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Top 5 Ways To Learn COLREGS

    Learning the COLREGS can be a struggle!

     Let’s face it the collision regulations are a boring read, for many they are a guaranteed method for falling asleep. Yet as the seas become more congested our understanding and application of these rules is more important than ever

    Busy harbours are making COLREGS more important than ever.

    So how can we make memorizing and understanding the COLREGS more enjoyable?

    Although the sheer number of rules and fancy legal language may be off putting, the topic of collision avoidance can be fascinating. If you approach this subject in the right way you will complete your studies with a better understanding of your own learning style as well as a comprehensive knowledge of how to keep a ship safe at sea. 

    Here are the top 5 tried and tested methods for making learning the COLREGS more interesting. 

    1. Mneomics for learning the collision regulations

    A favourite of jack tar! I am often surprised by the creativity and obscenity of the mnemonics people use to remember some rules. This method of memorising suits lists and is therefore very helpful for remembering rules with many parts. 

    Example: Factors to take into account by all vessels when assessing safe speed (Rule 6)

    VD Makes Bad Willies Drip can cue us to;

    1. Visibility

    2. Density

    3. Manoeuvrability

    4. Background Light

    5. Weather

    6. Draught

    Once you have a good Mneomic for a particular rule you can test yourself by using Polly – our memory trainer app.

    2. COLREGs Posters and flash cards

    Posters and flash cards are a very effective method for learning the lights, shapes and signals. This way of learning is made even more powerful if you create the resources yourself. By getting a bit creative and making your own handy references you naturally produce new associations and memories that will help you recall information at a later date.

    Our free flash cards and worksheets come with instructions on how to get started with learning ships navigation lights, shapes and signals.

    For more information on this topic check out our Learning lights and shapes post.

    3. Study Groups - A great way to learn the rules

    Study and learn the COLREGs in groups, its alot more fun.

    This is a guaranteed way of making the process more interesting and I would highly recommend it. It also opens up the opportunity to share learning methods and talk about how you understand the rules of the road. I know a lot of people who have remembered a rule really quickly simply by asking a friend to explain to them how they learnt that part of the regs. This allows your brain to make an association with a person and place which is generally a much longer term way of memorising something. 

    A group quiz is a really great way to test yourself and think about the rules from an examiner’s perspective. In any case hanging out with your classmates is generally a lot more fun than sitting on your own reading the rules over and over again. 

     

    4. Visualisation - COLREGs in images.

    This is perhaps the least talked about but most effective method of learning subjects like the COLREGS. Even if you don’t regard yourself as a visual learner everybody’s brain is geared towards memorising information based on senses and experiences. This is the way that people memorise huge amounts of information in memory competitions and record breaking stunts. 

    Memory studies suggest that the more shocking or ridiculous something is, the more likely it is to be remembered – this can most definitely be applied to learning COLREGS as well as providing you with some bonus elementary level entertainment in the process.

    Our video series – How to Remember presents several visual stories that you can use for memorising ship’s navigation lights, shapes and signals. Once you have watched these videos, create your own visual story for memorising a rule that you struggle with. If you make the story unique and vivid you’ll still be able to remember it weeks later without any extra effort. 

    You can take this method one step further by using the memory palace technique. This method of remembering information is extremely effective. With enough practice you can remember a whole book and be able to recall information years later. 

    5. COLREGs Scenarios

    COLREG Rule 19 vessels in restricted visibility. This is a great collision regulation scenario to talk through with your shipmates.

    Reading the rules of the road is one thing but actually being able to see them used in practical examples reveals so much more. We are ultimately learning the COLREGS so that we can apply them at sea. So why not start with application? 

    There are some great case studies on the internet that give you some real life scenarios to wrap your head around. Just get googling and it won’t take you long to find something interesting. Before reading any analysis of the scenario ask yourself the question. What rules apply here? See if you can explain the rule out loud or even better recite the rule from memory. Use your phone to dictate it in to the Polly – Memory App  and you will get instant feedback on where you went wrong. 

    Next think about what other ways this situation could have been interpreted. Was everyone maintaining a good look out or proceeding at a safe speed. How might you argue the case for the vessel that initially appeared to be in the wrong?

    You will quickly find yourself moving through the regulations and developing a really good understanding of how the rules connect to each other.

    Final Words

    Although learning the COLREGs is not easy, it can be a really rewarding process. Many of the study skills you learn along the way can be used in other parts of you training. At the end of the day there is not better feeling than confidently making the right decision on the bridge, because you know that you understand and can recall the COLREGs in details. Good luck with your studies.