If you determine you are being impeded and the other vessel has not taken action, what should you do?

• A. Maintain course and speed and hope they yield
• B. Give way by significantly reducing speed and allowing the other vessel to pass ahead
• C. Stop immediately
• D. Sound three short blasts and continue

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that when you’re being impeded and the other vessel has not taken action, you must be the one to maneuver to avoid a collision. That means you take early and substantial action to give way. Slowing way down significantly is a clear and effective way to create space and reduce the risk of a collision, and by doing so you allow the other vessel to pass ahead of you safely. This demonstrates you are yielding to prevent danger, which is exactly what the give-way vessel is obliged to do.

Keeping your course and speed would ignore your duty to act, stopping immediately can introduce new hazards or trap you in a traffic pattern, and relying on a warning signal without making the necessary maneuver does not fulfill the required action to avoid collision.