Blue RIB on the Deben

Major_Clanger

Major_Clanger

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Currently anchored at The Rocks. A mid-blue RIB came up the river at at least 25kts a while ago and took a curving turn in to the shore, ensuring that his wash caused real inconvenience.

He's just gone back down the river and this time his wash has pulled the painter eye out of my tender (tied fore-and-aft alongside).

I indicated that he should slow down but this was ignored. If he reads this then I suggest you learn some basic river manners before somebody else teaches you some.
 
sarabande said:
Pics to the Police. Don't mess about waving to criminals.
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I doubt they'd be interested and I'm unsure if any offence was committed. I don't think there's a speed limit on that part of the river.

Cobra said:
You will probably have to teach him to read first! Sounds like one of the Romford Navy has got lost from his normal ditches of Colne/Blackwater/Crouch!
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Definitely not Romford Navy. Middle-aged bloke with a beard, several people on board all wearing lifejackets. Looked quite sensible apart from their behaviour.
 
Major_Clanger said:
I doubt they'd be interested and I'm unsure if any offence was committed. I don't think there's a speed limit on that part of the river.


Definitely not Romford Navy. Middle-aged bloke with a beard, several people on board all wearing lifejackets. Looked quite sensible apart from their behaviour.
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I think there is a speed limit, the unrestricted section is from just below Ramsholt moorings to above Felixstowe Ferry.and there are Water Ski Area signs on the river wall. The upper part of the river is 8 knots during the summer months, all unrestricted in winter.
interestingly the stretch through Felixstowe Ferry is 10 knots! A largish motor boat doing that speed would really rock the moored boats.
I don’t know if the police have jurisdiction over river speeds though?
 
It is sad that the Deben, which used to be such a lovely river to visit, is no longer somewhere you can go and expect peace and quiet, and that regulations aren’t enforced. I had little luck in sending photos of jet-skis speeding in the upper Colne to the specified address, and got no acknowledgement, but I still think it’s worth doing. On the other hand, the biggest disturbance we had at the Rocks was after dark when a military helicopter came past - below the level of the trees.
 
They have jurisdiction.

I was stopped and briefly spoken to by the Essex marine unit some years ago on the Colne who on first sight believed my speed to be excessive. After passing the attitude test they accepted my defense that I was driving a heavily loaded, deep V hull RIB against a strong tide at the time and as such it appeared I was going faster that I actually was and then it was explained to me they were on patrol around Brightlingsea following complaints about jet skiers.
 
The byelaws for the Deben were made by Suffolk Coastal DC, which I think is now part of East Suffolk Council so I guess any complaint about speeding should be directed to them. Trouble is I doubt that that have any enforcement capability and Suffolk Constabulary don’t have a marine unit.
 
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Sailing steve said:
They have jurisdiction.

I was stopped and briefly spoken to by the Essex marine unit some years ago on the Colne who on first sight believed my speed to be excessive. After passing the attitude test they accepted my defense that I was driving a heavily loaded, deep V hull RIB against a strong tide at the time and as such it appeared I was going faster that I actually was and then it was explained to me they were on patrol around Brightlingsea following complaints about jet skiers.
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I was chatting to a jet skier a little while back, and he mentioned that he was due in court in a few weeks time having been caught by Essex Police speeding on the Blackwater, just below Maldon I think.
 
Juan Twothree said:
I was chatting to a jet skier a little while back, and he mentioned that he was due in court in a few weeks time having been caught by Essex Police speeding on the Blackwater, just below Maldon I think.
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Some got nicked and were handed out ASBOs near Brightlingsea too if memory serves.
 
johnalison said:
It is sad that the Deben, which used to be such a lovely river to visit, is no longer somewhere you can go and expect peace and quiet, and that regulations aren’t enforced. I had little luck in sending photos of jet-skis speeding in the upper Colne to the specified address, and got no acknowledgement, but I still think it’s worth doing. On the other hand, the biggest disturbance we had at the Rocks was after dark when a military helicopter came past - below the level of the trees.
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I suspect it was not below the level of the trees. If it were it could easily have hit a mast
 
Bigplumbs said:
The Deben is still a very Peaceful River
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I mostly agree, though it has too many moorings (admittedly I'm on one of them). Even The Rocks was quiet. There'd been a few boats there the previous evening but I was the only one there in the morning which is very unusual, especially during the hols.

Even if the speed limits were enforceable I doubt the police would galvanise themselves. Aside from their general fecklessness, it would be my word against the bloke in the RIB (with several passengers) so it would only go one way. It was a decent sized RIB too, so there's a good chance it had come in to the river rather than been launched there.

I feel a bit daft for making the original post now. I was justifiably angry at the time, but writing here about it makes zero difference to anything.
 
I think you were justified to comment. I saw a blue RIB which annoyed me. I was sitting on the mooring at the top of Salcott Creek (there are only 2 mooring further). I was doing some work in the wheelhouse dismantling some kit when a quite large rib came up the centre of the Creek at about 8 knots which set up a bit of wake. As he (a bearded sailing type with well used sailing kit with some young peeps) approached, he steered to within 3m of Sea Dog without abatement passing. Having turned round the next vacant mooring, he turned back past Sea Dog again at 3m at the same speed. The wake was sufficient to make me fall but I saved myself by grabbing a handle. Kit laid on the top of the engine cover (quite large) fell onto the floor from the wake. Completely ignorant. I got part of the name of the rib.

As to the Police, Essex Marine Police would be grateful to be told of issues you raised. They have been doing a lot of action against speeders but they can only be in one place at the time. They need reports so they can make choices as to where to patrol; if there are no reports they will be looking elsewhere. I can't speak for Suffolk Police - do they have a marine section? Obviously Essex won't deploy to the Deben. Retrospective individual action will be very difficult for many reasons but are not impossible.
 
highlighting the presence of (rare) others travelling at speeds well in excess of the permitted maximum through a know anchorage is appreciated - my kids are often swimming or on dinghys and paddleboards at the Rocks... (and ignorance of the speed limit is no excuse)
 
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Bigplumbs said:
I suspect it was not below the level of the trees. If it were it could easily have hit a mast
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You clearly doubt my word. The helicopter was, as I said, passing between our anchored boat and the trees on the Ramsholt side below the tree tops when viewed from our cockpit. I assumed that their night vision equipment was better than my eyesight. It occurred, I believe, in September when it was quiet.

The Deben may be mostly peaceful - except when it isn’t. It no no longer somewhere that one can expect to be undisturbed, which would have been the norm in the ‘70s.
 
johnalison said:
You clearly doubt my word. The helicopter was, as I said, passing between our anchored boat and the trees on the Ramsholt side below the tree tops when viewed from our cockpit. I assumed that their night vision equipment was better than my eyesight. It occurred, I believe, in September when it was quiet.
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If it was one of the Apaches out of Wattisham, they do some crazy stuff.
 
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