Speedboat Nutters

[adrianm]

Several times I've read about yachties complaining of people in powerboats cutting them up at high speed and generally showing a lack of common sense.

Until this week I thought this was just people exaggerating. That was until I saw a speed boat racing a jetski along the brighton coast towards the marina.

I presumed they would slow down when they got to the marina but instead they shot across the entrance at what must have been 35 knots and then slammed into a sharp left turn into the marina. The boat just managed to miss the wall!

Anyone who has been to Brighton will know that the exit is blind to starboard (the direction these idiots came from). I must admit that I felt a cold sweat when I thought what could have happened if someone was coming out at the same time.

 

[Guest]

The Yachtie/Power-boater debate, will carry on 'ad nausiem' for as long as there are people to take their vessels to sea.
I take a different view, all 'boaters' regardless of their preference for sails, turbo-charged diesels, wind-surfers or jet bikes will always be divided into two easily defined categories; those that care and those who don't. Sadly, one day soon, those who don't care will 'force' licensing on us all, regardless of the type of craft we go to sea in.
Brighton Marina has a 5knt speed limit, you can look it up in an Almanac (what's that!!) they've probably not got one and if they had hit the wall and sank, they would probably have claimed on their insurance, to help keep everyone else's premiums up next year.
You saw the danger and thought 'what if?' they didn't and would have thought 'oh sh****t!!' as they hit the wall or an outward bound boat. That's the difference.

 

[Guest]

Sadly thee are plenty out there who reckon that they know best, and that they can do as they please. We all need a little space on this planet, and so we need a set of rules to play by. If we all co-operate, then we all enjoy our space freely, and things go well. Sometimes the rules need to be more stringent (rivers and harbours), and sometimes a little more relaxed (out at sea). We've probably all got a story about a selfish "I know better than you" so I'll be self indulgent and add mine...

One Sunday afternoon I was sat in the sun on the transom seat of "Janina" at her top speed of 7kts coming back up the Salcombe Estuary towards Kingsbridge (The estuary is -for those of you who may be unfamiliar- is a site of special scientific interest with unique salt mudflats and bass breeding ground and therefore subject to a speed limit of 8kts throughout) and was acompanied by my fiancee's father (Dave).

I glanced round and was surprised to see a fast boat approaching us on the plane. Within a few seconds, GORGA II (a 21' Boston Whaler with a 130 Yam) had passed us and continued at 20kts + towards K'bridge. OK- the tide was ebbing and we were keen to get bak to the mooring before it dried, but he was really in a hurry! The wake continued past all the moored craft and the boat remained on the plane until upto the first pontoons.

We continued into K'bridge and noticed that this craft was moored to a friend's private mooring, and the occupants had disapeared. We moored, did some engine maintenance, and then when there was only about 2ft of water left below our keel, I realised where the crew of GorgaII had gone - to the pub! I turned to Dave and we had a little chuckle, as if they didn't return in the next 15 minutes, they'd be spending the next 10 hours in K'bridge!

Just 5 minutes later they returned - two teenage lads and their girlfriends, and the first thing they did was to cast off. Then the engine (outboard - in the raised position) wouldn't start. As they drifted along the rear of several craft moored nose-in to the quay, they nearly took the props off several outboards before the youngster "driving" decided to lower the outboard - and then it started! They then turned around and headed out of the harbour, ignoring the "Dead Slow" buoys and took a straight course where the channel winds through the mudflats. The boat came to a sudden stop as they hit the mud, but a heavy hand on the throttle powered them through the mud and over someone's mooring buoy. They disappeared at speed leaving moored craft bobbing in their wake.

A few weeks later I saw GORGAII again skippered by a bloke of 50+ years and realised the situation - a case of "Daddy's boat".

So, if you know the owner of GorgaII of Salcombe, perhaps you could pass this story on to him... (Like I did to the Harbourmaster's office)

 

[ari]

Silly season certainly in full flow!

Saw a couple of guys in a Fletcher 15 speedboat doing about 30 knots on the River Dart at Dittisham yesterday (speed limit 5 knots!) actually circling anchored yachts at this speed!

Imagine rowing ashore in a dinghy when this guy came round the corner, you wouldn't stand a chance...

Harbourmaster was there almost immediately, must have been reported earlier, but what powers have they got other than to administer a good talking to?

Fletcher later seen heading back downstream at a more sedate pace!

I'd love to know what the harbourmaster had to say on the subject...!!

Ari.

 

[Guest]

Quite right! The divide is absolutely "those who care vs those who don't". Boating out of Christchurch, I'm sick to death of the number of dinghy sailors who give me a cheery wave and a 'thank you' for executing a crash stop and drifting sideways into a mud bank after they turn violently across the channel without looking what's coming. In fact, if I had a pound for every one that did this to me, I could afford to have the damned place dredged properly...

 

[leshark]

This comes up time and time again, I'm based in Weston Super Mare (on the Bristol Channel) I have had a speed boat for over 10 years now, and the truth is the are idiots in all areas, only where speed boats and Jet skis are concerned they stick out much more clearly, I use my boat as often as time and weather allows, and have towed many a stranded boater back to harbour (both sail and power) once a 21 foot power boat was drifting 2.5 miles out on a fast receeding tide, no live jackets, no flares, no anchor, no methods of comunication, I asked them to throw me a line to tow them, they had none, this is a fairly typical example. I now often frequent Protishead Marina, and several on the south coast. How often do you see a 40 odd foot sail boat going out without a life jacket in sight? sometimes even single handed, they might not tear off creating havok, but there still idiots!