Safety on board without a licence: priorities, night-time and events
The gulf, the Siagne and the regulated zones
The marine view shows the EMODnet seabed profile, depth contours, OpenSeaMap buoyage and the PING zones selected along the route. The aerial view keeps harbours, buoyage and rules. The texts and the day’s notices must still be checked in PING.
Priority no. 1: knowing who decides and who steers
Before casting off, one person must be clearly identified as skipper and helmsman. They sign off the weather, the route, the manoeuvres and the decision to head back. Nobody else takes the helm “to have a go”, unless the rental company has allowed for it and the legal conditions are genuinely met. Accompanied helming is a specific procedure: it does not follow simply from having a relative on board who holds a licence.
For the Siagne, canals and rivers, a sea licence does not in itself give the rights of an inland waters licence. Any rental exception depends on authorisation from the rental company: have it confirmed before entering the route.
The five checks before departure
| Check | Simple decision |
|---|---|
| Weather and sea state | If the skipper has doubts, the trip is shortened or cancelled. Wind and sea change quickly in the Mediterranean. |
| Fuel and return | The return time is set before departure, with a margin of fuel and time. |
| Lifejackets | An approved lifejacket suited to each person, especially children; everyone knows where it is and how to put it on. |
| Chart, zones and return harbour | Open PING and the local rules: anchoring, swimming, speed, works and the day’s events. |
| Crew briefing | Everyone knows where the lifejackets, the phone, the VHF if fitted, the fire extinguisher and the means of raising the alarm are. |
Under way: rules that are easy to remember
Lifejackets, children and moving about on board
Lifejackets are worn whenever the skipper asks, in particular by children, weak swimmers, during manoeuvres or when the sea builds up. Nobody moves about unnecessarily during a manoeuvre, nobody sits in an unstable spot and hands are kept away from ropes under tension.
Swimmers, divers, paddleboards and small craft
Near the coast or an anchorage, slow down before you get close. A person in the water or a paddleboard can be hard to make out. Dive flags and marker buoys call for a wide safety distance. Nobody climbs back on board until the helmsman has made the engine, propeller and reverse gear completely safe.
Alcohol, phone and the helmsman’s attention
The helmsman keeps their attention on the water, the buoyage and other users. A phone can help to call for help or check information, but it is not a navigation station. For photos, music and organising lunch, appoint someone else.
If you get into difficulty: stay with the boat and raise the alarm
Do not leave the boat to swim to the shore. Keep everyone together, put on lifejackets and alert the rescue services as early as possible. At sea, call 196 from a phone: it is the free national sea rescue number. On board, use VHF channel 16 if a radio is available; it lets you alert the CROSS and nearby boats.
For an urgent VHF call, the helmsman or a designated person gives: the boat’s name, the position, the nature of the problem, the help needed and the number of people on board. For grave and imminent danger, the message is MAYDAY; for an urgent situation without immediate danger, PAN PAN. If someone falls overboard, keep them in sight at all times and follow the procedure explained by the rental company, without attempting a manoeuvre you have not mastered.
Night navigation: a matter of preparation, never improvisation
At night, buoyage, other boats, swimmers, buoys and the shoreline are harder to read. For a crew without a licence, it should only be considered if the contract expressly allows it and an authorised helmsman who is comfortable navigating at night remains in control.
Before any trip that might end after dark, the skipper checks the navigation lights, the personal locating devices, the weather, the return harbour, fuel station opening hours and how long the arrival manoeuvre will really take. The ministry points out that personal locating devices must be able to help rescuers for at least six hours after nightfall. A phone torch is no substitute for the boat’s regulation lights.
For the Siagne, the rule is stricter: Cannes Marina states that the river is not lit or buoyed for night navigation. A rental trip should therefore not be undertaken there at dusk without explicit instructions from the harbour office and the rental company.
Fireworks and events: the return plan matters more than the view
A firework display, a regatta or a nautical event may involve an exclusion zone, harbour instructions or a temporary order. Do not rely on memory of a “usual” zone: check PING, the town’s programme and the harbour office’s instructions on the day itself.
For crews without a licence, the recommendation is not to make the event their first night-time experience. Before setting out, confirm who is at the helm, where the boat can legally wait, what time it leaves and which harbour will take it in. If in doubt, choose to return before nightfall or watch from the shore.
The three sentences to remember
- I do not take the helm without a legal framework and the rental company’s agreement.
- I do not choose a zone because it looks clear: I check the rules and the buoyage.
- I do not turn a firework display into an improvised night-time return.