Red Diesel saga

Javelin

Javelin

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www.southwoldboatyard.co.uk
I see in the latest Yachting monthly that the Belgians now consider Red Diesel as illegal as opposed to just the duty issue.
In other words, officially, having the receipts as proof you have paid the full duty is no longer enough.
 
sailorman said:
check with the RYA for the real deal
Click to expand...

How long is this going to continue?
How many boats have actually been done for having red diesel? It's all well and good having these rules, but if they are not enforced...

The whole thing (including the YM article) has the feel of a Daily Wail scare story - everything gives you cancer :rolleyes:
 
The_man_from_ABBA said:
How long is this going to continue?
How many boats have actually been done for having red diesel? It's all well and good having these rules, but if they are not enforced...

The whole thing (including the YM article) has the feel of a Daily Wail scare story - everything gives you cancer :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

fully agree
i expect to arrive Oostende 20.00z on thursday
 
Only the RYA statement was March 2014.
There's been a government change over there and a new official Belgian statement this year that seems to have over ruled the RYA.

Like you said, Sailorman should help clarify this week although if there was ever going to be a safe weekend to go, its this one coming so we might not get the full story.
 
I will check with Customs and Excise for the latest and report back.
The plain fact of the matter is of course that UK is out of step with the rest of Europe.
This is just as annoying for continental yachtsmen as for English. If we fill up in UK and later get checked here, we get fined as well. A tiny rest of red diesel will contaminate the tank for a long time and is enough to be found in breach of the law.
Why the RYA keeps supporting this situation is beyond me. For sailing boats the annual cost of diesel is only a small fraction of running costs. Is the motor boat lobby that influential?
 
westhinder said:
I will check with Customs and Excise for the latest and report back.
The plain fact of the matter is of course that UK is out of step with the rest of Europe.
This is just as annoying for continental yachtsmen as for English. If we fill up in UK and later get checked here, we get fined as well. A tiny rest of red diesel will contaminate the tank for a long time and is enough to be found in breach of the law.
Why the RYA keeps supporting this situation is beyond me. For sailing boats the annual cost of diesel is only a small fraction of running costs. Is the motor boat lobby that influential?
Click to expand...

In case I've missed it, tell us where you are based?

I guess I won't be going to Belgium any time soon.............
 
westhinder said:
I will check with Customs and Excise for the latest and report back.
The plain fact of the matter is of course that UK is out of step with the rest of Europe.
This is just as annoying for continental yachtsmen as for English. If we fill up in UK and later get checked here, we get fined as well. A tiny rest of red diesel will contaminate the tank for a long time and is enough to be found in breach of the law.
Why the RYA keeps supporting this situation is beyond me. For sailing boats the annual cost of diesel is only a small fraction of running costs. Is the motor boat lobby that influential?
Click to expand...
The sooner we tell the EC to kiss my aspidestra the better, roll on the referendum! Brussels are hell bent on more integration, well sorry, the whole mess is going to come grinding to a HALT!
S
 
We saw the results of us boycotting Belguim last year with various clubs and marinas begging us to return!
Well they can kiss my aspidestra!
S
 
westhinder said:
Why the RYA keeps supporting this situation is beyond me. For sailing boats the annual cost of diesel is only a small fraction of running costs. Is the motor boat lobby that influential?
Click to expand...

If you investigate the background to the UK government's position on red diesel, you will find it has little to do with the motor boat lobby, although they are, of course one of the interested parties. While it may seem simplistic from the point of view of leisure yachtsmen wanting to visit Europe, for the majority of UK based users of fuel for boating and boating related activities, any change that altered the current supply arrangements would cause significant problems, of which the small potential increase in cost following the change in the level of duty is only minor.

There are clearly forces much greater than the RYA (although they do support the government) at work for the government to stick its neck out and defy the EU on this issue.

Just for balance, I am in favour of the government biting the bullet and coming into line, but appreciate that this is a selfish attitude.
 
Look, our marine diesel is red.

Tough if others don't like it.

How does it hurt any Belgian if we colour our diesel?

Is it unquenchable jealousy that our country still has the balls to make up its own rules?

Are there not more important things to worry about than whether a Brit boat has different colour fuel in its tanks than domestic vessels?

I can't help feeling that the argument is being stirred, as a double bluff, by some Eurocrat who wants to see the UK leave the EU. This sort of stupid, asinine and frankly dull stance is just the sort of thing that is guaranteed to persuade many folk to vote to leave.

I do wish people would just get on with living and enjoying life and leave others to do the same, regardless of the colour of their fuel.

On veut construire les ponts ou les destruire?
 
Last year ( september)I was in Ostend for 7 days.
The new harbour master & the NSYC secretary tipped me off that the customs had been talking to him about checking UK boats for red fuel.
As a result I kept an eye out for them & they came twice - but having spotted them I had left the boat a bit sharpish & hid up on the sea wall, so they went away.
I telephoned the RYA & asked if I was entitled to free legal aid in Belgium, so i could at least retaliate by giving them some hassle back. I was not in a hurry & hate authority, so anything to hinder them !!!.It seems that I would not be. Considering they are an EU country, I would have thought it would be the same as in the UK & I am still not satisfied with the RYA reply. However, I have no way of checking & I expect that the the customs would not tell me even if I were
 
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