Understanding Vessel Priority in COLREGs: Why Sailing Vessels Have the Lowest Priority

Outline snapshot (for clarity)

• Hook: boats don’t just share space on the water; they follow a language of rules.

• Quick refresher: COLREGs set a pecking order among vessel types to help ships decide who yields.

• The four types in question, in plain terms:

• Sailing vessel

• Constrained by draft

• Fishing vessel

• Restricted in her ability to maneuver

• The answer and why: among these four, the sailing vessel has the lowest priority.

• Real-world flavor: what this means when you’re steering, meeting, or passing another craft.

• Practical takeaways: a few simple mindsets to keep you safe out there.

• Closing thought: the road on the water can be choppy, but clarity keeps everyone moving smoothly.

Which vessel has the lowest priority? Let’s break it down, step by step.

Why a pecking order anyway?

Colregs isn’t about clever tricks or last-minute scrambles. It’s a shared grammar for ship traffic. Think of it as a traffic guidebook written by the sea itself. In any crossing or meeting, each vessel knows when to hold its course, when to slow down, and when to steer clear. The goal isn’t drama; it’s predictability. Predictability keeps crews, passengers, and cargo safe.

The four vessel types in question, in plain terms

Let me explain each category with a simple, real-world lens.

• Sailing vessel

A sailing vessel is one that uses sails as its primary propulsion (though many have auxiliary engines too). The key idea here is motion is not dominated by engine thrust. In the classic hierarchy, sailing vessels don’t automatically “own” the road. They’re not automatically able to scrub speed or make instant maneuvers the way some motorized ships can. In practice, that makes them somewhat less maneuverable in certain situations—especially when they’re close to the edge of weather and sea conditions.

• Constrained by draft

Picture a large cargo ship trying to thread through shallow channels or near harbors where depth matters. The vessel’s draft—the distance from the waterline to the bottom of the hull—limits where it can safely go. If a craft must keep to deeper water to avoid running aground, it can’t maneuver as freely as a shallower-draft boat. That constraint earns it a higher priority in many COLREGs scenarios because it can’t take aggressive evasive action without peril.

• Fishing vessel

A fishing vessel isn’t just another boat with nets or lines in tow. It can be actively deployed in a way that restricts its ability to swing, pivot, or alter course quickly. Gear, lines, and the wake from gear operation all factor into why other vessels often give this type a wide berth. The rules acknowledge that fishing vessels may need to hold steady for gear and catch operations, so they’re treated with a special degree of consideration.

• Restricted in her ability to maneuver

This one covers ships that are fixed in their capacity to move—think dredges, ships performing long towing operations, or vessels with heavy tows. If a vessel can’t easily alter its path due to its current task, the other vessels around it need to plan around that limited ability to change course. The emphasis here is safety and the reality that some operations simply can’t pivot fast.

The verdict: Sailing vessel has the lowest priority among these four

Given the standard sense of priority among COLREGs categories, the sailing vessel sits at the bottom of the list when you’re comparing these four types directly. In plain terms: when two or more vessels meet, the sailing vessel generally yields to the others because the others—by their nature—have more constrained maneuverability or a broader safety margin for avoiding collisions. If you’re choosing between a sailing vessel, a vessel constrained by draft, a fishing vessel, or a vessel restricted in her ability to maneuver, the sailing vessel is the one that should yield in typical crossing scenarios.

Of course, context matters

Here’s where the sea adds texture to the rulebook. The exact action a captain takes depends on visibility, speed, course, sea state, and the presence of other traffic. If a sailing vessel is the stand-on vessel in a given situation—or if environmental conditions demand a different course—then it’s not a blanket rule. Still, in the vast majority of crossing situations, the sailing vessel carries the lowest priority among those four categories.

A quick mental model you can carry on deck

• When you’re at sea, scan for the type of each vessel you meet. If you’re in a crossing situation with a sailing vessel, be mindful that it’s not automatically moving to your beat.

• If you’re one of the higher-priority types in this list (constrained by draft, fishing, or restricted in maneuverability), plan your pass well in advance. Communicate intent clearly if you can: reduce speed, alter course gradually, and give ample room.

• Keep your eyes on the water and your mind on the sequence of movements you expect from nearby ships. The better you read the scene, the safer the outcome.

A few real-world examples to ground the idea

• Crossing near a harbor entrance: You’re a motor vessel approaching a channel mouth. A sailing vessel is approaching from the opposite direction with some sail set. More often than not, you’ll adjust to ensure you don’t push the sailing vessel into a tight spot where wind and current might steer it toward danger.

• Narrow waterway with a dredger: A dredging barge (a constrained-by-draft vessel) is working in a channel. You as the pilot would typically keep a clear path or alter course gradually to avoid any chance of contact, since this ship’s maneuverability is limited by its task.

• Fishing boats at anchor near a reef: A pair of fishing boats may be working nets or gear off a coastline. Other traffic should plan to pass well clear, especially if the fishing vessels are not in a position to maneuver rapidly.

• A towing operation underway: If a ship is restricted in her ability to maneuver because of towing, the other vessels must respect that limitation and give space to allow safe passage.

Let’s connect the dots with small, practical takeaways

• Read the scene, not just the radar. The type of vessel tells you something about how it might move, but the real signal is the combination of speed, bearing, and relative position.

• Slow down early when there’s any doubt. If you’re unsure whether the other vessel will yield, the conservative move is to reduce speed and maintain a safe distance.

• Use clear, quiet signals. Sound signals and visible indicators help, but they aren’t substitutes for good situational awareness.

• Don’t chase the “right of way.” The safety priority is to avoid collision, not to win a rules argument. This is where practical seamanship beats pure legalism.

A closing thought for calmer seas

The COLREGs aren’t a museum of arcane rules; they’re a living toolkit for safe navigation. The idea that sailing vessels hold the lowest spot in this particular pecking order is a reminder that water traffic is a dynamic, crowded, sometimes messy dance. When you’re at the helm, you’re not just steering a boat—you’re reading the river of motion, predicting what others will do, and choosing the tempo that keeps everyone moving without incident.

If you ever feel a twinge of doubt in a crossing, remember the core mindset: understand the vessel types on the water, respect the limits of each craft, and prioritize safety above all. The sea rewards vigilance, clear thinking, and a little patience. And when you can weave those into your daily rhythm at sea, you’ll find that the rules aren’t a constraint—they’re a compass.

In sum, among the four vessel types—sailing vessel, constrained by draft, fishing vessel, and restricted in her ability to maneuver—the sailing vessel carries the lowest priority in typical COLREGs scenarios. That’s the practical takeaway you can carry into every voyage: know the hierarchy, watch the water, and choose a path that keeps everyone moving safely in harmony.