Speeding

[boatone]

After a long weekend in Norwich entailing a car journey round the M25/M11/A11 I think I am beginning to understand why people are more liklely, now, to speed on the river.

It's because its almost bl**dy impossible on the roads any longer

5 hours on Friday to do just over 150 miles - I suppose that was quite good really. A little over 4 hours today for the return journey.

Anyways, re speeding on the river. Should we just stop mentioning it? It's clear there is virtually no enforcement of the speed limit so why keep worrying about it?

We could start a picture gallery of blatant examples of boats speeding - but I suppose we'd have to overlay those little pixelly blocks so that no-one could actually identify the boats 'cos that would be a bit unfair, wouldn't it?

How about having a Facebook 'Wall of Wakes' ? would that be a spiffing wheeze ......... NR and Rebellion could manage it, they're always on there MAybe Apollo could add in the odd fender offender from time to time.

 

[DogsBody]

entailing a car journey round the M25/M11/...

Welcome to my world...those roadworks have been ongoing for years (literally) and not due to finish anytime soon. Has turned a one hour trip into a two hour one.

 

[boatone]

Welcome to my world...those roadworks have been ongoing for years (literally) and not due to finish anytime soon. Has turned a one hour trip into a two hour one.

But there were no roadworks really.. they'd knocked off for the BH weekend.

Worst delays were on the southsde of the river for 10 miles or so before reaching the Dartford Tunnel - just sheer weight of traffic as far as I could see but that 10 miles took well over an hour.

 

[SunshineBridge]

Weekend before last I did go a tad over the 8kmh and I mean a tad, but I sure as hell got a good finger wag from one of the lock keepers.

But you know what it's like when the engines are not running on their sweetspot and the damned things are vibrating....

I've discovered this is one of the disadvantages of a seagoing cruiser on the Thames, it's hard to keep the speed down.

I must remember not to overtake with anyone watching, where there are low banks, moored boats, rowers etc etc.

Graham
(Moonraker 36)

 

[byron]

But you know what it's like when the engines are not running on their sweetspot and the damned things are vibrating....

I've discovered this is one of the disadvantages of a seagoing cruiser on the Thames, it's hard to keep the speed down.

Graham
(Moonraker 36)

You have the HT6.354s either 175 or 145. You should be able to cruise comfortably at 5 knots.

 

[shades]

Boats should not be encouraged to travel at 5 knots, that would be speeding.
The speed limit on The River thames is 8kph, which equates to 4.97mph or 4.25 knots (approximately)

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

You have the HT6.354s either 175 or 145. You should be able to cruise comfortably at 5 knots.

Depends on up or down stream. Or at least it does in my experience. I've sort of abandoned being retentive about exact speed and instead keep an eye on wash. Being used to about 5 knots meant last Monday's 15 felt scarily quick

 

[byron]

Boats should not be encouraged to travel at 5 knots, that would be speeding.
The speed limit on The River thames is 8kph, which equates to 4.97mph or 4.25 knots (approximately)

Some craft are unmanageable at less than 5 knots. Are you advocating that a local bye law supersedes international maritime requirements on navigating safely?

 

[No Regrets]

Upon telling a seasoned Boater that my Rio wouldn't steer properly at below 5mph, and at that speed it left a wake of awe, he told me I shouldn't use it on the tidal section.

On reflection, I agreed with him, bought a proper Thames boat, and never looked back!

Both the B25 and the Broom leave no wake at the limit, and virtually none above it.

Which would be handy if one WERE in a hurry and didn't want to upset the status quo eh?

 

[Captain Coochie]

As someone with a smaller cruiser i have to say people with larger boats really do not realise ( or care ) about the wake they cause . Ok you need the speed to steer so you say but why effect every one else on the river just so you can point in the right direction . You bought the boat to use on the river knowing you would have steering problems without causing a wake . Thats your problem not something you should make everyone else suffer .
Im sure if i jumped onto your boat and threw your dinner on the floor and threw a bottle of wine over your SWMBO you would take objection so why do it to others ? Oh yeah you need the steering

 

[Loggo]

Is it only me who finds the worse wake "effect" when I am moored is caused by those twin hull jobbies that follow the rowers whilst shouting at them ?

They seem to have no thought of 8 KPH either !

 

[teddington_lock]

I must remember not to overtake with anyone watching, where there are low banks, moored boats, rowers etc etc.

Graham
(Moonraker 36)

Very considerate of you . I'm sure others will return the favour .

I'm afraid i agree with Cuchilo.

They seem to have no thought of 8 KPH either !

Some have an exemption , they should fly a numbered pennant though.

 

[apollo]

Some have an exemption , they should fly a numbered pennant though.

Thats all wrong, rules is rules and should apply to everyone!

...and they do make wash, and its smoother nature makes the boats rock even more than a short sharp wash from a sportsboat.

I sat at Henley this weekend and the umpires launches for the Skiff Event on Sunday threw 12 tons of Broom up and down and were they umpiring? No! Were they training? No!

Were they blatantly having a burn up back from the finish line to the start line again, YES!

Oh, and no enforcement again from the EA....

But the EA did turn up for the bridge hitting event....about three hours after it happened!

Zzzzzzzzzz.

 

[nickcred]

Ahh the traditions of the river Have to agree with Apollo and Cuchilo.

Have never seen one of those flying a numbered pennant and thought they all had exemptions as I have never seen one under the speed limit.

Also had hot drinks and cold slopped all over the place by them as they go past

What are the actual rules ?

 

[bradtarga34]

I would have thought that if they didn't have a pennant than that particular type of boat wouldn't be approved to exceed the speed limit, most likely due to the amount of wash they create. I believe that the boats with pennants can only exceed the speed limit when actively supervising training, not just because they are in a hurry to get somewhere. I would have thought that it would be wise to take a note of the rowing club and report it to the EA (for what it's worth) obviously after yelling at the prat to slow down and watch his wash!

 

[Mark M]

We where moored below caversham last weekend, and was first woken by the noise of a speedboat coming up river, when I looked out it passed by in total darkness with no lights, and must have been doing approx 20 knots (put it this way i used to have a speedboat in my younger days!! and I could of easily water skied behind it) wh long before some poor innocent person gets hurt by these people with no respect for others safety.

Maybe its only me, but the speeding seems to get a lot worse in the summer holiday break when you get a lot of visiting boats coming up the thames for there holidays, who dont seem to appreciate the surroundings like the rest of us.
dont get me wrong the majority of visiting boats do stick to the speed limits and are friendly like the rest of us river users.

 

[teddington_lock]

We don't issue a lot of licences to visiting speedboats , visiting boats coming through us tend to be cruisers both large and small.

The problem speedboats ( certainly around our neck of the woods ) are trailered in on the reach above or below the lock , not licenced ( because they never come near a lock ) , no name on them , and loaded up with booze and lads. They are gone before the day is out , trailered away again until the next time.

 

[Mark M]

its a no win situation with speed boats, and it usually tends to be a bunch of lads with a crate of beer!!, and of course there are the owners in speedboats that do stick by the limits and rules, as a previous speed boat owner who used the boat in the sea or ski lakes, these boats are just to tempting to be opened up for which they where designed to do so!!!

 

[Chris_d]

Whilst speeding is still a problem I don't think its as bad as it was in the 70's and 80's when the speed limit was 7knts or 8mph, back then peeps could create the most horrendous wakes and claim they weren't speeding.

Now 5 or 5.5knts is considered fast but only really a concern in the wrong boat. The problem has always been to show the speeders the reason for the speed limit i.e its not because they might die a hidious death due to excess speed and crashing like in a car but because their wake is too big, a lot of newbies coming straight from cars don't seem to grasp this at first.

So in terms of enforcement no wake zones near moored craft should be enforced, actual speed is rarely the issue unless really excessive.

On Lake Garda in Italy the speed limit is 70knts, twice as fast as most fast boats can go, however there are strict no wake zones and transgression is likely to result in financial and physical pain

 

[teddington_lock]

Clarkson ( who i quite like ) did a piece on the river and its 5 knot speed limit , basically taking the p*** , which annoyed me a bit.

I doubt it was a lack of intelligence on his part , he can't be stupid if he's worth millions , but it was pretty ignorant none the less. The usual mocking ' who will get killed at 5mph ' etc , without a mention of the obvious ( boiling pans falling off stoves onto kids , habitat damage etc etc )