Safe Speed – International – Pleasure Craft

Every vessel shall at all times proceed at a safe speed so that she can take proper and effective action to avoid collision and be stopped within a distance appropriate to the prevailing circumstances and conditions.

Control Buoy - Speed Limits

In determining a safe speed the following factors shall be among those taken into account by all vessels:

  • the state of visibility,
  • the traffic density including concentrations of fishing vessels or any other vessels,
  • the manoeuvrability of the vessel with special reference to stopping distance and turning ability in the prevailing conditions,
  • at night the presence of background light such as from shore lights or from back scatter of her own lights,
  • the state of wind, sea and current, and the proximity of navigational hazards,
  • the draught in relation to the available depth of

Proper look-out

Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision.

The operator is required to know that there are various signals to indicate movement in a particular direction or to attract attention to them or to use when in restricted visibility.