08 LC 35
0649
House
Bill 964
By:
Representatives Day of the
163rd,
Williams of the
178th,
Gardner of the
57th,
and Carter of the
159th
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
AN ACT
To
amend Code Section 52-7-18 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating
to the rules of the road for boat traffic, so as to revise provisions relating
to the operation of certain vessels in Georgia ports and harbors; to provide for
related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other
purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Code
Section 52-7-18 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the rules
of the road for boat traffic, is amended as follows:
"52-7-18.
(a)
All vessels operating on the coastal waters of this state shall conform to the
'Steering and Sailing Rules' established by Section II, Rules 11 through 18, of
the International Navigation Rules Act of 1977, as amended.
(b)
All vessels operating on the inland waters of this state shall conform to the
'Steering and Sailing Rules' established by Subpart II, Rules 11 through 18, of
the Inland Navigation Rules Act of 1980, as amended.
(c)
It shall be the duty of each operator to keep his
or
her vessel to the starboard or right side
of the center of any channel, stream, or other narrow body of water; provided,
however,
that
this provision shall not give to the operator of a sailing vessel the right to
hamper, in a narrow channel, the safe passage of another vessel which can
navigate only inside that channel.
(d)
Powered vessels approaching nonpowered vessels shall reduce their speed so that
their wake shall not endanger the life or property of those occupying the
nonpowered vessel.
(e)
Whenever a vessel approaches a bend, point, or other blind area, it shall be the
duty of the operator to:
(1)
Move as far to the right or starboard as possible;
(2)
Reduce speed to allow for an unexpected stop if necessary; and
(3)
Sound a blast of eight to ten seconds´ duration on a sounding device if
such a device is carried.
(f)
No person shall operate any vessel or tow a person or persons on water skis, an
aquaplane, a surfboard, or any similar device on the waters of this state at a
speed greater than idle speed within 100 feet of any vessel which is moored,
anchored, or adrift outside normal traffic channels, or any wharf, dock, pier,
piling, bridge structure or abutment, person in the water, or shoreline adjacent
to a full-time or part-time residence, public park, public beach, public
swimming area, marina, restaurant, or other public use area. This subsection
shall not be interpreted to prohibit any person from initiating or terminating
water skiing from any wharf, dock, or pier owned by such person or used by such
person with the permission of the owner of said wharf, dock, or pier nor shall
it be interpreted to prohibit the immediate return of a tow vessel to a downed
water skier.
(g)
No vessel shall run around or within 100 feet of another vessel at a speed
greater than idle speed unless such vessel is overtaking or meeting such other
vessel in compliance with the rules of the road for vessel traffic.
(h)
In any port or harbor of this state, no vessel less than 75 feet in length shall
at any time be operated within 100 feet of any vessel 100 feet in length or
greater while such longer vessel is in operation.
(h)(i)
No vessel shall be operated in such a manner as to ride or jump the wake of
another vessel within 100 feet of such other vessel unless the vessel is
overtaking or meeting such other vessel in compliance with the rules of the road
for vessel traffic and, having passed or overtaken such other vessel, the
operator of the passing or overtaking vessel shall not change or reverse course
for the purpose of riding or jumping the wake of such other vessel within 100
feet of such other vessel.
(i)(j)
Subsections
(f), (g),
and (h)
through
(i) of this Code section shall not apply
to ocean-going ships or to tugboats or other powered vessels which are assisting
ocean-going ships during transit or during docking or undocking
maneuvers."
SECTION
2.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.