Yachting Monthly – May 2018

BREXIT AND CRUISING

As yet, it is unclear how

the decision by the UK

to leave the European

Union will impact on

recreational sailors.

Both the RYA and Cruising

Association are campaigning

to safeguard the benefits which

boaters enjoy under the current

terms of the UK’s EU membership,

and is highlighting to

the British government

the inconvenience and

economic damage

which could happen

if these aren’t preserved.

The RYA has received

confirmation from the

Immigration Minister that

there will be no immigration

controls on sea voyages

between Ireland and Northern

Ireland after Brexit, maintaining

the integrity of the Common

Travel Area.

Following consultation with its

members, the RYA is focusing on

five priorities:

1. Persuading the Government
   to negotiate an agreement that
   recreational craft which currently
   enjoy Union goods status should
   retain this status post-Brexit
   (regardless of whether they are
   kept in UK or EU waters) and have
   a means by which they can readily
   prove they have this status;


2. Ensuring that UK recreational
   craft without Union goods status
   can continue to visit the EU after
   Brexit without being subject to the
   18-month restriction on Temporary
   Admission procedures for relief on
   customs duties and VAT, provided
   they do not change ownership;


3. Ensuring that any new border
   controls proposed by the
   government do not require boaters
   to obtain prior permission before
   entering or leaving the UK, do not
   compromise navigational safety or
   restrict freedom of navigation, and
   that any proposals for visa controls
   take into account the nature of

recreational boating tourism;

4. Supporting the creation of
   a system enabling UK nationals
   entering the Schengen Area to
   stay for periods in excess of 90
   days in 180 (the current time limit
   for non-EU nationals);


5. Pushing for the introduction of
   a scheme which allows UK citizens
   holding RYA qualifications to
   continue to be able to visit EU
   member states on business or for
   seasonal work relevant to those
   qualifications without having to
   obtain a visa.
   Meanwhile, the CA, following
   discussion with the European
   Commission in Brussels and the
   embassies of Spain and Germany,
   believes that UK sailors wanting
   to travel in the Schengen Area
   will need to obtain a visa from
   the first Schengen country visited,
   although visa waiver arrangements,
   similar to those already in place
   for UK sailors, might still remain.

NEIL GIBBONS

Brought up a few miles from West Mersea, Essex, both Neil and his wife

Carol have always had an inherent love of the sea. The couple didn’t

start sailing until Neil, who was then a GP in Farnborough,

Hampshire, was introduced to the sport by one of his

patients. Family flotilla holidays followed before the couple

bought a Trapper 500. Neil, Carol, and their two daughters

have cruised extensively around the Solent, France and

the Channel Islands, as well as chartering in Greece,

Turkey, Croatia and the BVIs. They live in north Hampshire.

home, Carol and I
departed the barrage,
and sailed south, initially
to the delightful village of
Piriac-sur-Mer and then
on to Pornic, a fashionable
coastal spa resort south of
the Loire, where the stone
Breton architecture gives
way to Mediterranean
red-tiled roofs, which suits the 30°C temperatures.
Beyond Pornic, we discovered l’Herbaudière on
the Île de Noirmoutier, famous for its salterns and
potatoes, but also for its holiday beaches. Sauzon
on Belle Île, a 42-mile sail away, has the most idyllic
coastline with crystal-clear waters. Port Haliguen
on the Quiberon peninsula was our fi nal destination,
and was perfect for cycling. In fact, most of the
Brittany coast is well-suited for cycling; we look
forward to exploring on subsequent visits.

NO REGRETS
Returning to La Roche-Bernard, it was time to refl ect
on our decision. The new destination has brought
much joy to both Carol and myself. The planning
itself was a great project. We now have ‘a property in
France’, which avoids all the bureaucracy of buying a
gîte, and is transportable around a beautiful cruising
area. We can enjoy endless summers in a warmer
climate at a very reasonable cost and afford to
indulge in sumptuous French cuisine. The marina is
also adjacent to a shaded municipal campsite, which
our family and friends have already made use of.

HOME WATERS

N

0 50nm

L’Aber-Wrac’h

La Trinité-sur-Mer

Piriac-

sur-Mer

Sainte-Evette

Sainte-Marine

Port-Louis

Lorient

Arzal Foleux

Pornic

Sauzon

Port Haliguen

Redon

L’Herbaudière

La Roche-

Bernard

BRITTANY

CORNWALL

Camaret-sur-Mer FRANCE

BELLE-ILE

CHANNEL

ISLANDS

ILE DE NOIRMOUTIER

Raz de

Sein

Pointe de

Penmarch

Baie de Quiberon

River

Vilaine

Chenal

du Four

Helford

River

Nantes

Plymouth

English

Channel