6 nautical miles from a shelter: how far can I go with my licence and my safety kit?

• Coastal licence (French permis côtier): up to 6 nautical miles from a shelter.
• Offshore extension: no distance limit from the licence.
• No licence: allowed on a sailing boat, or on a motorboat of 6 hp (4.5 kW) or less.

French rules (Division 240) also set four safety kit levels: basic up to 2 nm from a shelter, coastal up to 6 nm, semi-offshore 6 to 60 nm, offshore beyond. With basic kit you stay within 2 nm, whatever your licence.

No licence is needed to sail a sailing boat at sea, even with an auxiliary engine. Exception: a sailing boat with little sail for its weight (motorsailer) may count as a motorboat; if in doubt, ask the French maritime authorities. Only an auxiliary engine above 6 hp changes the limit in Cap Calme: it is used within the limit of your licence and, with no licence, Cap Calme keeps a 6 nm limit from a shelter as a precaution.

A shelter is, in the official wording, a place on the coast where a boat and its crew can reach safety by anchoring, landing or berthing, and leave again without help. It depends on the day's weather and on the boat: an exposed beach is not one. The official guidance leaves the choice of distance to the skipper, based on the boat's design category (A to D).

Cap Calme starts from your licence and your kit and draws your limit on the map, estimated from the known harbours and anchorages. Routes are planned within it, and Cap Calme warns you if a leg goes outside. Setting up takes a minute, with no account. It covers mainland France and Corsica.

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