I give tuition to people on their own boats almost every week, they are mostly British people who either live in Portugal permanently or have second homes here or perhaps are going to use their boat for holidays in Portugal. In Britain we are all used to it not being necessary to carry any identification document for ourselves, a registration document for the boat and a licence to skipper it. In Portugal however we are required to carry all these documents when we use our boats. If your boat is not registered you should register it with your nearest Capitania or if you have an address in Britain you can register in Britain on line, for the Small Ship Registry go to general links in my web site.

More than 50% of the people that I give instruction to are surprised to hear this, but yes we must carry our passports with us on the boat, we must have the boats registration papers, the excuses ‘they are in the post’ or ‘at home’ are not acceptable to the Marine Police, finally we must have with us our ‘licence’ to skipper the boat. Photocopies of any of these documents are not acceptable to the police unless they are notarised by a lawyer as genuine copies.

It is also important that you have with you on the boat a receipt showing that you have paid your light dues (Taxa de Farologem), to learn more about this annual tax and also circulation tax go to the following article on this site: http://www.theiberianseaschool.com/latest-news/117-important-news-on-circulation-tax-a-light-dues-for-boat-owners-in-portugal

I have noticed increased activity on the water from the Marine Police in the last two months and have been questioned by the police at sea twice during that period. They have made me aware that any discrepancies in documentation could involve either confiscation of the boat or a substantial fine or both.

Boats that are to be Portuguese registered may not be put in the water until the inspection and registration process is complete, with one exception, whilst they are still the property of a dealer the dealer may apply to have an EXP sticker on the stern of the boat and if that is given the boat may be put in the water and used for demonstration purposes but must not be taken further than about five miles from the marina where it is berthed.

On a different subject – Many people do not realise that in order for them to use the VHF radio that most boats now have they must have an operator’s licence to use their radio, it is against the law to use a boats VHF radio without a licence. We are fortunate in the Algarve to have two sailing schools who offer VHF courses, it is a one day course, no previous knowledge is necessary except you must learn the phonetic alphabet before the day of the course as there just isn’t time during the course to learn it.

The schools are:

1. Faro Sailing School at Ayemonte (just over the border in Spain) Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Tel: 0034 959 321824.

2. RU Sailing at Lagos Marina. Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it    Tel: 00351 918828085

In addition to having to have a VHF operators licence, it is also necessary to have a licence for the VHF radio. Most new boats that I instruct on do not have a ‘Ship’s Radio Licence’ for their VHF radio. This is also a legal requirement and an important safety issue. Radio licences are now free if you apply for them on line, for the web site go to ‘General Links’ on my web site, you will find ‘Radio Licencing Centre about half way down the list.

It is very important that you apply for a licence, or if the boat has one already to change the ownership details because you will be issued with an MMSI number which is the number that identifies you when you send out a distress call using the DSC (Digital Selective Calling) part of the radio. This number will have to be programmed into the radio. It is also essential that you check that the VHF Radio has been linked to the boats GPS so that when you send out a distress call your position will be transmitted with that call. You will also be issued with a call sign which is essential if you ever need to call a traffic control for a weather forecast or any other reason, because they will ask you for your call sign when they reply and it is very embarrassing to have to admit that you haven’t got one!

Finally, quite a lot of new owners don’t realise that you must have an Ensign (the national maritime flag of your boat's country of registration). If your boat is Portuguese registered then a Portuguese ensign is all you need in Portuguese waters, but if it is registered in any other country then you must also have a Portuguese courtesy ensign which you must fly above your country’s ensign. I heard recently of a British yachtsman who was fined 1000 euros by the Marine Police for not flying a Portuguese courtesy ensign. It is not considered a valid excuse to say that you were going to buy one on arrival, chandleries all sell courtesy ensigns for neighbouring countries, so if you are going to Spain or Morocco make sure you buy courtesy ensigns before you leave Portugal.

It is not just paperwork and flags that you need on board, you must also have flares. The number and type of flares that you are expected to carry in a Portuguese registered boat are dependant on the category of your registration. On a British registered boat there are no legal requirements so it is down to common sense.  If you are never going to go further than about 6 nautical miles from the coast then I suggest 2 parachute rockets, 4 red flares and two orange smoke signals would be sufficient. If you plan to go further away from the coast I suggest 4 parachute rockets, 6 red flares and 2 orange smoke signals.  It is a slightly complicated process buying flares in Portugal, because you must first go to the marine police with you boat's papers to get a certificate from them so that a chandlery can sell them to you. Alternatively, Spain has no such requirements so a quick trip down the A22 by car to Ayemonte and you can buy them there from the chandlery which is close to the marina. You should also have a lifering and an anchor ball on board.

It is also import to have 4 ropes for tying the boat to a pontoon plus one long one for use as a tow rope (see my article on salvage by clicking here). There must also be enough life jackets for everyone on board, a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit and a compass. A VHF radio is not essential but it is a very good idea if you are going to go more than four miles from the shore because your mobile telephone will probably be out of range.

It is also important to have a 1st Aid kit on board, people can easily hurt them selves on a boat, medical attention is not exactly close by! It may take several hours to get someone to a hospital.

Whilst you may have no intention of staying out after dark, with any kind of breakdown you may well be out in the dark and be very grateful that you thought of having a torch on board.

When I come to your boat to give you a training course it will be me who is the only person 'licensed' to skipper your boat, if we do not have all the above on board the Marine Police will look upon me as being responsible and it will be me who will have to pay the very hefty fine.  I therefore cannot use your boat for training unless you have all the required safety equipment on board. Their fines seem to start at €500 and go up in €500 increments depending on the severity of your crime!