If we are taking a boat to France this summer, there is a new rule worth knowing about before we go.

France has a new decree (no. 2026-434, dated 2 June 2026 and in force since 5 June) that gives the authorities a cleaner way to act when someone is plainly drunk or has lost control at the helm of a motorised pleasure craft.

Up to now, pinning an alcohol offence on someone at sea leaned on a measured reading, a breath or blood test. This decree creates two new low-level offences, “manifest drunkenness” (ivresse manifeste) and “lack of control” (défaut de maîtrise) of a motorised pleasure craft. For these two, the officials do not need a test at all. They can act on what they can plainly see. Both sit as fourth-class contraventions in French law, which is the fixed-penalty fine end of things rather than a criminal court case.

Why bring this in? Because it closes a practical gap. An obviously drunk skipper who refused or dodged a test was harder to deal with before. Now the observable behaviour itself is the offence.

Who does it affect?

Anyone at the helm of a motorised pleasure craft in French waters. That catches UK visitors too. If we are chartering a motorboat in the Med this summer, taking our own boat across to Brittany or Normandy, or skippering a flotilla, French rules apply to us the moment we are in their waters, the same way the rules of the road do.

Worth knowing: from what we can see, the new offences are written around motorised pleasure craft. A sailing yacht under engine is still under engine, so it is sensible to assume it also counts.

What does it mean in practice?

For most of us this changes very little day to day. Do not get hammered in charge of the boat.

What it does change is the enforcement. An official no longer needs a reading to act. If the person in charge is visibly drunk, or clearly not in control of the boat, that observation alone can land a fine. So the grey area some people leaned on, “they cannot prove anything without a test,” is gone in France.

There is a second offence in there too, the “lack of control” one, and that is worth a thought even when drink is not involved. Charging through a crowded anchorage, or an out-of-control bit of boat handling near moored boats, now has its own contravention attached.

What should you do now?

A few simple things, most of which good skippers do anyway.

Keep alcohol sensible for whoever is skippering, the same as we would for any passage. Brief the crew before we slip the lines, so everyone knows who is in charge and that the person at the helm stays clear-headed. And if we are chartering, expect the charter company to be hot on this, because it is their boat and their insurance on the line.

Beyond that, do the usual homework before heading to France. Check the RYA’s France country advice and GOV.UK’s France travel pages close to departure, because country rules move around and the official pages are where the current version lives.

What remains uncertain?

There are a few bits we have not nailed down. The exact fine amount, and how officials will apply the word “manifest” in practice are things the English-language coverage does not pin down clearly. The fine print should come from the official French text before we state anything firm.