NOTE: This cache is 1 of 16 associated with the Ol' Salty Dog's Maritime Mixer cache series.
Find your way to the physical cache container at the coordinates revealed by solving the puzzle below. In the physical cache container, attached to the log, you will find a "puzzle piece" that will get you one step closer to finding Ol' Salty Dog's Maritime Mixer.
The Navigation Rules for vessels at sea and on inland waters are much like the rules of the road for vehicles on the highway. They establish a consistent way to navigate safely and avoid collisions when two boats are crossing paths, are on course to meet head-on, or when one boat wishes to overtake another.
The International Rules were formalized in the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, and became effective on July 15, 1977. The Rules (commonly called 72 COLREGS) are part of the Convention, and vessels flying the flags of states ratifying the treaty are bound to the Rules. The United States has ratified this treaty and all United States flag vessels must adhere to the Rules where applicable.
The 72 COLREGS were developed by the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) which in May 1982 was renamed the International Maritime Organization (IMO). IMO's Assembly adopted a number of amendments to the 72 COLREGS during the 1980s which are part of the International Rules today. These Rules are applicable on waters outside of established navigational lines of demarcation. The lines are called COLREGS Demarcation Lines and delineate those waters upon which mariners shall comply with the Inland and International Rules.
Following the signing of the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, an effort was made to unify and update various inland navigation rules. This effort culminated in the enactment of the Inland Navigational Rules Act of 1980. International and Inland Rules and are very similar in both content and format. Rules for navigating vessels inland may differ somewhat, but the international rules specify that they should be as closely in line with the international rules as possible.
International Rules apply to all vessels upon the high seas and in all waters connected therewith navigable by seagoing vessels. Inland rules apply to all vessels upon the inland waters of the United States, and to vessels of the United States on the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes to the extent that there is no conflict with Canadian law. Locate a copy of the Navigation Rules of the Road and utilize your sleuthing skills to identify the number for each of the rules listed below. The last digit of the rule (annotated as A through J) will provide the needed number for each missing decimal minute digit of this puzzle cache's coordinates.
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N 46° AB.CDE'
W 111° FG.HIJ' |
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| A |
Rule #A - A power-driven vessel underway shall exhibit: Power Driven Vessel Underway 50m or greater (i) a masthead light forward; (ii) a second masthead light abaft of and higher than the forward one; except that a vessel of less than 50 meters in length shall not be obliged to exhibit such a light but may do so;Power Driven Vessel Underway less than 50m (iii) sidelights; and, (iv) a sternlight.
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| B |
Rule B - Any alteration of course and/or speed to avoid collision shall, if the circumstances of the case admit, be large enough to be readily apparent to another vessel observing visually or by radar; a succession of small alterations of course and/or speed should be avoided.
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| C |
Rule #C - Every vessel shall proceed at a safe speed adapted to the prevailing circumstances and conditions of restricted visibility. A power-driven vessel shall have her engines ready for immediate maneuver.
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| D |
Rule #D - When a vessel is in distress and requires assistance she shall use or exhibit the signals described in Annex IV to these Rules.
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| E |
Rule E - Every vessel shall use all available means appropriate to the prevailing circumstances and conditions to determine if risk of collision exists. If there is any doubt such risk shall be deemed to exist.
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| F |
Rule #F - When vessels are in sight of one, a power-driven vessel underway, when maneuvering as authorized or required by these Rules, shall indicate that maneuver by the following signals on her whistle...
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| G |
Rule #G - A vessel shall be deemed to be overtaking when coming up with a another vessel from a direction more than 22.5 degrees abaft her beam, that is, in such a position with reference to the vessel she is overtaking, that at night she would be able to see only the sternlight of that vessel but neither of her sidelights.
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| H |
Rule #H - "All-round light" means a light showing an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 360 degrees.
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| I |
Rule #I - Unless otherwise agreed, when two power-driven vessels are meeting on reciprocal or nearly reciprocal courses so as to involve risk of collision each shall alter her course to starboard so that each shall pass on the port side of the other.
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| J |
Rule #J - A vessel constrained by her draft may, in addition to the lights prescribed for power-driven vessels in Rule 23, exhibit where they can best be seen three all-round red lights in a vertical line, or a cylinder.
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