Harbour speed limit question??

Stemar

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How would they measure your SOG from their boat? Far easier to measure STW since they can stop in the water and drift with it.

Which would you like, slow speed or small wash? With a lot of boats you can't have both!
Personally, I'd prefer small wash. If that means they go "too" fast, so be it, as long as they keep a lookout commensurate with their speed.

I appreciate that a mobo with as much windage as a small yacht under full sail, next to nothing in the water and tiny or no rudders is a handful at low speed in any but the lightest of winds. My Catalac is bad enough - twin engines and small rudders is a whole new set of skills to learn!
 

Slowboat35

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Hard to see how it can legally be made SOG. No traditional boat can calculate that, and as these rules must almost entirely predate GPS the only reasonably measurable speed is through the water.
Equally how can a sailing boat be exected to maintain a speed limit? That is neither feasable nor, again, detectable by many sailing boats. One surely cannot be done for speeding if the only measurement of speed available to the skipper is 'judgement'.
 

finestgreen

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QHM Portsmouth doesn't seem to specify which, but it's 10 knots, probably just enough for a big ship to have steerage way, but either too fast or too slow for a lot of the mobos that go by just off the plane, making more wake than if they were doing 20
I know this is an old thread sorry :) but they seem to have now made clear that it's through the water:

Royal Navy
 

Capt Popeye

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Hard to see how it can legally be made SOG. No traditional boat can calculate that, and as these rules must almost entirely predate GPS the only reasonably measurable speed is through the water.
Equally how can a sailing boat be exected to maintain a speed limit? That is neither feasable nor, again, detectable by many sailing boats. One surely cannot be done for speeding if the only measurement of speed available to the skipper is 'judgement'.

I know this is an old thread sorry :) but they seem to have now made clear that it's through the water:

Royal Navy
My guess is that it maybe an Old Story but still debateable thoday , to me its getting over the basic requirement that of NOT causing danger to others , that usually a Faster or Heavy displacement Craft causing Difficulties or even Dangerto smaller Craft in that area ; Usually Causing Waves increases with the Displacement and speed increasing , so I would suggest that the corelation with Craft speed through the water is easilt observable to the Helm of any craft / boat ; On our local River the TEign in South Devon the local Port has quite large / long Commercial craft entering / leaving port very regularly ; These often have a Local Pilot and or tug in attendence , but not always ; These Ships have to tread a Path through some of our Deeper water Yacht moorings , where there is not much room for going of course ; I often suprises me to see these Ships navigating this route , but they seem to make use of Bow Thrusters as well as the Main Screw and really supprise me with the Control excersised by the Skipper / Helm / Captain whilst the Ship is going really slowly , hardly creating any noticeablw Wash at all ; Supppose that thats Skill and knowing ones Ships behaviour and reaction to Steering and Thrusters
 

creeks

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My guess is that it maybe an Old Story but still debateable thoday , to me its getting over the basic requirement that of NOT causing danger to others , that usually a Faster or Heavy displacement Craft causing Difficulties or even Dangerto smaller Craft in that area ; Usually Causing Waves increases with the Displacement and speed increasing , so I would suggest that the corelation with Craft speed through the water is easilt observable to the Helm of any craft / boat ; On our local River the TEign in South Devon the local Port has quite large / long Commercial craft entering / leaving port very regularly ; These often have a Local Pilot and or tug in attendence , but not always ; These Ships have to tread a Path through some of our Deeper water Yacht moorings , where there is not much room for going of course ; I often suprises me to see these Ships navigating this route , but they seem to make use of Bow Thrusters as well as the Main Screw and really supprise me with the Control excersised by the Skipper / Helm / Captain whilst the Ship is going really slowly , hardly creating any noticeablw Wash at all ; Supppose that thats Skill and knowing ones Ships behaviour and reaction to Steering and Thrusters
Last year I was pulled over for speeding in a rib by a Portsmouth harbour patrol (complete with a blue flashing light!). I'd left the harbour and was on a heading for Seaview on the IOW and was some distance off the Haslar sea wall and doing just over 20 knots. Debatable whether I was within 0.5nm of the sea wall when I accelarated onto the plane but was very quickly further away obviously. At 10 knots (the speed limit) the rib creates a considerable wash but at planing speeds above 20 knots very little wash. There were no other craft nearby and no swimmers (I doubt if anyone ever swims in that area) so it seemed to me a bit harsh to pull me over for speeding. I was only given a warning but it rankled somewhat as I am always a most conscientious rib driver when it comes to speed limits and more importantly the wash I'm creating.
Rant over. Thanks for listening!
 

Chiara’s slave

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Dinghies are ignored they create no wash, with the kite up my scorpion would hit 14 knots, we never had any bother.
We were Chichester based with a Dragonfly 800. Entering the harbour with the SW wind, you might easily be doing 12kn, and it’s a damn long way to motor, so we usually sailed. Crossing tacks down wind with the 49er fleet was fun. Never had any run in with the HM, we’d always round up and drop the sails as the harbour widened, just before HISC.
 

chrishscorp

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Last year I was pulled over for speeding in a rib by a Portsmouth harbour patrol (complete with a blue flashing light!). I'd left the harbour and was on a heading for Seaview on the IOW and was some distance off the Haslar sea wall and doing just over 20 knots. Debatable whether I was within 0.5nm of the sea wall when I accelarated onto the plane but was very quickly further away obviously. At 10 knots (the speed limit) the rib creates a considerable wash but at planing speeds above 20 knots very little wash. There were no other craft nearby and no swimmers (I doubt if anyone ever swims in that area) so it seemed to me a bit harsh to pull me over for speeding. I was only given a warning but it rankled somewhat as I am always a most conscientious rib driver when it comes to speed limits and more importantly the wash I'm creating.
Rant over. Thanks for listening!
I too would not be looking for swimmers that far off the beach area, My neighbour thought he would train for a triathlon so set off swimming from Eastney and was swimming along the beach, anyway he spotted some bloke on an inflatable pink flamingo or swan (i cant remember) anyway bloke was holding on for dear life to one of the green main channel markers !! I commended him for trying to rescue the chap but gave him a serious warning for straying way out the swimming zone, I did say no one at all would be looking for a swimmer there and he would just get run down as he wouldnt be seen and to get a hi vis swimming float that marks him.
 

lustyd

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I'd left the harbour and was on a heading for Seaview on the IOW
It’s in the harbour and 1000 yards from shore on both sides (so 1000 yards from any shore on main land or island). There is not a lot of that trip that falls outside of the speed restricted zone I’m afraid, maybe half a mile in the middle you can open it up.
 

trapper guy

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i thought speed limits were a myth?
anywhere ive stayed that has a 'speed limit 6 knots' sign is customarily ignored by fishing vessels and ribs, along with 'no wash' signs.
i would imagine on the communist-capitalist thames it would be enforced though, they will go to great lengths to fleece the population in london.
 

finestgreen

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i thought speed limits were a myth?
anywhere ive stayed that has a 'speed limit 6 knots' sign is customarily ignored by fishing vessels and ribs, along with 'no wash' signs.
i would imagine on the communist-capitalist thames it would be enforced though, they will go to great lengths to fleece the population in london.
I think for fishing vessels rules happen to other people
 

Channel Sailor

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Maybe it was a month ago, in the Portsmouth Harbour approach channel (I think it was about in line with the fun fair) a navy looking fast rib with a blue light was very authoritatively instructing two power boats to reduce speed. The power boats looked to me to be doing less than 20knots but more than 10ths, but not sure. They both slowed down very promptly.
 

Chiara’s slave

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Maybe it was a month ago, in the Portsmouth Harbour approach channel (I think it was about in line with the fun fair) a navy looking fast rib with a blue light was very authoritatively instructing two power boats to reduce speed. The power boats looked to me to be doing less than 20knots but more than 10ths, but not sure. They both slowed down very promptly.
The RIB may have been carrying some gentlemen in green associated with the Navy. Most people slow down when they ask.
 
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