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 know this is an old thread sorry
but they seem to have now made clear that it's through the water: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 ThrustersI know this is an old thread sorry
Royal Navy
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.
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.
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.
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.
I think for fishing vessels rules happen to other people
The RIB may have been carrying some gentlemen in green associated with the Navy. Most people slow down when they ask.
