Jet-ski noise in Cannes: who should restore order

Every summer on the Côte d’Azur the same argument repeats: boats and jet-skis speed along the shore and by private marinas, residents complain about the noise and the danger — and finding the culprit and punishing them turns out to be surprisingly difficult. We examine, using Cannes Marina as an example, how the rules on the water are organised and why the municipal police are almost powerless here.

Cannes Marina — a private port with its own charter

Cannes Marina is a gated residential complex with its own marina on the right bank of the river Siagne, in Mandelieu-la-Napoule. It was built from 1968 to 1981 on the site of a former hippodrome: two basins totalling more than 7 hectares were excavated first, and then the residential blocks were erected. Today there are 1,770 berths reserved for boat owners and residents of the residences, the port is closed to outsiders, and the whole territory is managed by an owners’ association (copropriété) through its own harbourmaster’s office.

The port has its own internal regulations. Vessel speed on entry, exit and within the water area, as well as on the Siagne itself, is limited to 3 knots — without a noticeable wake. Engine testing and any noisy work are prohibited before 10:00 and after 20:00, and in summer also from 12:30 to 15:30. For systematic breaches of these rules the owners’ association council may go to court and seek sanctions against the offender — up to restricting their rights as a co-owner of the marina.

Who actually bears responsibility for order on the water

Residents’ irritation is usually directed at the municipal police — but their powers on the water are almost nil. Under the general code of territorial collectivities, the powers of the municipal police on the coast apply “up to the water boundary”: beyond that begins the state’s zone of responsibility. Patrolling the water area and suppressing infringements on the water — speeding, boating under the influence, failing to keep distance — are the responsibility of the maritime gendarmerie and the maritime prefectures, not the town hall.

A gap therefore appears: the owners’ association is responsible for internal regulations and the berths, but cannot stop a boat by force; the state is responsible for navigation, but cannot physically be present in every private marina around the clock. Hence joint patrols, which the gendarmerie and territorial patrols occasionally organise — but they are far from regular.

Precedent: how Cannes spent 20 years fighting jet-skis

A similar story has already unfolded in Cannes itself. In 2007 the city mayor banned the launching of any motor vessels from the ramp at Port Mourre-Rouge — precisely because of persistent complaints about noise. But in 2018 the court annulled that decree: judges decided that the reason for the violations was not the zoning scheme itself, but that jet-ski riders simply did not comply with it.

Today in the Bay of Cannes, between the mainland and the Lérins Islands, motor vessels and jet-skis are prohibited from approaching the shore closer than 300 metres — this applies to navigation channels and zones allocated for high-speed water sports. The rule exists, but as the experience of the past twenty years shows, the text of the regulation alone is not enough — constant enforcement is needed, which in practice is almost never present.

Not only Cannes Marina

Complaints about noise from jet-skis and boats are not peculiar to one residence, but a common problem for resorts on the Côte d’Azur: residents of several coastal towns have in different years launched petitions demanding restrictions on the movement of watercraft near the shore, especially in the evening and at night. The problem is exacerbated by seasonal renters of boats and jet-skis who often do not know the local rules — unlike permanent residents and berth owners.

What to do if a boat is racing under your windows

• Record the vessel’s number (registration number or name) and the time of the incident — without this a complaint is unlikely to progress.
• Report it to the harbourmaster’s office (capitainerie): it is the first to respond to internal breaches of the regulations.
• For breaches on the water — speeding, night rides — contact the maritime gendarmerie or the maritime prefecture, not just the town hall.
• Residents of the owners’ association — raise the issue at the general meeting and demand enforcement of the existing sanctions rather than new rules: most often the problem is not the absence of regulations, but their non-enforcement.

A similar conflict of interests on the water flared up in Antibes, where a boat ran aground near the beaches, and you can explore the surroundings of Mandelieu on land too — on five gravel routes along the wild Riviera.

— — —

Photo: Gaetan THURIN / Pexels