Re: [Paddlewise] French navigation bumf

From: Rainer Schroeter <kayaker_at_gmx.de>
Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2002 23:18:22 +0200
On Fri, 19 Apr 2002 20:32:23 +0200
"Kevin Dyer" <k.dyer_at_bluewin.ch> wrote:

> Basis of French authorisations to navigate up to 5 miles from land. Boats must
> be homologated (several pages of bumf about that, but I couldn't be bothered).
> 
> Translated (You're welcome, don't mention it :-)) from French documents on
> website "Fedération Française de Canoë-Kayak".

[regulations snipped]

This is in fact the valid regulation, if you want to go farther out than
1 nautical mile from shoreline. The regulation you translated is only
valid for the part of France called "Bretagne". Everywhere else you are
not allowed to go farther out than one mile.

The new regulation is:

You are allowed to go out to 2 nautical mile from shoreline if your boat
looks like that:

The cockpit rim has to stay above waterlevel when the boat is fully
flooded *including hatches and all compartments* with 15 kg ballast
(nothing mentioned about Canadian rock ;-). Flotation has to be rigid
(closed cell foam) any sorts of airbags are not accepted.
This means: You need about 25% of your hatches or stowing place for rigid
flotation.

In reference to the website of DKV (German Canoe Union) this regulation
is valid since 2000, but the older regulations are still valid too. From
the year 2003 or 2004 on (that's not quite clear to me) the new
regulations will be the only valid ones. Every seakayak not equipped
with that sort of flotation is then bound to 300 Meters from shoreline.

All Information taken from the German website:
http://www.kanu.de/spezial/kuestenpaddeln/regelungen_frankreich.html

I've never heard of more stupid rules.

BTW: Some French seakayakers told, that they go out as they like and by
now nobody asked them about anything.

Rainer

Excuse my English...

--
Rainer Schroeter, Marburg (Lahn), Germany

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Received on Fri Apr 19 2002 - 14:16:29 PDT

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