Navigation rules
- If the boat is used for personal use or is leased for private use , it will not be possible to navigate in the vicinity of the rental circuits.
- It if forbidden to navigate in the limited areas for the celbration of the regattas.
- Navigation inside the bathing areas is prohibited. Remember that the bathing areas are those between the beach and the beacon line. And that in the event that there is no beacon line a strip of 200 metres wide from the shoreline will be considered the bathing area.
- In case the beach is unmarked you must follow a path perpendicular to the coast, always at a speed that does not exceed 3 knots.
- The use of the boat is only allowed during day lighthours.
- The boat should only be used in good weather and visibility.
- The boat may not be used to tow other floating objects, except those used by the security forces and by entities dedicated to sea rescue or in cases of emergency.
Navigation tips
- You must not sail under the effects of alcohol.
- Stay within 50 metres on another vessel, floating artifact , submarine signs, bunkers of other boats.
- Never navigate alone. Always let someone know where you are going and how long you will be there.
- If you are in trouble, do not leave your boat. Never try to swim to the shore.
- Navigation is forbidden in the commercial ports except to go from the sea to a marina installed inside or vice versa and at a speed not exceeding 3 knots
- You must avoid navigation in the access channels to the ports, in the anchoring areas , and in the areas of high concentration of boats.
In order to guarantee the safety of the beach users and especially of bathers. The authorities have established protection zones generally marked out on the beach.
These zones will be understood to be located inside a coastal strip , parallel to the coast , 200 metres wide, in which navigation is prohibited or conditioned at a speed of 3 knots where there is no buoying.
The zones are:
- Reserved exclusively for the bathers.
- Prohibited to all water sports.
- The access channels for windsurfing, water skiing, jet skis, sail boats, motor boats etc are prohibited areas for bathing and intended to give watersport users access to the beach.
Remember that in properly marked bathing areas sports and recreational navigation are prohibited as is the use of any type of boat powerd by sail or engine. The launching or stranding of boats must be done through properly marked channels.
In the sections of the coast that are not sign posted, it will be understood that the bathing are occupies the area adjacent to the coast with a width of 200 metres. Within there unmarked areas, you should not sail at a speed greater than 3 knots. Nautical vessels may only navigate this area to access the beach perpendicularly, taking extreme precautions and at a speed of less than 3 knots.
All floating vessels or devices, whatever their means of propulsion, that leave or go to the beaches, must do so perpendicular to land, navigating with caution and always less than 3 knots from 200 metres to the coast or vice versa. If there are marked access channels these will be used compulsorily.
Remember that it is forbidden to anchor in the access channels to the ports, coves and beaches (if marked out) and inside the properly marked out bathing areas. You must respect these areas at all times, both for your safety and that of others.
Precautions to avoid falling into the water
- Move around the boat with your body tilted towards the center of it.
- Prevent the ships movements by monitoring the sea.
- Always hold on to the solid parts of the boat.
- Wear shoes with non-slip soles.
- Put on your life vest and harness before going on deck. In any case, Always use both elements in case of bad weather. Periodically check the candlesticks, tether lines and harness anchor points.
- Put safety nets around the boat if there are children on board, or in any case tie firmly.
- Avoid making physiological needs over board, and if this is not possible, take appropriate precautions using a harness.
- Do not run on the deck.
- Do not swim in high seas without witnesses and without the existence of a scale to get back on board.
- Do not sleep in the bathtub of the boats.
If you are sailing alone or on autopilot, it is highly recommended to leave a 50 meter safety line at the stern, provided with knots every 5 meters and topped by a highly visible float.
Action before a fall in the water
The actions mentioned below, for orientation purposes, are practically instantaneous and simultaneous. The skipper of the boat must choose, depending on the circumstances, the most convenient for each case. Given the speed of this maneuver, your training is highly recommended.
- Shout “man overboard” and control the time that passe.
- Put the rudder on the same side as where the person has fallen.
- Shut down the propeller if there is a risk it will hit the person fallen overboard.
- Immediately throw a lifebuoy to the person overboard.
- If possible, launch a smoke signal or flare.
- Appoint someone so they do not let the ship out of their sight by pointing at it with their arm.
- Record minute and hour of fall, heading and position.
- Throw floating objects into the sea to mark the area if the course is not previously altered.
- Organize the rescue on board.
- Send a “PAN / PAN” message.
- If navigating by motor, carry out the man overboard maneuver most appropriate to the characteristics of the boat.
- If sailing, turn to the windward, put on the cape, drift, and / or approach the castaway with caution.
You should never jump into the water in search of the castaway, unless you are well tied to the boat by a long rope and wearing a life jacket.
GOLDEN RULE: The boat will only be abandoned when it offers fewer guarantees of protection than any other means of survival , and never if possible, without having issued a distress message and adopted the basic preparatory measures of abandonment.
Forbidden to throw into the sea
- Plastic, glass, drums, packaging and containers.
- Oils and residues of fuels or other hydrocarbons.
- Oily waters.
- Food scraps less than 12 miles from the shore.
