Who thinks this is the correct level of fine

[Kipper]

The driver of a speeding rib has been prosecuted after being stopped by the Lymington harbourmaster.

Stephen Cossey, of Newbury, Berkshire, was seen driving at 'excessive speeds' in Short Reach on the Lymington River on 21 August last year. Watersking is banned on the river which also has a strict 6 knot speed limit. At the time he was stopped by Lymington Harbour master, he was said to be travelling around 15 - 20 knots and towing a wake boarder.

Cossey was fined a total of £1690 at Southampton Magistrates Court on 8 February.

Lymington harbourmaster Ryan Willegers said, "In cases like this one it is appropriate for the magistrate to impose a penalty. I hope this will send out a warning to all those who would drive their craft in excess of the 6 knot speed limit."

I think it is way too much and a reflection of the fact that it is still seen as a rich mans hobby!

I am sure a lot will see it differently

 

[sailorman]

The driver of a speeding rib has been prosecuted after being stopped by the Lymington harbourmaster.

Stephen Cossey, of Newbury, Berkshire, was seen driving at 'excessive speeds' in Short Reach on the Lymington River on 21 August last year. Watersking is banned on the river which also has a strict 6 knot speed limit. At the time he was stopped by Lymington Harbour master, he was said to be travelling around 15 - 20 knots and towing a wake boarder.

Cossey was fined a total of £1690 at Southampton Magistrates Court on 8 February.

Lymington harbourmaster Ryan Willegers said, "In cases like this one it is appropriate for the magistrate to impose a penalty. I hope this will send out a warning to all those who would drive their craft in excess of the 6 knot speed limit."

I think it is way too much and a reflection of the fact that it is still seen as a rich mans hobby!

I am sure a lot will see it differently

Having a Whipping Boy is cheaper than Policing the river

 

[neale]

What would the fine be for driving on the road at around three times the speed limit?

Anyone been caught doing 90 in a 30 limit or 210 on a motorway?

 

[Cardo]

When one is made an example of, the penalty has to be pretty hefty, I would guess.

 

[U4]

IMO I think that towing a wake boarder down the Lymington River is taking the Pi** and he deserves the fine!!

 

[l'escargot]

The fine matched his stupidity. Do you know Short Reach and the Lymington River? If not have a look on a chart and Google Earth.

No justification doing those speeds there and would put lives at risk on a busy August weekend.

Lymington HM are amongst the most laid back in the Solent and would much prefer to educate than prosecute. On this occasion someone wouldn't be told and thought he could disregard everyone else without any repercussions. Shame he didn't have a licence to take away too.

Short Reach is the area in the top half of the photo above the breakwater:

 

[fireball]

The fine matched his stupidity. <snip>
On this occasion someone wouldn't be told and thought he could disregard everyone else without any repercussions. Shame he didn't have a licence to take away too.

Perhaps if there was a licence to take away - or put penalty points on (which affects insurance premium) then the fine wouldn't have been so much.

FWIW - I doubt that such a prosecution would be made for someone caught doing 7 or 8 knots as a one off.

 

[bluejasper2]

some one in a sunseeker was caught speeding on river tyne got fined £3500
got off on a technocality though , harbour master wanted to make an example
of him also. Nothing is said though when pilot boat speeds up and down river at over 20 knots in a 6 knot zone.

 

[Reverend Ludd]

some one in a sunseeker was caught speeding on river tyne got fined £3500
got off on a technocality though , harbour master wanted to make an example
of him also. Nothing is said though when pilot boat speeds up and down river at over 20 knots in a 6 knot zone.

One law for the pilot obviously.

I think it's a ludicrous amount to fine someone.

 

[sailorman]

some one in a sunseeker was caught speeding on river tyne got fined £3500
got off on a technocality though , harbour master wanted to make an example
of him also. Nothing is said though when pilot boat speeds up and down river at over 20 knots in a 6 knot zone.

Report them

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Its a ludicrous fine and out of all proportion to the offence and also in comparison to the fine for speeding in a motor car. Give these peak-capped, little Hitlers a speed gun and they'll persecute you just like their land based bretheren. I don't suppose for one moment that this pompous git of a harbourmaster thought that a warning and a stiff talking to would be enough of a deterrent. As far as I'm concerned, this kind of stuff is the thin end of the wedge which will end up with compulsory licensing and yet more overpaid and overpensioned public servants blighting our lives. Sometimes I just despise living in this country

 

[blueglass]

"official" boats seem exempt everywhere. If the exemption itself is genuinely official fair enough but I suspect not. In my marina, in which all aproaches have a 4 knot limit, the marina staff fly around between the pontoons at 20 knots upwards,They're official, see.

 

[l'escargot]

Its a ludicrous fine and out of all proportion to the offence and also in comparison to the fine for speeding in a motor car. Give these peak-capped, little Hitlers a speed gun and they'll persecute you just like their land based bretheren. I don't suppose for one moment that this pompous git of a harbourmaster thought that a warning and a stiff talking to would be enough of a deterrent. As far as I'm concerned, this kind of stuff is the thin end of the wedge which will end up with compulsory licensing and yet more overpaid and overpensioned public servants blighting our lives. Sometimes I just despise living in this country

They don't use a speed gun in Lymington so aren't out to persecute anyone. The HM concerned was telling me about it a few days after and he was actually quite annoyed that he had had to resort to prosecution but the individual concerned ignored numerous warnings and chose to speed off having been told of the consequences. He (the HM who reported for prosecution) is generally well thought of by visiting Yachties and Mobos and can be in no way described as pompous - he would much rather educate than prosecute. Nor is he a public servant as Lymington Harbour is an Independant Trust Port. The only person who did anything to support the call for compulsory licencing was the idiot speeding.

 

[Reverend Ludd]

......As far as I'm concerned, this kind of stuff is the thin end of the wedge which will end up with compulsory licensing and yet more overpaid and overpensioned public servants blighting our lives. Sometimes I just despise living in this country

Agreed

 

[hector]

Its a ludicrous fine and out of all proportion to the offence and also in comparison to the fine for speeding in a motor car. Give these peak-capped, little Hitlers a speed gun and they'll persecute you just like their land based bretheren. I don't suppose for one moment that this pompous git of a harbourmaster thought that a warning and a stiff talking to would be enough of a deterrent. As far as I'm concerned, this kind of stuff is the thin end of the wedge which will end up with compulsory licensing and yet more overpaid and overpensioned public servants blighting our lives. Sometimes I just despise living in this country

100% agree, we get more rock an roll from harbourmasters, berthing guys and taxis,than anyone else, Lymington included!!

 

[henryf]

As has already been said there may be a little more to it than immediately meets the eye.

Clearly a bloody stupid thing to do - didn't someone related to an official at one of the yacht clubs get done for something similar - but if having been read the riot act you don't show a bit of initiative and eat some humble pie what is the bloke to do? He gives a talking to and takes down your details. You potter back out of the harbour and your details get filed in the bin. You throttle up sending prop wake all over said harbourmaster and speed off back out on the plane you're going to end up before the magistrate.

Who knows? We weren't there.

Henry

 

[gravygraham]

Whatever one's thoughts on the actions of the perpetrator and his subsequent fine, there is good coming from this incident in the widespread publicity it has generated. IMO if the gent concerned was warned by officials (as has been suggested) on a couple of occasions about his behaviour, he bally well deserves his fine.

 

[mm1]

Fine

Its a ludicrous fine and out of all proportion to the offence and also in comparison to the fine for speeding in a motor car. Give these peak-capped, little Hitlers a speed gun and they'll persecute you just like their land based bretheren. I don't suppose for one moment that this pompous git of a harbourmaster thought that a warning and a stiff talking to would be enough of a deterrent. As far as I'm concerned, this kind of stuff is the thin end of the wedge which will end up with compulsory licensing and yet more overpaid and overpensioned public servants blighting our lives. Sometimes I just despise living in this country

The guy was clearly a plonker & I have no sympathy for him.So tell us Deleted User where would you rather be?Spain/Portugal,France or even Greece eh, er umm.we have always found the Lymington chaps extremely nice & very helpfull,regards mm1.

 

[Searush]

Should have confiscated his boat & wake board too. What is he doing wakeboarding thro a mooring area? That is sooo stoopid & dangerous he shouldn't ever be allowed back in a boat. It's bad enough in something like a rib or speedboat, but with some poor soul on the end of a bit of string it is just bonkers.

3x speed limit in a car might be classed as dangerous driving & could result in a custodial sentence - so I think he has got off damn lightly.

But then you might expect that from a yottie . . . I'm just not impressed by dangerous showing off.

 

[Andrew38]

I think Searush has a point, for serious speeding there are other sanctions than the fine alone; i.e disqualification or points. In this case there is, apparently, only the fine option.

Starting with the premise that, unless you were actually there, it's impossible to sensibly comment on a court's decision there are a few principles to consider:

1) Fines generally relate to ability to pay (that's why people w/o an income seem to pay very little when guilty of no insurance). In this case the offender might have a serious income
2) Generally only the total amount to pay is recorded in the media, if the case started with a not guilty plea, the case prosecution costs could have been very high
3)If what we are told about earlier warnings etc are reasonably true (or even worse) then the matter would have been considered "aggravated" and the base fine increased accordingly.