Barcelona Guardia Civil Inspections

[Bejasus]

Port Vell have issued the following notice to berth holders of impending inspections of vessels by the Guardia Civil.

'We have been informed by the General Direction or the Guardia Civil that they are going to initiate a campaign of inspection to all the pleasure yachts, in order to guarantee the safety of human life in the sea.

The above mentioned campaign, as of last year, it is foreseen that develops in two phases. The first one is merely informative; it is a question of informing the users of the need to have the <u>certificate of navigability</u>, of the <u>insurance</u> and of the <u>qualifications</u> that the skippers of the yachts must have to sail. The second one, from July 1st until September 15th, already will have the character of inspection and, during this one, they will require to all the yachts to have the current documents.

Manager

Barcelona, 20th June 2007'

 

[Bergman]

"guarantee the safety of human life in the sea."

Sounds like ideas above their station to me

 

[Lizzie_B]

So will you be there telling the G C what documentation they may or may not request to see from the skippers of the British Registered Yachts /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Bejasus]

[ QUOTE ]
So will you be there telling the G C what documentation they may or may not request to see from the skippers of the British Registered Yachts /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

nah............i'll most likely be somewhere south of you on my US registered boat. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Bergman]

No

Won't go to Spain on principle

Just wondered what power a policeman has that is capable of "guaranteeing" the safety of life.

Do they control the weather now.

 

[Talbot]

I wonder how long before RYA take some notice of this, and what they will do about it. No point in relying on our Government to tell them "hands off brit registered vessels"


send a gun-boat I say - oh forgot, but this government has reduced the fleet to an ineffectual nothingness.

 

[DavidJ]

So what's the problem, you have insurance, it's resonable to have at least an ICC.
We got pulled over by the GC just north of Barcelona (we were just at anchor off the beach) for an inspection and they were quite a jolly bunch and everything was in order.
Ok we (Brits) have a loop hole that says we don't need qualifications but I don't think that really contributes to improved safety on the water.

 

[FAITIRA]

I wonder if the notice was aimed at Spanish reg boats George? Certainly they have the right to inspect/search for drugs, contraband and see the ships papers, but regards the "cert of navigability" which Spanish yachts must have UK vessels don,t have such a thing. Bill

 

[macd]

We don't have a "loop hole" as you put it. We have historic rights.
As for "it's resonable to have at least an ICC": a fine argument for creeping regulation of everything. Someone, somewhere thinks that just about anything you can imagine (and some things you can't) is reasonable. It's precisely your sort of passive "reasonable" attitude that allows the erosion of what we may or may not do -- almost imperceptible, but grindlingly surely.
If someone produced unimpeachable evidence that British skippers having ICC, for instance, genuinely contributed to safety at sea, there may be a different argument. In the meantime, they can naff off.

 

[Grehan]

Guardia Civil

Arguing with the Guardia Civil is just not a good idea . . .

 

[KellysEye]

Well said macd. Governments' attempts to control our lives by micro-management is getting really scary.

 

[Bejasus]

no problem for me David, just passing on info.

 

[Bejasus]

The letter just says all boats.

 

[macd]

Re: Guardia Civil

Quite so -- which is why I didn't advocate it. Argueing with individual factotums is pointless, anyway.
My point was that if enough people think anything is reasonable, not a huge hassle, too much bother to object to, or anything of that ilk, then sooner or later it will become mandatory.

 

[Richard10002]

[ QUOTE ]
As for "it's resonable to have at least an ICC": a fine argument for creeping regulation of everything.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it would be reasonable to expect anyone who skippers a boat on the sea, (perhaps as defined by the Col. Regs.), should have at least the skills required by the ICC.

You would also have to deal with size etc.... e.g. would it be right to expect someone sailing a Mirror dinghy off Abersoch beach to have the same skills as someone with a cruising yacht etc....

There are already regs which apply to boats over certain lengths, so this shouldnt be a problem.

You would then have to ask if this should be self regulated and, if an accident were to happen, the question to be asked would be, "did the skipper have said skills"..... or should it be regulated like cars etc., and a licence be required.... the possession of an ICC or similar being sufficient to be granted the licence.

Bit like the drinking and sailing argument...... If you are in possession of a machine weighing several tonnes, and capable of doing substantial damage to life or property, would it be wrong to be drunk in charge, (perhaps not at anchor, or maybe even at anchor)..... I think it would and dont have a problem with laws which aim to prevent people commiting the offence.

Just my opinion.....

 

[FAITIRA]

No problem George, I understand that and thanks. Bill

 

[Lizzie_B]

Tee Hee. Might see you out there some time." /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Bejasus]

the thing is , that I do have a few friends in Port Vell, and having read all the other comments on here over the past year with regard to changing Spanish laws and taxes, I cannot help thinking that, although this has been more concentrated elsewhere in Spain, perhaps it's become Barcelona's turn to come under scrutiny. I am sure that the Guardia Civil will come away from this with a lot more information on individuals than they had previously.

 

[DavidJ]

[ QUOTE ]
If someone produced unimpeachable evidence that British skippers having ICC, for instance, genuinely contributed to safety at sea, there may be a different argument.

[/ QUOTE ]
I guess I can't see that, by not having one, it makes a person an equal or better sailor.

 

[DavidJ]

[ QUOTE ]
no problem for me David, just passing on info.

[/ QUOTE ]
Sorry Bejasus. On reflection my responce was a bit firery and not aimed at you personally, thanks for the information.