Essential Safety Information - Speed & Wash

Speed

Many of you will know the speed limit in Cowes Harbour is six knots. It’s stated in our General Directions (3.2), it’s stated in our Local Notice to Mariners (02/23), and it’s plastered on many of our harbour buoys. This speed limit applies anywhere within the Inner Harbour (inside the breakwaters) and anywhere within 100m of the Mean High-Water Line. If you’re not sure where that is, just use 100m off the land. If you’re not sure how far 100m is, it’s probably best if you ask someone with a bit more experience to drive your boat until you’ve completed some basic training. 

We would kindly ask you to remember that it is six knots ‘through the water’. This point is particularly important when going against the tide and/or if you are using GPS to monitor your speed. If you attempt to maintain 6 knots ‘over the ground’ (GPS speed), you will probably be exceeding the speed limit and creating more wash than you should. You run the risk of being in breach of our General Directions and our Patrol Officers, with their blue lights and sirens will chase you down for chat! 

You should also bear in mind that although the speed limit is six knots through the water, General Direction 3.2.2 requires that you reduce speed as necessary in the ‘observance of safe seamanship’. This means that if, for example, you see someone attempting to come alongside or they are working on the side of their boat, or you come across a couple of kayakers – please ease your speed so as not to cause a nuisance or danger to those sharing the water with you.

One point, particularly for the less experienced - If you see someone waving their arm(s) up and down in a vertical motion, they are signalling for you to slow down. Please be courteous and do so – there may be dangers or risks to others that you can’t see from your position. 

Wash 



Six knots, no wash – that’s what it says on the buoys in the Harbour. Again, this applies anywhere in the Inner Harbour or within 100m of the Mean High-Water Line.

We fully understand that you cannot move an object through water without creating some kind of effect on the surface, but what we ask is that you are considerate to others using the Harbour. General Direction 3.3 says that your vessel ‘shall not be navigated so as to cause wash to be generated that may cause damage to or endanger the safety of other persons, vessels or property’.  

It can be tricky to determine when your wash is ‘too much wash’, it’s very much dependent on the type of boat you have, the tide direction and strength and the weather, but please keep it to a minimum – even if that means going slower than six knots and do take a look over your shoulder once in a while and see if the boats you’re passing are getting rocked about. If it’s more than a gentle wobble, you should do what you can to reduce your wash (whilst staying under six knots). 

Capt. Jon Kidd

Cowes Harbour Master

Over the last few years, there has been a marked increase in the number of propulsion failure incidents within the Solent area. The majority of these incidents are the result of a general lack of maintenance. To reduce the number of incidents, Cowes Harbour Commission has teamed up with ABP Southampton, KHM Portsmouth, Portsmouth International Port, Langstone Harbour, Beaulieu River, Yarmouth Harbour & Lymington Harbour to help educate boat owners and raise awareness of the importance of proper engine maintenance.



Throughout the year, we have published a series of six graphics each with top tips on different aspects of boat and voyage preparation. This, the final installment brings together some of the key headlines from the campaign.

There is so much great exposure surrounding the extraordinary event that is Cowes Week. This year, rather than re-share some of the content readers will likely have already seen we bring you a glimpse of the work that goes on behind the scenes among the CHC team.

Dry Sailing Team at Sheopards Marina launch the J70 fleet

Well ahead of any racing, the team at Shepards Marina meticulously plans the berth location for every visiting boat, not only in the marina but also the harbour moorings and river pontoons. The Dry Sailing team prepare the fleet and in a flurry of a few days lift and launch a huge number of vessels.

Day boats on event moorings laid arrow straight by the Afloat Team

Event moorings are laid by the Afloat Team using a highly accurate GPS positioning system and the CHC workboat, Seaclear.

HMS Tyne on the Trinity House Mooring Buoy

Agreements are made and plans are drawn up for larger visitors to the harbour. A variety of stakeholders are involved with final signoff coming from Deputy Harbour Master, Jennie Smith.

HM-1 seen from the foredeck of HMS Tyne responding to a radio call for assistance.

The harbour's waterborne assets are busy all week. Their duties include patrolling the water and enforcing the General Directions, assisting and intervening with vessels in distress and escorting commercial traffic into and around the harbour to maintain a high level of safety at all times

Deputy Harbour Master Jennie with colleagues Barry Adler from APB Southampton & Stuart Tan from Red Funnel take a break while working alongside race officials on the Royal Yacht Squadron platform to ensure racing goes ahead safely.

During racing, particularly race starts there is a huge amount of activity in and around the entrance to Cowes Harbour. Working alongside race officials on the Royal Yacht Squadron platform, Cowes Harbour Commission will always have a representative to ensure CHC assets are coordinated to assist where needed and offer words of guidance to excited chase and press boats. In addition, APB Ports attend to ensure large traffic is managed so as not to cause any difficulties for either vessel and Red Funnel is present to maintain open communication between race officials and ferry traffic. They don't always look as happy and relaxed as the picture suggests!

In a UK first, a jetskier who forced a Red Funnel ferry to make significant changes to steerage and power to reduce the risk of a collision in Cowes Harbour has been prosecuted by the MCA. The man in his 20s from Southampton crossed in front of the ferry at the entrance to Cowes Harbour within meters of the bow.

The incident was spotted by officers from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary with the case being taken by the MCA which issued a caution to the man on 1 July 2024 after he admitted the offence.

MCA Departmental Inspector Lesley Hopker said:

The jet skier was very remorseful and appreciated that his actions had forced a ferry with many people on board to, essentially, slam on the brakes.

At a busy harbour, on the last day of Cowes Week, this could have had serious consequences. It’s a timely reminder that even small watercraft are now covered by maritime law and action will be taken against those breaking the rules.

The jet skier admitted breaching Rule 9 of the International Regulations for the Prevention of Collision at Sea (IRPCS), contrary to Section 4 of The Merchant Shipping (Distress Signals and Prevention of Collisions) Regulations 1996.

Since 31 March last year, the law has also applied to jet skiers (under the Merchant Shipping (Watercraft) Order 2023), which enables those who endanger others by using powered watercraft of any size in a dangerous manner to be prosecuted.

A swiftly planned lift out of a racing yacht came to pass at Kingston Boatyard on the Sunday of Cowes Week. X-Yachts, X-43, Voix de la Mer came to grief when a line wrapped around her prop causing damage to her hull. After arriving under tow at Kingston Boatyard two team members who had taken the out-of-hours call quickly organised the lift using the yard's 40t boat hoist. Once out of the water, the damage could be properly assessed and after washing off the vessel, the team were able to free the line from the prop and connect the boat owner with a specialist who could make the necessary repairs to the gel coat. While under the boat, the Kingston team also changed a damaged anode. Fortunately, because of the quick response from the Kingston team, the damage to the gel coat was able to be repaired the same day and after a night in the slings Voix de la Mer was relaunched on Monday morning in time to make the start of racing.

The Solent Seascape Project is working to scientifically monitor the benefits of seascape-scale restoration, including measuring the carbon storage potential of restored habitats such as saltmarsh and seagrass, and ensuring that local people and sea-users co-design the project, thereby becoming more connected and engaged with their own marine environment.

The restoration of all four key habitats included in the project has already started with seven seabird sites, four trial sites for seagrass, 0.25 ha for salt marsh and 0.25 ha for oysters.   

As a partner in the Solent Seascape Project, - the first seascape-scale marine restoration project in the UK - Cowes Harbour Commission is incredibly proud to announce that the project has gained international recognition from the United Nations (UN) for its work to protect, connect and restore nature in the Solent for the benefit of all.



The project has been endorsed as an official United Nations Decade Action as part of the UN Ocean Decade, for its contribution towards international goals for the protection and restoration of marine biodiversity and for bridging gaps in important areas of ocean science, while also connecting people to the ocean in a sustainable way.

As a UN Ocean Decade Action, we’ll be working alongside and learning from a network of other worldwide initiatives to collectively achieve change for our ocean, at a local and global scale, while working to reconnect the Solent into a functioning seascape which provides benefits for both people and nature across the Solent.

We know that we're still in the peak of the season and probably still recovering from Cowes Week but now could be the time to start considering how you'll care for your boat over winter. This year we've teamed Kingston Boatyard with Red Funnel to bring you an exclusive and (we think) unbeatable offer that will deliver on all your winter storage needs and maintenance needs. So what's the offer?

• Antifoul treatment
• Topsides polish
• Cabin valet
• Up to 5 months of winter storage ashore
• 3 return car ferry crossing from Southampton to East Cowes

If you choose to take up this package, you'll save an average of 17% over buying the elements individually AND have your ferry crossing covered as well. Once again Cowes Harbour is the first to market with such a thorough package and don't forget Kingston Boatyard is an open yard so you can arrange your own contractors to carry out other work while you're ashore, or we can help you with those arrangements. PLUS you can stay on your boat for a few days at a time and save on accommodation (this does not constitute a live-aboard offer)

Give the team at Kingston a call on 01983 299385 for a quote tailored to your boat.

All of this is in addition to the never before seen Smart Service Packages launched before Easter at Kingston Boatyard in East Cowes have caused a stir with many boat owners looking to take up the added value services available for the first time this year.

The packages, which combine some of the most popular services used by boatyard customers create the opportunity to save significant amounts compared to purchasing them separately. Cowes Harbour is the first to market in Cowes with these combined service packages which include lift & launch and time ashore in the boatyard to complete the work. From a simple anti-foul treatment to a winter storage and maintenance package, we're confident the majority of boatowners will benefit from the discounts available of up to 23% depending on services and boat size.

For more information, contact the boatyard directly or head to the website.

Water Taxi Information CLICK HERE

Fuel Berth Information CLICK HERE

Advertise with us

If you are a company, large or small offering products and services to the sailing community, water users or even visitors to Cowes we can help you get your business message in front of the right people. We have a range of outside advertising spaces at Trinity Landing, Shepards Marina and Town Quay.

Prices vary depending on location but every package includes the cost of the banner. We can even create the artwork for you. For further information please email marketing.chc@cowes.co.uk

If you have any questions about Cowes Harbour, Shepards Marina or Kingston Boatyard, please pop in, give the team a call or send us an email

Stay safe and have fun afloat,

Gary and the Cowes Harbour Commission team

Cowes Harbour Commission | Website

Harbour Office: 01983 293 952

Shepards Marina: 01983 297 821

Kingston Boatyard: 01983 299 385