The moral of this is:—Keep out of the way of the big steamers, not by getting flurried and altering your course at the last moment, against all the rules of the road, and so putting yourself in the wrong if there is a collision, but by altering your course and showing them your intentions some time before they are near you.
Art. 14.—When two sailing ships are approaching one another, so as to involve risk of collision, one of them shall keep out of the way of the other, as follows, viz.:—
(a) A ship which is running free shall keep out of the way of a ship which is close hauled.
(b) A ship which is close hauled on the port tack shall keep out of the way of a ship which is close hauled on the starboard tack.
(c) When both are running free with the wind on different sides, the ship which has the wind on the port side shall keep out of the way of the other.
(d) When both are running free with the wind on the same side, the ship which is to windward shall keep out of the way of the ship which is to leeward.
(e) A ship which has the wind aft shall keep out of the way of the other ship.
Art. 15.—If two ships under steam are meeting end on, or nearly end on, so as to involve risk of collision, each shall alter her course to starboard, so that each may pass on the port side of the other.
This Article only applies to cases where ships are meeting end on, or nearly end on in such a manner as to involve risk of collision, and does not apply to two ships which must, if both keep on their respective courses, pass clear of each other.
The only cases to which it does apply are, when each of the two ships is end on, or nearly end on, to the other; in other words, to cases in which, by day, each ship sees the masts of the other in a line, or nearly in a line, with her own; and by night, to cases in which each ship is in such a position as to see both the side lights of the other.