Cardiff Bay speed limits.

Allan

Allan

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Over the weekend I saw the Aquabus heading up toward the city at far more than the 5 knot limit shown on the red and green bouys. On Sunday I saw two of the yellow ribs heading for Mermaid quay and not slowing down until a long way past the bouys showing the speed limit at that end of the bay. Have these limits been suspended?
Allan
 
The Aquabus has special permission to go at speed up the river (dont ask) those yellow ribs are a pain in the arse, this summer i was the only boat for miles just off flat holme and one of them buzzed me and caused such a wash i nearly spilled my beer. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
They won't que for the lock either, I know they are commercial but an acknowledgement might be nice.
Whilst I am on my soap box..............
I got overtaken by a very scruffy fishing boat as I left the outer harbour the other weekend, SWMBO was on the bathing platform stowing fenders and I had to call out to het to hold on, else she would have been overboard!
The prat in the red fishing boat just looked at me when I called out to him, I think it was called "Alpha" something.
Also I think there should be a speed restriction in the bay and some form of traffic management. I am amazed no one has been killed with boats zooming in all directions at 35kts +

Rant over!
 
The rules just don't apply to some people. At the weekend, I was on our Rib with divers down, flying the A flag and the divers had a surface marker bouy. No less than 2 passenger RIBS came alongside. THey seem to think that divers are something their passengers might want to see. When I pointed out that the red sausage sticking out of the water that the bow of one of the RIBs was in the process of running over, all the passengers rushed to look at it.

I know the skipper, so didn't tell him off in front of his paying customers, but will certainly have a quiet word next time I see him.

The current trend with passenger Ribs is to zig zag wildly as well, thrilling and soaking the punters, but making it extremely difficult to judge where they are going.
 
I don't object to the lack of speed limit in the bay, I would just like people to adhere to the ones that are there. I too had a problem near the lock, mine was outside last weekend. A scruffy Mobo, called Red something roared passed me about 3m away, they were on the wrong course, heading straight to the lock entrance and aiming the wrong side of the port hand bouys. Unfortunatly they realised their mistake. By the time we got into the lock it was nearly full and I had to raft against the same boat, which was half the length of mine. I heard someone asking for a boat to move forward but realised I couldn't move. I then realised that the mobo was moving forward taking us toward the back of GEM a tri from CYC. When I said to the woman on the mobo she was taking us forward she said she didn't realise we would move with her!!!! I think most of the problems are caused by people who either don't use or don't have common sense.
Allan
 
[ QUOTE ]
The current trend with passenger Ribs is to zig zag wildly as well, thrilling and soaking the punters, but making it extremely difficult to judge where they are going.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is where the yellow RIBs in the Bay are a fcuking nightmare. I'm sorry but the bay simply isn't big enough for the antics of those boys, especially when they're zigzagging about at full pelt approaching the 5knt buoys into Mermaid Quay, if you're coming out then you've no idea where they're about to end up, other than creating an enormous wave / wake as they fling the boat sideways to stop it, usually well inside the buoys.
 
[ QUOTE ]
They won't que for the lock either, I know they are commercial but an acknowledgement might be nice.


[/ QUOTE ]

So what? IMHO tradesmen should use the metaphorical back entrance and wait till the private boaters have gone into the lock first. They are only operating a sort of water based fairground ride anyway - and one that causes both noise and pollution. Wonder if the harbour dues they pay are the same per lock out and in that the rest of us pay.
 
As we approached Mermaid Quay on Saturday the Aquabus overtook us at speed and very close. My crew who was putting fenders out would have gone in the water if I had not grabbed him. Aquabus was certainly well over the 5 knt speed limit as he went between the red and green buoys.
Whilst waiting to lock out two yellow ribs appeared and one decided to do circles round us. Not dangerous but annoying when trying to hold station amongst other boats.
 
Those yellow ribs just dont care IMO, it seems everytime i am out sailing along at 3knts enjoying the ride they appear from nowhere and make a beeline for the nice little sailing boat so the punters on the rib can see the whites of my eyes and then circle me until they can all take photos of the nice sailor panicing, SWMBO was in the process of making a sign with big read letters saying " F... off"which we could hold up and give them a taste of how we feel, but decided against it to spare the punters feeling, it realy is a sore point for me, ok rant over. phew.
 
They have all the channel to play in so why do they need to mess about on their return in the bay? If they do why can't they keep well away from other boats.
 
I knew we could rely on you.

We could rename our boats:

F*** O** yellow rib I

F*** O** yellow rib II

Etc

I think its a good solid campaign that would work /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Count me in, what could we call our campaign, something catchy like F.O.Y.A.Y.Cs. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif There is also a big blue rib in the bay thats almost as annoying but he is not so busy yet, and he gave me a free ride around the islands last month, so he`s ok. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Perhaps someone ought to show this post to the harbour authority and the rib operators?
Believe me, someone is going to be injured or killed!
Stuff the pasengers, I have no objection to speaking to a rib skipper and telling him what a prat he is being if he is navigating in a dangerous or un-seaman like manner.
 
I agree that there is going a nasty accident soon, i read somewhere that the bay is one of the few inland water ways without a speed limit, and i know that one of the yacht clubs in the bay have been lobbeying(spelling) the Harbour people for the last 5 or 6 years about this very subject, but not getting very far,in my club,CYC we have an incedent book where near misses and dangerous activity on the water can be logged.
 
The e-mail address on thier web site doesn't work, or at least it bounced back my e-mail, I had tried to send a link to this thread.
I am sure they would like to know what people are saying.
 
That's one of them, the bigger of the 3 ribs. The other 2 are a different company, boats are moored down at Cambrian iirc whereas Severn is in Penarth marina.
 
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