Dear Islander,
I think the first thing that should be seriously looked at locally is the problem of the two tugs that are based and operate in Palma.
Not for the first time one of them ´went berserk´ and smashed into the quay in Palma.
This time only damaging itself; last time sinking a moored yacht and previously, seriously denting a megayacht! Enough is enough! What will it take before something is done about it? A serious injury? A death?
The letter , from Pete Thomas, (letters section) who is perfectly qualified to comment, says it all.
Everyone, particularly the companies within the port authority area, especially the boat yard operators, should bring immediate and maximum pressure on the port authority to sort things out- sack the crew- refit or renew the tugs and moor them away from yachts!
Secondly, the local government’s and authorities´ almost total ignorance of the leisure yachting industry.
Recently two organisations have released the results of their survey of the Balearic yachting industry.
Not an easy thing to quantify but one organisation put the gross turnover of the industry at 385 million Euros, employing around 8,000 people. Because of the vagaries of defining the indirect income from this industry I think it is well understated.
What it does prove however is that it is a very important sector that has, without doubt, been ignored by politicians, particularly by the looney, left-led administration in power now.
It is interesting to note that the ´business categories’ or ´epigrafos´ on which the ´business tax´ known as IAE is based does not include the specialist trades that serve modern yachts: quite simply the industry has moved forward whilst bureaucracy has stayed still!
(Incidentally IAE is being abolished as of next year.)
It was very interesting to note that at the recent meeting of the Association of Balearic Nautical Companies that one of the main targets of the association are what they call ´pseudo companies´ that are operating illegally.
The other problems that they quoted was the lack of moorings and waterside space for service industries and the disadvantageous application of IVA on foreign flagged yachts compared with the situation in France and Italy.
Notably Onofre Rullan, the director general of marinas and coasts, snubbed the meeting!
Whilst the Balearics´ travel gurus are arguing amongst themselves the Turks seem to be focussed on yachting tourism and the related industries and are sponsoring a complete village around the ´central pool´ at the London Boat Show- see news section.
A long overdue charitable trust has been set up for professional yachtsmen in need called The Professional Yachtsman´s Trust, based in Bristol, UK.
It is in everyone’s interest to support this. See News section
Regards,
John Rule