Catamaran Safety: Required Equipment and Good Reflexes

Catamaran safety rests on three pillars: a complete set of regulatory equipment matched to the navigation zone (France’s Division 240), emergency procedures mastered by every crew member, and constant weather monitoring. On a cruise with the Sailoe fleet, the gear is inspected and maintained in-house by the technical teams on each base before every departure. This page details what every sailor - renter or cruise passenger - should know before casting off.

To go further on preparing a catamaran cruise, see our article dedicated to catamaran beginners.

What safety equipment is mandatory on board a catamaran under Division 240?

In France, Division 240 sets four levels of mandatory equipment based on the distance to a safe shelter. This regulation, updated by decree on 11 October 2024, applies to all recreational sailing boats under 24 metres, catamarans included. The principle is simple: the further you move from the coast, the more complete the required equipment must be.

Zone	Distance to a shelter	Key equipment added
Basic	Up to 2 nautical miles	50 N buoyancy aid per person, light device, fire extinguisher, bilge pump, towing line
Coastal	From 2 to 6 nautical miles	CE-approved 100 N lifejacket, horseshoe buoy + self-righting light, 3 red hand flares, lit magnetic compass, nautical chart
Semi-offshore	From 6 to 60 nautical miles	150 N lifejacket, fixed VHF (mandatory since 01/01/2017), liferaft, harness + tether, first aid kit, logbook
Offshore	Beyond 60 nautical miles	406 MHz EPIRB beacon, waterproof handheld VHF in addition to the fixed VHF (mandatory since 01/05/2015), ISO 9650-1 liferaft

Most Sailoe cruises - Seychelles, Caribbean, Mediterranean - take place in the semi-offshore to offshore zone. The entire fleet is equipped accordingly, with a dedicated inspection register kept up to date and checked by the technical teams on each base (Lorient, Mahe, Bas-du-Fort, Bonifacio).

The lifejacket on board a catamaran: when should you wear it?

On a catamaran, wearing a lifejacket is more critical than aboard a monohull: the outdoor living space is larger, the speed higher, and the risk of falling overboard during a manoeuvre is real. In coastal navigation, a CE-approved 100 N lifejacket is required per person on board. In semi-offshore and offshore zones, the standard rises to 150 N - automatic inflatable lifejackets meet this requirement and are the most commonly used on cruises.

A safety harness with a tether is recommended from the semi-offshore zone onward, especially at night or in rough seas. Children under 30 kg must have a lifejacket suited to their weight, CE-approved according to their size. On Sailoe cruises, lifejackets and harnesses are provided on board in adult and child sizes.

What good safety habits should you adopt right from departure?

Before getting under way, the skipper systematically checks the condition of the equipment, informs a shore contact of the itinerary and the expected return time, and runs a crew briefing on emergency procedures. These three actions matter as much as the equipment itself - perfect gear that is poorly used does not protect anyone.

The departure checklist includes: consulting the marine weather forecast, checking fuel levels and batteries, verifying the expiry dates of distress flares, plotting the route with potential shelters, and designating a shore contact who knows the expected return time.

Under way, moving around the deck requires holding the handrails, wearing non-slip shoes, and never turning your back to the sea. A VHF watch on channel 16 is maintained at all times. Communication among the crew before any manoeuvre significantly reduces the risks - a sheet under load or an unannounced trim is the leading cause of injury on board.

A full briefing is carried out on board every Sailoe catamaran before getting under way, whether it is a rental with a skipper or a cruise with a full crew. This briefing covers the location of the equipment, the emergency procedures, and the navigation instructions specific to that particular catamaran - known intimately by the crew that maintains it day to day.

How do you read the marine weather before heading out on a catamaran?

Checking the marine weather forecast before each outing is a duty of result for the skipper: marine weather changes quickly, particularly in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. The Meteo France Marine website (meteofrance.com/meteo-marine) publishes coastal bulletins updated three times a day, covering all French and overseas navigation zones.

Special marine weather bulletins (BMS) are triggered from Force 7 on the Beaufort scale. They are broadcast by the CROSS rescue centres on VHF channel 16, then on channels 79 and 80. A BMS in effect at the planned departure time must lead you to postpone the trip without exception. The decision threshold belongs to the skipper, but it is guided by the weather, the crew’s experience, and the layout of the area.

One point specific to the catamaran: its large lateral windage and its two hulls make it comfortable in rough seas, but this apparent stability can encourage you to underestimate conditions that exceed the crew’s capabilities. The feel on board is less alarming than aboard a monohull in the same breeze - that is not a sufficient indicator to ignore the weather bulletins.

To explore how to read forecasts across Sailoe’s destinations, particularly in the Mediterranean, see our article on the weather on a Mediterranean cruise.

What should you do in a man overboard situation on a catamaran?

If someone falls into the water, the first 3 seconds are decisive: shout “man overboard”, point at the person without losing sight of them, and immediately throw the horseshoe buoy with its self-righting light. The complete procedure unfolds in 6 steps.

1. Shout “man overboard” and immediately appoint a crew member to never take their eyes off the person - even a few seconds without visual contact can make locating them very difficult.
2. Press the MOB button on the GPS or chartplotter: it records the exact coordinates of the place of the fall and lets you return to the position if visibility drops.
3. Throw the horseshoe buoy with its self-righting light and, if available, a danbuoy. The buoy serves as a visual marker, and the light activates automatically on contact with the water.
4. Carry out the recovery manoeuvre: a turn suited to the catamaran’s configuration, an approach to leeward, with the engine throttled back as you near the person to avoid any contact with the propeller.
5. Recover the person via the bathing ladder. If the person is unconscious or exhausted, use a shackle and a winch to hoist them aboard.
6. If the person is not recovered quickly or is in medical distress, trigger a MAYDAY immediately on VHF channel 16.

This procedure is repeated to the crew during the departure briefing of every Sailoe cruise. On cruises with a skipper or a full crew, the MOB drill is part of the systematic preparation before getting under way.

Are you considering an organised crewed cruise with no prior sailing skills? Discover the Sailoe catamaran cruises in the Seychelles and the Caribbean, where all the safety preparation is handled by the professional crew.

How do you call for rescue at sea from a catamaran?

At sea, the priority means of communication is the VHF on channel 16: its range exceeds that of a mobile phone, it lets rescuers identify the sender and locate them quickly via DSC (the digital distress call built into modern VHF radios). The fixed VHF is mandatory on board as soon as you sail more than 6 miles from a shelter (since 01/01/2017), and the waterproof handheld VHF is added beyond 60 miles (since 01/05/2015).

Two procedures exist depending on the severity of the situation:

MAYDAY (grave and imminent danger, lives at risk): “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY - this is [boat name] - position [GPS coordinates or bearing/distance from a notable point] - [nature of the emergency] - [number of people on board] - request immediate assistance.”

PAN PAN (serious urgency, with no immediate danger to life): same structure, opening with “PAN PAN PAN PAN PAN PAN”.

In the absence of a VHF or in addition to it, 196 is the free national sea rescue number, accessible from a landline or mobile phone. It connects directly to the CROSS centre of the relevant zone.

The regional CROSS centres and their direct numbers:

Zone	CROSS	Direct number
Atlantic (Brittany, Pays de la Loire)	CROSS Etel	02 97 55 35 35
Western Channel (Finistere, Northern Brittany)	CROSS Corsen	02 98 89 31 31
Mediterranean (including Corsica)	CROSS La Garde	04 94 61 16 16
Antilles - Guyana	CROSS Antilles-Guyane	05 96 70 92 92

Is a catamaran safe for sailing with the family or with beginners?

A catamaran is inherently more stable than a monohull sailboat thanks to its two hulls: the risk of capsizing is markedly reduced compared with a monohull, seasickness is less pronounced, and the living space on board makes it easier to move around and keep an eye on children. This stability is no minor detail - it fundamentally changes the experience on board for inexperienced people.

The rolling of a monohull is one of the leading causes of seasickness. On a catamaran, the trim is almost constant, meals can be eaten properly at the table, and nights spent at anchor are genuinely restful. For people who have suffered from seasickness on a ferry or during a monohull crossing, the catamaran often comes as a revelation.

For children on board, a few precautions are essential: a child harness suited for the deck, a CE-approved lifejacket sized to the child’s weight (100 N minimum for those under 30 kg, whatever the navigation zone), and reinforced supervision in the cockpit during manoeuvres. The geography of the catamaran - enclosed cockpit, trampoline nets between the two hulls - is particularly well suited to family sailing.

With a skipper or a full Sailoe crew, no prior sailing skills are required. The crew knows intimately every boat in the fleet it maintains in-house - a concrete difference compared with renting through an intermediary platform. For those considering renting a bareboat catamaran with little experience, see our article sailing a catamaran for the first time.

Frequently asked questions

What safety equipment is mandatory on a rental catamaran?

In France, Division 240 requires progressive equipment depending on the navigation zone. In coastal navigation (up to 6 miles), the equipment includes notably CE-approved 100 N lifejackets, a horseshoe buoy with a self-righting light, red hand flares and a magnetic compass. In semi-offshore navigation (from 6 to 60 miles, which corresponds to most cruises), a fixed VHF, a liferaft, harnesses and a first aid kit are added. Every catamaran in the Sailoe fleet is equipped and inspected to these standards before each departure.

Do you get seasick on a catamaran?

The catamaran is the type of vessel best suited to people prone to seasickness. Thanks to its two hulls, it pitches very little and does not heel like a monohull. The majority of sailors who have suffered from seasickness on a ferry or a classic sailboat report a far more comfortable experience aboard a catamaran. On a cruise with a Sailoe crew, the weather conditions are anticipated so that night and offshore crossings stay comfortable.

What are the safety measures on board a boat?

Safety on board rests on three dimensions: the regulatory equipment (lifejackets, VHF, signalling devices, liferaft depending on the navigation zone), the procedures mastered by the crew (man overboard, fire, flooding) and constant monitoring (marine weather, VHF channel 16). The skipper is legally responsible for the condition of the equipment and for briefing the crew before each departure. On a crewed rental catamaran, this role is taken on by the skipper or the captain.

Are catamarans safe for crossing the ocean?

Yes. Catamarans are boats especially suited to long offshore crossings: their stability, their shallow draft, their two redundant engines and their large reserves of water and fuel make them robust platforms for long-distance cruises. The Sailoe teams regularly sail the Atlantic routes between Brittany, the Seychelles and the Caribbean. The full offshore equipment - EPIRB beacon, ISO 9650-1 liferaft, waterproof handheld VHF - is carried on board for these crossings.

What should you do if someone falls into the water from a catamaran?

In a man overboard situation: shout, point without taking your eyes off the person, press the MOB button on the GPS to fix the coordinates, throw the horseshoe buoy with its self-righting light immediately. Then carry out the recovery turn, approach to leeward, with the engine throttled back as you near the person. If the person is not recovered quickly, trigger a MAYDAY on VHF channel 16 or call 196.