Two diamonds vertical

19. Three balls located as above
Rule 27
What additional lights are shown by a minesweeper at work?
What shapes by day?
Three all-round green lights, one at the masthead and one at the end of each yard
Three balls located as above

20. Three all-round red lights
Rule 28
What additional lights are shown by a vessel constrained by her draught?
What shape is shown by day?
Three all-round red lights
A cylinder
1m x 2m

21. All-round white over all-round red
Rule 29
What additional lights are shown by a vessel on pilot duty?
What will the pilot vessel show by day?
What sound signals are made by a pilot vessel on duty
All-round white over all-round red
Flag ‘H’
Four short blasts (Morse ‘H’)

22. Rule 30 All-round white light forward A ball forward
What lights are shown by vessels less than 50m in length at anchor?
What shape by day?
What additional light is shown at anchor by a vessel > 50m long?
All-round white light forward
A ball forward
An all-round white light low down near the stern
> 50 m port aspect

23. What lights are shown by vessels aground?
Rule 30
What lights are shown by vessels aground?
What shape by day?
Anchor lights plus two vertical all-round red lights
Port side > 50m)
Three balls in a vertical line

24. Manœuvring and Warning Signals - Rule 34
When a vessel makes the following sound signals in good visibility what do they mean?
One short blast
Two short blasts
Three short blasts
Five or more short rapid blasts
I am altering course to starboard
I am altering course to port
I am operating astern propulsion
What are your intentions

25. Manœuvring and Warning Signals - Rule 34
What do the following signals mean when made between vessels in a narrow channel?
One long blast
Two long followed by one short blast
Two long followed by two short blasts
One long, one short, one long & one short
Vessels approaching blind bend (here I come sounding one)
I intend to overtake on your starboard side
I intend to overtake on your port side
‘Affirmative’ (by vessel being overtaken)

26. Manœuvring and Warning Signals - Rule 35
What sounds should the following vessels make in restricted visibility?
A vessel not under command
A vessel restricted in ability to manoeuvre
A vessel constrained by draught
A fishing vessel
A sailing vessel
A tug
One long followed by two short blasts every 2 mins

27. Manœuvring and Warning Signals - Rule 35
What sounds should the following vessels make in restricted visibility?
Power vessel making way
Power driven vessel stopped, not making way
A vessel constrained by draught
A sailing vessel
A Pilot boat on duty
One long blast every 2 minutes
Two long blasts every 2 minutes
One long followed by two short every 2 mins
One long followed by two short every 2 mins
Four short blasts (in addition to one long blast for a motor vessel)

28. Manœuvring and Warning Signals - Rule 35
In fog , you hear one long blast followed by three short. What is it?
In fog, you hear a bell rung rapidly for 5 seconds. What is it?
In fog, you hear this signal. What is it?
A vessel under tow (last vessel in tow)
A vessel less than 100m long at anchor
Warning of collision - signal by vessel at anchor

29. Manœuvring and Warning Signals - Rule 35
In fog , you hear one long blast followed by three short. What is it?
In fog, you hear a bell rung rapidly for 5 seconds, then a gong, every minute. What is it?
A vessel under tow (last vessel in tow)
A vessel >100m long at anchor
Forward
Aft

30. Distress Signals - Rule 37
What are the International Distress signals?

31. More IRPCS Test Questions
In the questions that follow, give all possible information:
Type of vessel (NUC, RAM, CBD etc)
Power or sail
Under way or making way
Length
Aspect (starboard, port, stern, bow)
Length of tug and Length of tow
It can help to draw up a table like this, and complete all possible items
Vessel type
Power / sail
Length
Aspect
Underway Making way
Tug Tow

32. More IRPCS Test Questions
You see a single white light. What is it? (3 answers)
The stern light of another boat
An anchor light
A light shown by a vessel < 7m and < 7 knots eg a small motor boat or dinghy with a torch

33. More IRPCS Test Questions
When does a sailing vessel on starboard tack give way to another vessel?
When it is overtaking boat
When it is to windward of another boat on starboard tack
When it meets another vessel which is NUC, RAM, CBD, Fishing.
When it meets a motor vessel which can only navigate within a narrow channel, or in a Traffic Separation Scheme.

34. More IRPCS Test Questions
What vessel shows the following lights?
> 50m long
Constrained by Draught
Under way
Motor vessel
Bow aspect

35. More IRPCS Test Questions
What vessel shows the following lights?
Vessel Not under command
Starboard aspect
Making way
Length not known

36. More Colregs Test Questions
What vessel shows the following lights?
Vessel Trawling
Stern aspect
Making way
Length not known

37. More Colregs Test Questions
What vessel shows the following lights?
Vessel towing
Stern aspect
Length not known

38. More Colregs Test Questions
What vessel shows the following lights?
Sailing Vessel
Under way
Starboard aspect
Length < 20m

39. More IRPCS Test Questions
What vessel shows the following lights?
Vessel at anchor
Starboard aspect
Length > 50m

40. More Collision Regs questions
What vessel carries these lights?
Vessel towing. Length over 50m. Port side. Tow less than 200 metres long
What vessel carries these lights?
Vessel towing, length under 50m. Starboard side
Tow over 200 metres long

41. More IRPCS Test Questions
What is meant by the following sound signals??
Motor vessel – stopped in restricted visibility
Additional warning – vessel anchored in restricted visibility
My engines are in astern propulsion
Pilot vessel – making way in fog
I intend to overtake to starboard
I intend to overtake to port
Affirmative

42. International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea
Colregs, IRPCS,
International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea