Required safety equipment by zone
1The lesson in plain words
Farther offshore, you must carry more safety gear. Missing or out-of-date items are serious offences, fined item by item.
Lifejackets and lifebuoys
Carry at least one lifejacket per person, with a light. In zones 4–7, lights are optional for boats sailing only by day. Zone 1 needs one spare jacket. Children and babies need jackets matching their weight. Buoyancy is upward support, measured in newtons (N). Minimum ratings: 275 N in zone 1, 150 N in zones 2–4, 100 N in zones 5–7. Zones 1–4 need a lifebuoy with light and line; zone 1 adds a second lifebuoy.
Liferaft and flares
Zones 1–3 need a liferaft for everyone on board. Farther offshore, you need more distress signals. Zone 1: 6 hand flares, 6 red parachute rockets and 2 floating smoke signals. Zones 2–3: 6, 6 and 1. Zone 4: 3 hand flares and 3 rockets. Zones 5–6: 3 hand flares. Out-of-date flares count as missing.
Navigation gear
Carry the RIPA (Spain's COLREG) lights, shapes and sound signals, a foghorn and an anchor line at least five times boat length. In every zone carry a national flag, waterproof torch with spare batteries, radar reflector (non-metal hulls), and rescue-signal and flag tables if radio is fitted. Zones 1–4 add a compass, charts, publications and binoculars. Category A/B boats with an enclosed cabin used for steering or navigation need those four items even in zones 5–7.
Fire
A CE boat follows its owner's manual for extinguishers; keep it aboard. If it gives no requirements, use the national length-and-power table, as non-CE boats do.
Bilge
Bilge pumps remove water collecting inside the hull. Zones 1–3: one manual and one powered pump, plus two 5-litre buckets. Zones 4–6: a manual or electric pump and one 5-litre bucket. Zone 7: a pump, or a 2-litre bailer for boats up to 6 m with buoyancy chambers. Sailing boats in zones 1–6 need a fixed manual pump operable from the cockpit with hatches and interior accesses shut.
Radio
RD 1185/2006 sets radio carriage. VHF is very high frequency radio; DSC is digital selective calling; EPIRB is a satellite distress beacon. Zones 6–7: none required. Zone 5: fixed VHF or IPX7 waterproof handheld. Zone 4: fixed VHF. Zones 1–3: fixed DSC VHF and 406 MHz EPIRB; zones 1–2 require automatic/manual beacon activation. Zone 2 adds a handheld VHF or 9 GHz radar transponder (a radar locating device). Zone 1 needs both, plus an approved satellite ship station or DSC-capable MF/HF radio (medium/high frequency).
2Key data
- Lifejacket buoyancy
- Zone 1: 275 N · zones 2–4: 150 N · zones 5–7: 100 N
- Liferaft
- Zones 1, 2 and 3, for everyone on board
- Hand flares / rockets / smoke
- Z1: 6/6/2 · Z2–3: 6/6/1 · Z4: 3/3/0 · Z5–6: 3/0/0
- Anchor line
- At least 5 × the boat's length
- Fines (examples, RD 339/2021)
- €200–250 per lifejacket, €100–150 per flare
3Key points
- 1
Lifejackets: one per person; 275/150/100 N by zone; zone 1 adds a spare. Lights optional in zones 4–7 for day-only boats.
- 2
Liferaft in zones 1–3; lifebuoy with light and line in zones 1–4.
- 3
Flares: zone 4 needs 3 hand flares and 3 parachute rockets; zones 5–6 need 3 hand flares.
- 4
VHF: fixed in zone 4, fixed or IPX7 handheld in zone 5, none required in zones 6–7.
- 5
CE extinguishers: follow the manual and keep it aboard. If it gives no requirements, use the national length-and-power table.
4Frequent mistakes
Wrong: Expired flares still count, because they usually work.
Right: An item past its expiry or service date is treated as missing and is a serious offence. Replace and dispose of old flares properly.
Wrong: A handheld VHF is enough everywhere within 12 NM.
Right: Zone 4 requires a fixed VHF. A waterproof handheld is accepted as the alternative only in zone 5.
Wrong: Lifejacket lights are optional on every small boat.
Right: Lights are required, except on boats in zones 4–7 that sail only by day.
5Practice case & exam keys
You are preparing an 8 m category C boat for zone 4 with six people, by day only. All other gear is compliant. You find six 100 N lifejackets without lights, an unlit lifebuoy with line, three hand flares and only a handheld VHF. What must you correct before departure?
Show the answer
Replace the six lifejackets with 150 N models. Their lights are optional because the boat sails only by day in zone 4. Add a light to the lifebuoy and three red parachute rockets. Fit a fixed VHF; the handheld alone does not meet zone 4.
Exam keys
- Lifejackets: 1 per person plus light (light optional in zones 4–7 by day only); zone 1 one extra.
- Liferaft zones 1–3; lifebuoy with light and line zones 1–4.
- Zone 4 signals: 3 hand flares and 3 parachute rockets; zones 5–6: 3 hand flares.
- Anchor line ≥ 5 × length; chain at least the boat's length unless the boat is 6 m or less.
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