Peel Ports get tough with jet ski - fines and compensation total £3.950

AntarcticPilot

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There was a boy in my 6th form with a terrible stammer. Unfortunately, he was called Whitmarsh, which didn't help at all when asked to say his name.
Speech impediments are many and various. I once collaborated with a guy who had a REALLY bad stammer; it was just as frustrating for him as for everyone else. The worst bit was seeing where a sentence was going and anticipating the stammer. But he was one of the most intelligent people I've ever worked with - and I've been in academic research most of my life! At the other end of the scale, my brother was born with a tied tongue, and although the doctor cut the membrane under his tongue while he was a baby (that's not usual these days, but it's over 60 years ago!), he struggled with his "R"'s for most of his childhood.

I personally find making fun of people who are different offensive - I didn't even like "Some Mother's do Have Them" with Michael Crawford, even though it was often sympathetic to the character of Frank Spencer. And making fun of speech impediments is either cruel or offensive or both - it's certainly not funny! Speech mannerisms and even local accents are another matter - they're fair game, as people can easily learn different habits of speech. But there's a difference between making fun of something people have the ability to change and something that they can't change.
 

johnalison

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Speech impediments are many and various. I once collaborated with a guy who had a REALLY bad stammer; it was just as frustrating for him as for everyone else. The worst bit was seeing where a sentence was going and anticipating the stammer. But he was one of the most intelligent people I've ever worked with - and I've been in academic research most of my life! At the other end of the scale, my brother was born with a tied tongue, and although the doctor cut the membrane under his tongue while he was a baby (that's not usual these days, but it's over 60 years ago!), he struggled with his "R"'s for most of his childhood.

I personally find making fun of people who are different offensive - I didn't even like "Some Mother's do Have Them" with Michael Crawford, even though it was often sympathetic to the character of Frank Spencer. And making fun of speech impediments is either cruel or offensive or both - it's certainly not funny! Speech mannerisms and even local accents are another matter - they're fair game, as people can easily learn different habits of speech. But there's a difference between making fun of something people have the ability to change and something that they can't change.
I haven't heard complaints about Ronnie Barker's adopted stammer in 'Open all hours', but I have to admit that I haven't looked for them. I think that his portrayal was done in a reasonably affectionate manner, but maybe a sufferer might think otherwise. Almost all disabilities have been objects of ridicule, but the dividing line seems to be that we find partial disability potentially funny but not the whole thing. Thus, blindness and deafness are not funny, but Mr Magoo's short-sightedness and actors playing the slightly hard of hearing can be.
 

tony_lavelle

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On 10 December 2020 in Medway Magistrates Court a jet ski rider was convicted of failing to navigate his vessel with the requisite level of care and that he had been in charge of his vessel whilst unfit by reason of drink on 26 April 2020 when he collided with another vessel which sunk and causing serious injury.

Peel Ports gets tough on dangerous boaters
It was a motor cruiser, not a jet ski, that hit the dinghy injuring an occupant. Peel Ports used the term "water craft" which is unhelpful.
 

Tomahawk

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Oh, there are loads of people laughing at me! ?

As I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting face to face, I was totally unaware of your speech issue. But some the day we do meet, I am not interested in your speech issue... I am very much interested in and appreciative of your work in Crossing the Thames Estuary..

Next time you take the first left and first right... please call ..
 

seivadnehpets

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Yes
It was a motor cruiser, not a jet ski, that hit the dinghy injuring an occupant. Peel Ports used the term "water craft" which is unhelpful.

Yes this conjures a different picture. I understood a yacht had sunk and that some meathead had lost control doing doughnuts around it.

Was there any reliable witness statement?
 

Capt Popeye

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Might venture the opinion though that Jet Bikes or whatever do get a raw deal down Teignmouth way; they are instructed to only enter the River Teign on thier way OUT of the river or on their way IN the river in order to launch or recover at a designated slipway. Plus whilst doing this they must keep to the Speed Limits and Navigation rules

BUT, there is facility and provision for other Fast Speed Boats to exceed the speed limits etc a couple of miles up river at Coombe Cellars, but its only allowed to Speed if a Member of the local Ski Club ; its not that well monitored so guess that some Speedboats that use the designated area to speed and play about are just chancing that Harbour Patrols are not, well patrolling ?

This year his ruling or restriction probably resulted in a Jet Skier loosing his life whilst getting into troubles off shore where there was not anyone to assist him; he was spotted by someone walking the Beach who raised the alarm; I am of the opinion that if je had been allowed to use his Jet Ski up river which is welll away from Craft Moorings etc he just might have been spotted from local Restaurant or Club etc soon enought to be saved.

So my request is for more acceptance to be given to Jet Ski craft by us Sailors and Motorboaters (fat chance at the mo I guess?)
 

PaulRainbow

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We were on the Blackwater this Sumer, on a really busy day, just after they released the first lockdown. There were Jet Skis, speed boats, skiers, big mobos, all sizes of sailing boats and even rowers on the river. I thought it was great, everyone out there, doing their own thing, not hurting anyone else and all sharing the water. I've had Jet Skis, motor boats and now a sail boat and i have (as i'm sure most of you have) seen idiots on the water with all types of vessel, same as i see them on the road.

I find it annoying to hear one group of water users to constantly moan about other groups of users, as if they have the right to be the sole users of our waterways.

Yotties moaning about mobos, mobos moaning about yotties, both groups moaning about Jet Skis. Isn't there room for everyone (if they abide by the rules etc) ?
 

Pye_End

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Yotties moaning about mobos, mobos moaning about yotties, both groups moaning about Jet Skis. Isn't there room for everyone (if they abide by the rules etc) ?

I don't have an issue with those groups - until they deliberately ignore swim areas, and ignore speed limits particularly amongst moorings/anchorages. respect for other water users is needed on both sides, not just one.
 

Capt Popeye

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I don't have an issue with those groups - until they deliberately ignore swim areas, and ignore speed limits particularly amongst moorings/anchorages. respect for other water users is needed on both sides, not just one.

Yep thats why I suggest that there should be more Zones where certain craft can do their thing withput effecting other craft to much; we realise that a Sports boat or Ski craft might actually generate far less wash at planning speeds than that at displacement speeds
 

Slowboat35

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Hi nehpets,

I don't see Slowboat's contribution as pernickety but rather as an indication that maybe he shares my endless fascination with the tortuous and flexible structure of our language.

Peter.
There's nothing tortuous or flexible in the difference between reckless and wreckless! There is no connection between the two whatsoever bar being homophones.
It was, however, given the context, an amusingly suitable mistake.
 

Concerto

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A few years ago I had a very stiff beat from Whittaker Beacon with up to 35 knots over the deck. The old Autohelm decide to pack up, so had to hand steer back to the Medway. Once into Gilligham Reach I dropped the sails and prepared all the warps and fenders ready for berthing. Just as I finished I was buzzed by a jet ski circling me about a dozen times and trying sharp turns to try and spray me with his wash. He did not manage it, but still being in full oil skins meant it would not have mattered if he had. It is behaviour like this that endears me to jet skis. He was exceeding the 6 knot speed limit, riding dangerously, and showing complete disregard to all collision regulations and another boat user- or to put it mildly being a complete arse and a pain. Unfortunately I did not have my phone close to photograph him. In the future I will report any jet ski behaving this badly with photographic evidence.
 

Triassic

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Maybe I'm a bit sad but I do find all the missing bits from a report such as this more interesting than what is actually in the article.

It seems a water craft was in collision with another vessel causing it to sink and causing serious injury to one of it's occupants.

The police attended and the defendant was breath tested, and they were found to be exceeding the alcohol limit allowed for driving a vehicle on a road....... I thought this was a water craft on a river, but as the limit for a boat is actually lower than that for driving on the road I suppose that is still technically true......

The article says the defendant was prosecuted by Peel Ports for breach of the river by-laws.

If the defendant was breath tested by the police and found to be over the limit why were they not prosecuted for that by the CPS?

Oh, and am I even sadder for pointing out that this incident happened on the 26th April 2020 which was right in the middle of our first Lockdown. What was either vessel doing mucking about on the Medway?
 
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