200551 Excessive Speed in Harbour Entrance

Excessive Speed in Harbour Entrance
MARS Report 200551

After a day yacht racing in Scotland, we were returning to harbour. The weather was clear and sunny as yachts were returning to harbour and some local children had even come out in a small (4.2m) outboard powered dinghy to watch the yachts returning.

As a number of yachts, including our own, were transiting inbound between the navigation marks, we were appalled to be rapidly caught and passed by an MCA rigid inflatable at speeds in excess of 15 knots as she entered the harbour. The speed limit being 3 knots at this point. This vessel passed close to a number of yachts in the channel and additionally, the wake nearly capsized and swamped the dinghy. The vessel then proceeded to the pontoons to discharge two persons who had been in the water and were cold but with no other symptoms.

LESSONS AND PREVENTIVE ACTION

The ramp from the pontoon is long in the event of requiring wheelchair or stretcher access. In the event of a real emergency would it not have been better to use the ferry terminal outside the harbour, take the casualty direct to hospital by boat or use the medical emergency team afloat during the series. Apart from the collision risk caused by high speed operations in a restricted channel, the risk of the dinghy being capsized or swamped and the subsequent rescue operation in a narrow channel does not seem to justify the speed used for the time "saved".

There was no evidence of the RIB deploying its blue lights, nor were there any radio transmissions on channel 16 or 14 (the harbour channel). Any of the above would have been useful in warning the yachts of what was happening. The sight of supposed professionals acting in this manner does not help when trying to regulate harbour speed limits with safety issues. It is not excusable to enter the harbour at this speed, especially as there were 20 or more yachts transiting the harbour at the time. Professionals should take more care in close waters and their training should encompass this.

The MCA have been made aware of this incident and replied that there was more to this particular incident that might have first appeared and that the actions of the RIB were entirely appropriate to the circumstances of the situation. However, it is considered by the reporter, that a change in operating procedures should be made to avert any future risk of accidents.