Safety and enjoyment at sea

Much has been said about safety at sea. Bathing enclosures have sprung up like mushrooms, excluding boat users from whole areas. Are there any fines for swimmers who abuse the areas for boaters?

Is it really all that necessary to enclose the whole expanse of a beach, e.g. Ghadira and Marsalforn? Can a side alley be left for boat users to allow family members and children to disembark and to play in shallow waters and on the sand? Are swimmers expected to come only by car? Swimmers do not pay anything for enjoying the sea but boaters do. Is this a case of pleasing the masses at the expense of a minority?

For the same reason a central fairway can be left at Blue Lagoon, in Comino, with bathing areas on each side.

A curious anomaly is the speed limit imposed on boaters of 10 knots in bays, because of wake and perhaps other reasons, when actually a displacement boat creates a bigger wake at seven knots than a speed boat does at 10. So the speed limit in small bays should be more restricted.

Another sought-after wish of boaters is a space on the quay in every bay where these people can pass the night on their boat and entertain themselves on land. Is this enjoyment to be allowed only for car users, who cause traffic jams all over and for those with take-away habits, who litter the whole place afterwards? Visiting yachts will surely appreciate and advertise this facility.

The quays and jetties in every bay are littered with so-called tenders, safe and unsafe, registered and non-registered, derelict and new, paying and non-paying to the detriment of other boat users who paid and still pay well, including 18 per cent VAT for the use of the sea. Local councils should provide for a fee the facility of guest berths in the summer seasons.