The Mediterranean maritime prefecture issued an order on May 7, valid from May 11 to June 1 in French territorial waters of the Mediterranean as well as on water bodies in lagoons and salt ponds in the public maritime domain. Navigation can be done from a home port or a mooring buoy, up to a distance of 54 nautical miles (approximately 100 km offshore).
A maximum distance of 54 nautical miles
Boaters flying the French or foreign flag will be able to travel a maximum distance of 54 nautical miles from their home port, and therefore anchor or disembark in a neighboring port. Pleasure craft will not be allowed to carry more than 10 passengers.
The entry into French waters of a pleasure vessel from a foreign port (outside the Schengen area) is prohibited. This prohibition does not apply to ships flying a foreign flag transiting the French Sea. The captain of a French pleasure vessel, coming from a foreign port, must, when entering the French sea, declare his health situation to the nearest national navy (semaphore).
Access to beaches and shores will depend on the mayors and the departmental prefect
It will be possible to practice nautical leisure activities in the 300-meter strip if the mayor and the prefecture authorize it since it is up to the mayor to regulate swimming and water sports practiced from the shore up to the limit of 300 meters.
The Minister of the Interior clarified, during the presentation of the deconfinement plan, that access to the beaches can be authorized by the prefects at the request of the mayors: “The mayors will then have to present a device and sufficient facilities to guarantee physical distancing. “
The mayor of Cannes advocates a concept of dynamic ranges where it will not be possible to stagnate, “walk alone, as a couple, parents with children, to access the water for water sports and recreation (bathing, swimming, scuba diving, individual water sports) or to fish alone. “ David Lisnard proposes to ban any bivouac, picnic, except for individual anglers, who will have to respect a minimum distance of 10 meters between them, and athletes, the time to prepare or remove their equipment.
The instructions must be recalled at each access point and municipal police officers assigned to the site, as well as controllers of the public maritime domain.
The mayors of Mandelieu and Théoule-sur-Mer signed the letter from the mayor of Cannes addressed to the prefect. In Antibes, the mayor Jean Léonetti wants individual activities on the water to resume quickly and has written to the prefect to ask him. In Nice, the reopening of the beaches is planned for the weekend of May 16, “in agreement with the prefect for a respect of social distances” said Mayor Christian Estrosi.
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