Sailing boat owners kept nearly 200 boats ashore in the lagoons of Grand-Bay, Trou-d’Eau-Douce and Back River last week to show their dissatisfaction with amendments to the Tourism Act. Many excursions planned on Thursday were cancelled and may have caused much concern to tourism authorities. Despite the fact that Tourism minister, Anil Gayan, accepted to review his position, the sailing boat owners went ahead with their strike.

The amendments promulgated on 22nd March state that a boat measuring more than 500 meters must have a skipper and an “authorised” boatman; that the licence of the skipper must be renewed every year and that boats involved in commercial activity should bear proper markings.

In view of the grievances expressed, the minister has accepted to postpone the application of the amendments to 2006. The new measures will be applied only after the Competency Test Panel, supposed to assess the skippers’ competencies, is set up. He insists that these measures are intended to protect the security of passengers. As a result, they cannot be totally rejected although the minister has accepted to have more discussions with the boat owners. He also wondered why these owners didn’t protest when the amendments were presented but only now that they have been voted.

Additional costs

The boat owners are still dissatisfied with the postponement. “It is only a way of putting off the evil day.” What boat owners are asking for is the annulment of the amendments since the new measures will bind them to employ more people, thus bringing additional costs. Moreover, Jean-François Pitot, a member of the Boat Owners and Builders Association (BOBA), is of the opinion that the boats are already equipped with all necessary safety equipment and don’t need anything more.

The strike seems to have worked as the ministry has accepted to postpone the application of the amendments and to have more discussions with the boat owners. Owners of leisure boats, who are also concerned by the new measures, could join the movement… which doesn’t seem to be coming to an end…