Thursday, 18 June 2026
If you pull towable inflatables using a tender or a PWC in the Med, you might want to double-check your maths before your next outing.
Most professionals have had this drilled into them already, but from what we've seen so far this year, a lot of owner-operators and green crew still haven't got the memo... and the local maritime police are cracking down hard this season.
In France, Spain, and Italy, the law states very clearly that your tow vessel's legal capacity cannot be exceeded by the number of people on board, PLUS the number of people being towed.
In other words, your tender must have enough physical, legal seating to bring EVERYONE back on board simultaneously if things go wrong.
And they mean LEGAL seating too, not huddled on the floor or clinging onto the sponsons for dear life!
So, if you're driving a 4-passenger rated tender with 2 crew already onboard i.e. you and your spotter (you MUST use a spotter), then you can only tow a maximum of 2 people.
For Jet Skis, it’s even stricter...
To tow a tube legally on a PWC, it MUST be a minimum of a 3-seater. End of story. No exceptions!
1. The driver
2. The MANDATORY rear-facing spotter
3. The single recovered rider
This means towing a tube with 2 riders on it using a 3-seater jet ski is a sure-fire way of getting a hefty fine from the Guardia Costiera or French Maritime Police.
Even if you aren't operating in France, Spain, or Italy right now, this is just common sense anyway right?... and it's solid, safe seamanship too, so please can we all just do it anyway, legal requirement or not.
Can I urge you all share this with anyone that you think might need a polite nudge, just to remind them... not just to avoid fines, but to keep all of our families and friends safe.
Most professionals have had this drilled into them already, but from what we've seen so far this year, a lot of owner-operators and green crew still haven't got the memo... and the local maritime police are cracking down hard this season.
In France, Spain, and Italy, the law states very clearly that your tow vessel's legal capacity cannot be exceeded by the number of people on board, PLUS the number of people being towed.
In other words, your tender must have enough physical, legal seating to bring EVERYONE back on board simultaneously if things go wrong.
And they mean LEGAL seating too, not huddled on the floor or clinging onto the sponsons for dear life!
So, if you're driving a 4-passenger rated tender with 2 crew already onboard i.e. you and your spotter (you MUST use a spotter), then you can only tow a maximum of 2 people.
For Jet Skis, it’s even stricter...
To tow a tube legally on a PWC, it MUST be a minimum of a 3-seater. End of story. No exceptions!
1. The driver
2. The MANDATORY rear-facing spotter
3. The single recovered rider
This means towing a tube with 2 riders on it using a 3-seater jet ski is a sure-fire way of getting a hefty fine from the Guardia Costiera or French Maritime Police.
Even if you aren't operating in France, Spain, or Italy right now, this is just common sense anyway right?... and it's solid, safe seamanship too, so please can we all just do it anyway, legal requirement or not.
Can I urge you all share this with anyone that you think might need a polite nudge, just to remind them... not just to avoid fines, but to keep all of our families and friends safe.
