blinking jetskis

[oldharry]

Same as with any sector of the boating fraternity: most of them are reasonable, but there are just a few hotheads who spoil it for the rest. The question still remains is there anything you can actually - and realistically - DO about it if some XXXXXX comes along and spoils your day. Or indeed when their antics are clearly endangering other water users - like going at 50kts through a swimming area?

 

[wooslehunter]

Around Pompy, the volunteer harbour patrol have a couple of skis. These guys are very competatant.

If you see any skis doing what you describe, call QHM & if his guys are around, they'd certainly like to have a word with the plonkers.

 

[Slow_boat]

Those in the photos are proper stand-up jet skis which take some skill to handle. It's the ones with the motorbike saddle that are easier and tend to attract the idiots.

I used to partake on a local water ski lake but there is a time and place for everything. Around other boats, swimmers or in anchorages or rivers is no place for a jetski, speed boat or waterskier.

 

[steveburton]

I seem to have touched a raw nerve or mined a rich seam - choose your metaphor! I am sure some of them are really cuddly but I have yet to meet one, good or bad. I didn't call up the CG or QHM mainly because I was speechless (apart from the initial expletives), I had no description to give and the Harbour Patrols are not out that late. If he had misjudged it slightly I might have got to know him a bit better as we swam around.

 

[Slow_boat]

I believe there was a high court ruling last year that decided that jetskis are not a vessel therefore colregs don't apply.

Cuts both ways, doesn't it? /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Lakesailor]

But by the same distinction they can't claim Rights of Navigation, so banning them is easy.
(Unless you are the LDNPA)

 

[Rustyknight]

Wonder if thats why this guy was going so slow...... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[gandy]

Wasn't that actually "not a ship" rather than "not a vessel"?

 

[Slow_boat]

Surely, if it's not a ship but is a vessel the rules do apply?

 

[gandy]

That's how I read it at the time, but I'm not a lawyer. See this page, especially teh references to COLREGs and see what you think.

http://webjcli.ncl.ac.uk/2006/issue2/grant2.html

 

[Lakesailor]

So that's as clear as mud. Of course anything to do with the law and colregs is merely the starting point for endless discussion and argument.

 

[CWC]

Gents
I am a PWC user and like all things you have good and bad. Over the last few weeks I have be down to Langstone Harbour and London port Authority to try and help advise how we can control/stop this from happening. There are many people like myself that would like to get these sort of people of the water,speak to your local marine police.With out giving to much info now the is a case comming up that might (Hope) set an example to the kind of issuse you are getting. But there are a lot of responsible PWC uses out there and we are doing our best to try and educate other users.
G. Slater
Clacton Watercraft Club.

 

[akirk]

Well said Mr Slater.
Like a lot in life, there are plenty of people who want the fun and privileges without any responsibility...
As someone who enjoys being on water - whether a sailing boat, motor boat, or anything else, I have no problem with PWC, it is the person on top who can be the pain!

Very similar to motorbikes - you can tell the difference between the pros and the nutters (like the one who undertook my 3 tonne RangeRover at over 100mph as I moved from one lane to another on the motorway - natural selection nearly took place!)

In the same way that it is polite for a yacht to be identifiable (dodgers / sail numbers), it would make sense to have PWC identifiable - there is a lot that can be done without extra regulation, but it does have to come from within the user group...

perhaps those who are responsible / have passed an exam on a PWC could fly a flag / have ID on the hull - and the rest are fair game!

 

[smth448]

Exactly the same thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago, see an earlier thread, on the River Medway. One of the replies I got was from a Jet Skier who recommended that I should e-mail Chris Neville-Parry. who is the Exective Director of the Personal Watercraft Partnership. email chris@pwpuk.org.
Chris was very helpful, got the RYA involved, and it turns out stand up jetskis are banned on the River Medway. I have no idea why the sit on ones aren't as well as I don't see what the difference is. Chris seems to be very keen to stamp these yobs out. He also said that all new jetskis have a registration number on both sides of the bow. If you can make a note of it then they can be identified. Mind you that's a bit difficult when they have turned a fire hose on you!

 

[CWC]

PWC do have identification on unless some one has removed them it is normaly 2 letters and 4 numbers IE ( AC-1234 ) this should be on both sides of the craft. Every new craft for about the last 10 year should have the numbers on display. The club that I belong to if you do not display the numbers you cannot launch, it is not a ruling just for PWC but any craft and yes I am very much involved with Chris and the PWP. The diffrence between stand up and sit down is that a standup has ot have a bit of speed to control and be stable

 

[neilfs]

There is a debate between PW users about the idiots who give our sport such a bad reputation.

http://www.pwcforums.co.uk/wiz//forum_posts.asp?TID=21193

Bans, extra permits, licences etc are starting to prove themselves that they are useless - they hurt the responsible users by adding extra cost to the sport or by limiting us from launching.

The idiots ignore these permits, bans and continue to use their craft as they please.

Until the authorities start to deal with this small minority of people using existing laws and by-laws nothing will change, COLREGS etc should all be sufficient IMHO.

The case last year where they couldn't decide if what I ride is a vessel or not was absolute rubbish, and the courts should be shot as they simply missed the point entirely and got tied up in their own red tape.

All the people I ski with display their Datatag numbers, and all of the PW clubs make checks to ensure their members Datatag registrations are correct so that the hull numbers match a real person - some of the idiots launch at sites which require datatag numbers however because those harbour authorities don't check that the paperwork corresponds with some suitable form of identification - as a result when they come to track such a user by their Datatag number they find false details have been recorded, or are out of date and the craft is still registered with its previous owner. Until this is resolved the Datatag system is flawed which is a shame.

One of the Queen's Harbour Master VHP JetSkis showing its Datatag number:

The Volunteer Harbour Patrol who runs three cats, one dory and two Yamaha jetskis operates as a charity under the direction of the Queen's Harbour Master.

The PW industry which is represented by the Personal Watercraft Partnership is doing its best to help solve this problem. Yamaha UK donated both the PWs we use for the VHP and continue to support us by repairing and servicing these craft.

I manage the two jetskis and train the jetski sections crew for the VHP. Two weekends ago we assisted a jetboat which had its reverse gear stuck and towed a Yacht (19-24ft) from the Swash way just outside Portsmouth Harbours entrance to Whale Island against the tide using a jetski.

If you see the VHP jetskis, flag them down, they'll all be more than happy to talk to you about problem jetskiers, almost all our jetski section members also use jetskis in their free time, and they all feel strongly about the idiots.

The VHP is a charity and is manned by volunteers, so if you want to donate or volunteer to crew one of our boats or jetskis see QHM Portsmouth Web-Site.

 

[CWC]

Well Said Neil