Do you stick to the Speed limit in your boat

[Bigplumbs]

I am interested to see how many people stick to speed limits in their motor boats. Raggies need not vote cos they can seldom reach the speed limit

 

[Bigplumbs]

Seems like no one so far prepared to tell the truth

 

[Wansworth]

Some friends years ago were apprehended by the Chichester harbour master for speeding in a Dutch botter under sail,went to court and got off with the help of the Chichester harbour gentry?

 

[Talulah]

Worth pointing out that not all speed limits are actual limits. For example going up to Lymington town quay you will pass a 4 knot limit sign. This is an advisory limit. The actual limit is 6 knots.

 

[DavidJ]

Our canal style marina has a 3 knot limit. I hold my hand up at doing 4knots but just to try and slow the boats down behind me.
It used to be policed but I guess they have given up.

 

[philipdawsonladds]

With so many moored boats in Chichester harbour I generally go slower than the 8Kt limit to minimise wash and upsetting owners on their boats - what's the hurry?

 

[superheat6k]

The only time I have sped up the River Hamble was when I only had one engine and had very little steering control under just one engine, but I did ask the HM first if I could proceed at 7 knots for this reason, and was granted permission so to do, having already reported a Pan Pan for danger of being on fire, but even at 6 knots the Corvette made quite a wash, so normally river speed for me was ~5 knots. After all the sign says watch speed and wash.

My Grand Banks happily purrs along at 6 knots with very little wash, so I guess that is the extra 4' of waterline length well below hull speed.

 

[KINGFISHER 9]

You made a fool of yourself yesterday ... don't make it worse.

 

[dpb]

There is a difference between traveling a couple of knots over a harbour limit and doing say 30 in a 10 which the question does not reflect.

 

[Alicatt]

A lot of the speed limits around here are either 6km/h or posted as No Wake zones, being without a boat licence in Belgium I'm restricted to 20km/h and yes the speeds are in kilometres per hour not knots.

 

[Robin]

As an ex-raggie that lived/sailed over 30 years from Poole I am super sensitive to speed and wash now we are under power. Speed limits in Poole are actually relaxed in winter months IIRC and always wash can be a problem notably to tenders going out to the hundreds of moorings, day and night, or local anglers in dinghies not everyone is marina based. Taking on fuel from the Poole fuel barge when it existed used to be really scary at times with mountainous wash waves from inconsiderate ******. to the extent we preferred to fill in Lymington and use cans for smaller top ups, all improved when Corrells(?) put a fuel pontoon by the lifting bridge.

Post 1988 we were marina based in Poole and some of the offenders were YC 'rescue' RIBS who ignored the rules when not on an actual rescue even when exiting the marina.

 

[bluetooth]

No i dont.
In a planing Targa40 7-19kts is poor fuel efficiency so its either 7 or 22 kts; so in my base of Poole Harbour 10kt zone im always well under.
In the 6 knot area i try and stay at 5-6 kts and watch the wash. Now the issue you have missed is, is it 6kts through water on paddle wheel or 6kts on SOG on plotter? 6 kts on paddle wheel can be 8kts on SOG plotter depending on tide. Issue i have is my AIS transmitter so i have to work to this as i know when i ask for Twin Sails lift they monitor speeds. I work to the SOG AIS transmission and to date i havent be told off .

Planing at 15 kts in the main harbour channel is asking for trouble.
The jetski zone in the middle of poole harbour, where the sandbanks are, is their playground.
I know you posted about the seahorse issue but did you check the harbour zones before setting off?

 

[Commercial Dave]

Have I exceeded a harbour speed limit at some point in my life? Yes, probably a few times, unintentionally. I've never gone fast enough to be told off for it, and our marina is right next to Plymouth VTS.

Have I ever gone through the harbour at more than double the speed limit, intentionally, and then moaned when I've been told off for it? No.

 

[snowbird30ds]

Approaching dover in 2019 I called port control expecting to have to wait for the approaching ferry to do it's thing, port control said keep that speed on and head straight south towards the marina entrance, I was doing about 18 knots at the time so I did as I was told, that was a fun speed through the eastern entrance watching a ferry coming towards me.
Chatting to a local fisherman in the pub that evening he told me they have alarms that trigger if ais shows anyone over 12 knots, I guess they have an over-ride for when they want you to get a wiggle on.

 

[gordmac]

Speed limits, never been anywhere where there is one with my boat. Try to be reasonable around small craft though. Maybe someone can explain the logic of something like a 10kn limit, surely for most boats that is around peak wash speed?

 

[paradave]

Bigplumbs you can seemingly never accept that sometimes you are wrong.

 

[Robin]

Speed limits, never been anywhere where there is one with my boat. Try to be reasonable around small craft though. Maybe someone can explain the logic of something like a 10kn limit, surely for most boats that is around peak wash speed?

Because it is not just wash. There used to be a RTPIA local nightclub owner in Poole that had a huge miami vice type racing machine and sped through the harbour at full speed even at night never mind us poor sods trying to get out to our mooring. On several occasions the theatre production on Brownsea Island open air threatr had to be stopped because of the noise from his boat, he thought it OK to do as he liked as he was such a local celebrity, even though he was fined several times around £5000 a pop.

 

[Momac]

To the OP
Do you routinely disregard speed restrictions or do you usually obey them?

 

[jointventureII]

Yes - Corinth Canal.

In my defence, the guys in the control tower at one end were telling me to speed up when the other end were telling me to slow down.

The Pershing 108 I skipper does 7.5 knots in tickover with 2 of the 3 engines in (about 9 knots with all 3) so I have to be very careful indeed

 

[ChromeDome]

Seems like no one so far prepared to tell the truth

Some places are limited to 3 knots which is below my speed at idle.