THE skipper of a racing yacht has been fined £6,000 for going the wrong way up a busy shipping lane.

Folkestone magistrates also ordered the captain of the Mean Machine, Dirk De Ridder, to pay £4,200 costs.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency told the court the yacht had gone the wrong way up a traffic lane in the Straits of Dover traffic separation scheme on May 13 when it was travelling from Portsmouth to Scheveningen in the Netherlands, prior to taking part in a race.

This is contrary to rules set out in the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, known as Colregs.

At about 6.50pm, the Mean Machine was detected slowly entering the South West lane. She then travelled for six and a half miles in the wrong direction in the lane.

The court was told the yacht’s plan had been to follow the separation line between the south west lane and the inshore traffic zone very closely.

However, De Ridder failed to realise that wind shifts would cause him problems, which they ultimately did, as his course took him into the south west lane. The yacht passed close ahead of a crossing vessel before passing between two south west bound vessels.

After the court hearing Mike Toogood, of Dover Coastguard, said: "Mean Machine was crewed by nine people. If the yacht’s position had been better monitored then the vessel drift into the south west lane would have been quickly detected.

"Also, by being so tight to the south west lane, he was asking for trouble. The results of his action were totally foreseeable.

"Safety in the Dover Straits Traffic Separation Scheme is dependant on all vessels, no matter what shape size or description, closely following the requirements of rule 10 of the Colregs."