Bob, I'm not disagreeing with you but I guess we have skippers of ships and yachts on this site. Hope they learn. I see "yacht idiots" too often here between the meccas of Hamble and Cowes jostling with the "Clear Channel" merchant ships.

And if the yacht replies with one blast they are agreeing to passing port to port (Red to red)? Which is preferable 5 short blasts (danger warning) or 1 long (confusion?).Same time duration.

Five short blasts is the official "danger" signal but one long one is the one most used to tell stupid yachties to "get out of my ****** way!"

One long is not the correct/official warning signal but I guess the yacht skipper would not know any different.

The yacht crossing the deep water channel ahead of the RUBY ENTERPRISE was clearly causing the pilot and master some concern. One long blast was sounded as a warning.