The Captain's guide to what the Beagle Editor calls "ship hooters"

If you were around the Sound on Tuesday afternoon, you will have heard five short blasts from the Pont Aven. 

So what does this sound signal indicate?  Well, first a few definitions. 

A ‘short’ blast is about one second, whereas a ‘prolonged’ blast is 4-6 seconds long.  You may not be surprised to know that ‘The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea’, commonly known to sailors as the ‘Rule of the Road’, even lays down what frequency a sound signal should be based on the length of the sounding vessel! 

So, in theory, if you hear a loud rumble, it is likely to come from a ship over 200 metres long, whereas a much shriller signal should be a ship (or boat) of under 20 metres. 

But to get back to the four common sound signals.  There are one, two, three and five short blasts.  The meanings are:

• One short blast – “I am altering my course to starboard”
• Two short blasts – “I am altering my course to port”
• Three short blasts – “I am operating astern propulsion”.
• Five short blasts means that “one vessel fails to understand the intentions or actions of the other” – in plain sailor-speak “what are you doing?  You’re in my way, in danger etc.”

Note that 1-3 indicate future ship movement – so, for example, three short blasts means my engines are going astern – not that I have yet gathered sternway. There may be an appreciable delay before the ship actually starts to slow down, let alone go astern. 

So this week, as Pont Aven headed towards the West Hoe through Asia Pass – the shallower channel nearer Drake’s Island that can be used at high water – there was a yacht anchored in Asia Pass. 

Pont Aven cannot safely leave this channel and, initially, probably did not realise that this yacht was at anchor (no anchor ball – a subject I’ll cover in a future Scene on the Sound). 

A passing tug, the Citadel, ‘explained’ to the yacht’s crew what the problem was and their anchor was hastily raised, whilst Pont Aven ‘hovered’ in the channel.  Fortunately there was not a strong wind blowing or Pont Aven might have been in real difficulty – but in those circumstances, she would probably have used the deeper channel - Smeaton’s Pass. 

So – if you hear five short blasts – look up and see what’s going on.  Someone on the Sound is getting grumpy!