The rules of inland navigation are compiled and detailed in official documents, some of which are national in scope, the RGPNI or Règlement Général de Police de la Navigation Intérieure and others that specify local navigation conditions: the Special Police Regulations or RPP . Reading them is instructive and allows one to better know and understand the environment on which one navigates and to respect its rules and customs. It is even crucial, especially on waterways with a lot of traffic where you meet professional users.
The RGPNI, a readable compendium
The administration has put together the texts relating to river navigation in the form of a relatively clear and readable collection. It is presented in the form of a pdf file of 148 pages which gathers the texts, but also numerous illustrated appendices detailing the signalling of the waterways and the boats, but also much other information. It is a very complete document and is far from being adapted to all waterways, but one learns a lot by reading it.
A regulatory obligation
The RGPNI is part of the mandatory equipment on board. It can be downloaded from the website of the Ministry of Ecological Transition or that of Voies Navigables de France. No need to print it. However, you must be able to consult it at any time, even if it is in electronic form. Nevertheless, remember to check from time to time that there is not a new updated version.
Local particularities
Special Police Regulations or RPP are published by the organizations or communities in charge of the waterways when their characteristics require it. They can generally be downloaded from the websites of governments and navigation services.
They detail, for example, the levels at which navigation is prohibited or limited, or the authorized zones for motorboating or other nautical activities. They are often prefectural decrees and are precise and reliable sources that should be consulted before navigating on an unknown river.
Without going so far as to claim that these documents are entertaining, they have the merit of bringing together and making readable and accessible texts that are sometimes old and stem from laws, regulations and decrees that are as diverse as they are boring. Don't miss to leaf through those that concern your navigation area. You will learn a lot!
