Boats and bathers: minimum distance from beaches and coast

During the summer months, sea lovers can finally go back to spending their free time going out on their boat.

It is always best to be very careful and respect the rules and regulations of the Harbour Police in Portoferraio  to the full if you want to avoid any accidents or misadventures.

For the entire summer season the area in the sea up to 200 metres from the beach and 100 metres from the cliffs or rocks is strictly for bathers only. By law, owners of bathing establishments must clearly mark off these areas with red coloured beacons or flags where mooring your boat is forbidden (the maximum safety depth of 1,60 metres is marked off with white coloured beacons or flags).

Where there are no bathing establishments and hence no white beacons or flags, the area must however be very clearly marked off.

As already stated all boats must stay at least 200 metres from the shore and 100 metres from the cliffs, so for this reason no boat of any type or size may be sailed from 8.30a.m. to 19.30p.m. within this restricted area (not even windsurfs or kitesurfs), with the exception of the following: yawls, pleasure boats, canoes, pedalos, rowing boats or anything similar, jet skis used for emergency rescue or any boats envolved in sea water pollution control. 
In these areas of the sea it is strictly forbidden to moor any type or size of boat (unless otherwise authorized).

Regarding windsurfs and kitesurfs if they are used on beaches that have bathing establishments, their owners must make sure that the areas are suitably marked off, depending on whether the boats are allowed or whether the area is strictly for bathers. On free beaches boats may be moored, but only when there is nobody in the water, and they must be kept at a distance of at least 60 metres from the beach or from any other type of boat, either whilst sailing or mooring.

If you have a motor boat or sailing boat you are allowed to sail across or moor in the areas of the sea opposite sheer cliffs, but your maximum speed must not exceed 3 nots, you must follow the coast line and you must always be very careful.

You must always sail at a distance of at least 100 metres from the beacons that make you aware of the presence of scuba divers: a red flag or ball - both red with white stripes - floating on the water.

It goes without saying that there are Coast Guards rules and regulations that bathers too must respect, above all in the areas where swimming is/is not allowed:

• It is forbidden to swim in the port
• within 100 metres of the entrance or near any of the port and dock facilities
• or within a distance of at least 100 metres from any industrial plants like water supplies and pipe lines. Fishing is also strictly forbidden in the stretches of water adjacent to the estuaries up to 50 metres from the coast
• or up to 50 metres from any bridges or walkways for passengers boarding ferries and ships
• . The Law also forbids fishing within the same distance from mooring lanes which must always be clearly marked off.