New Slovene regulation

[Metabarca]

This is unlikely to affect anyone here, but I thought it worth a mention nevertheless. As of 15 July all vessels sailing in Slovene waters must be on a registry with the number clearly visible on the hull. This has caused an uproar here in Trieste because there is no obligation in Italy to be on a registry if your boat is less than (I think) 10.5 metres or has an engine in excess of so much horsepower. And it's very expensive to be registered. There are 3000 of us just locally who, in order to reach Croatia, will have to do a long dog's leg west before heading back east to Umag. There's a lot of anger and frustration for the timing; let's see what the politicians can thrash out.

 

[lw395]

Is this not why the UK has the SSR?
Other countries created a need for boats to be registered.

It's not really unreasonable for Slovenia to insist on a registration number.
It would be reasonable to expect Italian registration to be properly managed and fairly priced.

 

[Metabarca]

It is unreasonable to jump this new regulation with one month's warning right at the beginning of the season. It's not merely a matter of not being able to visit Slovenia itself, but for – potentially – 3000 boats it becomes much harder to pass through its territorial waters to get to Istrian Croatia. For me it's an inconvenience; for a little open motorboat doing the long dog's leg around Slovene territorial waters it borders on being hazardous, especially as you're straying into the shipping lanes in an area which for them is very restricted and in which they are themselves turning sharply.
This is more to do with showing muscle than safety (the ostensible reason). It's not as if many boats are going to outpace a naval patrol vessel after all if they're after you. France was more pragmatic: Italian vessels must carry an insurance policy showing the owner's name; no obligation to have a large registration number on the hull or indeed any registration at all.
It is unreasonable to expect Italy to create a registration system cheaply in a matter of days for able to handle the 400,000 unregistered boats in the country.

 

[lw395]

Being able to enter another country's waters in an unregistered boat is a lot to expect.

 

[Metabarca]

It may well be 'a lot to expect' but it's been the case for many, many years before the country (Slovenia) even existed! Moreover, France seems unfazed by the notion. But ok, they want to change the rules, fair enough. But to do so with a month's notice at the approach of the high season is just pig-headed!