On Thursday, 9 April 2015 16:09:33 UTC+2, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 11:59:38 on Thu, 9 Apr 2015,
Robin remarked:
Hasn't radar been around for oh , 70 years or so? And how do they
cope in the dark?

Just think of the the fuss there'd be if a ferry rolled over a
canoe/kayak in the fog. Radar doesn't show such things. So I can
understand the operators approach. I may not like it but they are just
responding to the risk-aversion/someone-must-be-blamed culture endemic
now in Britain.

Dark is different. The ferries have lamps. Canoers etc must have a torch
they can use in sufficient time to prevent collision and all but the
most stupid will have reflective clothing and show a light.

I highly suspect that things like the Woolwich Ferry are craft that
*everyone* has to aware of, and beware of, and give way to. A bit like
HSTs at level crossings.

I disagree. The ferries are relatively manoueverable and some pretty substantial ships make their way up the Thames past Woolwich from time to time. Certainly everyone has to be aware of them, but there will be situations in which the ferry is the give-way vessel. The rules for the prevention of collision at sea give a variety of general rules regarding right of way, and there will no doubt be local regulations from the PLA, as well as active control particularly when larger vessels are making their way up or down the river.

Robin