Under New Zealand's Maritime Rules Part 91, you must not go faster than 5 knots within 50 metres of another vessel or a person in the water, within 200 metres of the shore or any structure, or within 200 metres of a vessel flying the dive flag.
The 5 knot rule is one of the best known boating rules in New Zealand. It comes from the national navigation safety rules, Maritime Rules Part 91, and is repeated in regional council bylaws, including Auckland's.
The speed limit is 5 knots, through the water, when you are:
- within 50 metres of any other vessel or of a person in the water;
- within 200 metres of the shore, or of any structure such as a wharf, jetty or marina;
- within 200 metres of a vessel or structure flying flag A, the blue and white swallow-tailed flag that shows divers are down.
Five knots is about 9 kilometres an hour, the speed of a jog. It is slow enough that your wash is small and you can stop quickly.
Points worth knowing:
- the rule applies to the person in charge of any vessel, so it applies to sailing boats as well as motor boats, although some bylaws make specific exceptions and set out particular zones and lanes;
- in practice a small sailing boat is usually going slower than 5 knots anyway, but larger yachts and boats with engines can easily go faster near the shore;
- you are responsible for damage or injury caused by your wash, even outside the speed limit areas;
- bylaws may set additional speed limits or reserved areas, such as swimming zones and access lanes for water-skiing, often marked with yellow buoys or signs.
Most marina and mooring areas in Auckland are within 200 metres of the shore or a structure, so 5 knots is the limit in them, and dead slow is often better. Harbourmasters patrol the harbour and can issue fines for breaking the bylaws. The council's Navigation Safety Bylaw sets out the full local rules: read it before you sail in Auckland.
More in the book: Chapter 8, Under power, and in the marina