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The environmental impact of power craft offends many constituencies. At the small end of the range, the noise and wash from skiboats and PWCs is alleged to disturb swimmers, and the temptation to show off has led to some serious accidents near bathing beaches in the hands of inexperienced drivers. Among other responses, the voluntary code of practice for PWCs developed by RYA, BMF,the British Ports Association (especially Poole Harbour), certain local authorities and the manufacturers is a good example. But so long as there is unrestricted public access to the water, a right which all want to guard jealously, it is impossible to ensure 100% compliance.
As the boats get larger, potential speeds go up, wash can become severe, allegedly causing erosion of soft shores, especially the saltmarsh and mudflats on which many birds depend. Some birds are also affected by noise. Come to that, so am I. The peace and tranquillity of a gentle beat with a weathergoing tide can be shattered by a couple of fast cruisers belting by. I once suggested to a friend that the ‘flour bomb test’ should be applied. If they passed close enough to land a flour bomb in the cockpit, they deserved it. He suggested that eggs were better because they went further, were more accurate, and much harder to clean off. I plead guilty to such prejudice, but argue that the bad feeling is more widespread than may be apparent. But the effect on the natural environment gives some lobby groups the leverage they seek to ban boating from the more beautiful and quiet areas. They will not try to distinguish between types of craft, and restrictions will be placed on us all unless the problem is successfully addressed.
Finally, there is the problem of emissions and oil pollution. It is said that, although the Exxon Valdez tanker spill in Alaska hit the headlines, the 250,00 barrels of oil spilled is no more than the annual pollution from powerboats in the US. OK, they have more of them, and a higher proportion use petrol rather than diesel. But the point remains. Two strokes are the worst, and I have now switched to a four-stroke outboard for my dinghy. And it is no use being smug about our use of diesel. My little 27hp diesel engine drops a dollop of soot on the water every time I start it, and there is no getting away from the CO2 emissions that contribute to global warming, a new factor that may be threatening our sailing environment, especially on the UK South Coast. In the face of these pressures, it is hard to justify the duty free fuel that we currently enjoy. We have the fishermen to thank for the maintenance of this concession (it would be difficult to differentiate between yachts and fishing boats). But if over fishing continues, it cannot be long before this concession is removed.
It would be nice to think that better enforcement of existing rules, coupled with better adherence to codes of practice would contain the worst problems. Chichester, for example, operates a reasonably effective patrol regime that stops excessive speed and wash (till the boats leave the harbour and open the taps as they head out to the Bar Beacon). Poole has led the way in designating areas for PWC and windsurfing activity. But the cost of bringing a prosecution is high, and any fines go to the court, not to the harbour. Some harbourmasters are beginning to lobby for some kind of fixed penalty system. Oh dear! Yachting is not what it used to be!
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