Summer bylaw blitz

Maritime officer Marc Davis discusses the bylaws with a crew on the Waitemata Harbour.

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The Auckland Regional Council (ARC) polices the waterway bylaws, and is tightening the reins in a bid to create safer seas.

“The honeymoon period is over for speeding vessels,” says maritime officer Marc Davis. “On the whole most people are pretty good – out of 30 boats we might get two [who are speeding] – but we’re just trying to get some uniformity in the harbour, and get people thinking the same.”
Davis says ignorance towards the speed laws is no excuse.

“There has been enough publicity with Maritime New Zealand and advertising, so people should know the laws.”
Although some vessels make a larger wake at slower speeds, Davis says that isn’t the problem.
“We have no issue with wake, just an issue keeping the speed down; there are more and more paddlers out there now that we need to watch out for.”

Anyone caught breaking speed rules can expect an instant $200 fine from the maritime officers working with the harbourmaster to patrol Auckland’s waters every day this summer.

Lifejackets will also be hot on the checklist, with skippers fined $100 if there is not a suitable lifejacket available for every person onboard.

As for any vessel found not displaying navigation lights between dusk and dawn, the skipper will face an instant $200 fine.

Boaties are also reminded that all recreational vessels are required to display their name, VHF call sign or trailer registration number, a new rule instituted last year. The bylaw is to help with policing the waters, making it easier to identify offenders, and states characters must be a minimum of 90mm high and in a colour and font that can be clearly read.

“The main intention is to educate rather than serve infringement notices this summer,” Davis says. “We’ll issue a warning notice first time and the boat will go onto the register, and if you infringe again you’ll be pinged $100.”

The Auckland area stretches north of the Manukau Harbour and stops in line with the Kaipara Harbour and Great Barrier Island, while extending 12km either side of the mainland.
For a full copy of the ARC’s navigation and safety bylaws, check www.arc.govt.nz. - Sam Stewart

The ARC by-laws boaties must adhere to
The 12-knot inner harbour speed limit;
A five-knot restriction up the Tamaki River;
A five-knot restriction for boats within 50m of another vessel or person in the water, as well as 200m within the shore or a mooring management area.

- © Fairfax NZ News