In a nutshell: to simplify, to modernise, to responsibilise

09/2004
– It is at the Grand Pavois boat show in La Rochelle, that the
Secretary of State to transport and sea, François Goulard, presented
the final version of the reform on the regulation of the yachting in
France.

The old system – Facing the complexity and the seniority of
these rules, the European standards, and may be, especially, with the
escape towards flags of convenience (Belgian in particular), François
Goulard considered to be necessary the recasting of "division" 224,
unchanged since the decree of November 23rd, 1987.

The news – The
main axis of the reform is the safety of which one of the major points
is the raft of survival, which could not obligatorily be a bib but an
appendix with automatic inflation. Another important change, the
concept of categories: the future decree stipulates the existence of
two categories (instead of six), coastal and deep-sea (names adopted at the time of the press conference). If the deep-sea category does not have a restriction of distance, the coastal
one prevents the yachtsman from moving away to more than six miles of a
shelter. The problem is that nothing clearly defines what a shelter is,
the concept is different according to whether one is on board an
inflatable boat or a sailing yacht with a 2m50 draught…

The balance – Safety,
European and international harmonization, will of responsibilisation of
the yachtsman while softening the regulation are the announced
objectives of the reform. However, one has the right to wonder whether
safety and easing of the rules go inevitably from pairs…

Meeting in Paris – To
the question, did you envisaged to more responsabilise the yachtsmen
with motorboats, of which the formation is quasi non-existent and who
are constantly more numerous, the Secretary of State did not answer
negatively and holds his declarations for the Paris Boat Show in next
December.
– CdB –