In Saint Tropez, the Coast Guard gives way to the sailboat. What about us? VIDEO

An entertaining and informative video of a vintage sailboat sailing into the harbor of Saint Tropez. The French Coast Guard instead of giving her a ticket, as would probably be the case here, gives him the way…indeed backs up to give him the right of way, in compliance with the rules of precedence at sea.

Those who go out to sea should know, the boat that sails under sail always takes precedence over any other watercraft. In Saint Tropez, a tourist filmed an instructive sailing entry of a small sailboat entering the harbor tacking, with just a trickle of wind. Behind her comes looming a large French Coast Guard vehicle that shows it knows well the rules of going to sea. It slows down, stops, and even backs up into the narrow harbor basin to give way to the small yacht that is turning. At the bow, a military man signals to pass, and the helmsman of the military vehicle even launches from a small trumpet blast to make it clear that the little sailboat can pass by the bow, undisturbed, indeed protected. We are not sure if the same scene could happen in an Italian marina, where several times with our own eyes we have seen Coast Guard vehicles enter the harbor at excessive speed, without respecting any rule of precedence by sea. Those same regulations they should be enforcing and teaching boaters.