What's the RYA's response to British boats being BANNED from Belgium?

Stay away, they'll soon get the message

The Belgian coastline is tiny. There are plenty of other mooring options and if press of weather forces you in then pay the illegal levy and argue afterwards. Paying and arguing afterwards is probably better than coming to grief in a storm.

Meanwhile, the official approach should be two pronged:

Firstly, the RYA, CA etc should lobby the Belgians with the backing of MEPs etc.

Secondly, the British Government should lodge a formal complaint in Brussels against the Belgians' illegal actions.

My hunch is that a boycott of Belgian ports by UK based boats will have a swifter effect. If ports and local traders start losing money that will probably have more effect in persuading local bureaucrats to see sense than an army of Eurocrats.

The truth is Belgium offers little to entice cruising boaters so it'll be no hardship to give it a miss.
 
sailorman said:
Anyway lets get back to the serious business of the OPs question.
we are 3 months away from British boats visiting or not Belgium on holiday cruises
WHAT ACTION ARE THE RYA TAKING TO PROTECT THEIR MEMBERS
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Why bother with Belgium? Holland has the same Moulles Frites, they call them Mosselen met Friet and they don't give you any hassle. Did I mention I am Dutch? :)
 
Lets put this in perspective-I live in an area where our main road is full of commercial traffic and particularly timber hauling lorries and livestock transporters.
It is very rare to see VOSLA more than once a year locally spot checking lorries for overloading;safety;tachograph abuse and illegal use of red diesel.
Sorry but I just cannot imagine every yacht entering a Belgium Port of which there are few and having its tank dipped.
This is something that I could never grasp happening here in the UK let alone anywhere else-there just are not enough customs or excise men on the ground to do the job..
Is there anyone on here who has been done for useing dyed fuel in Belgium?
Not that I am going to Belgium but I am not about to offload 80 gallons of fuel first!
 
ffiill said:
Lets put this in perspective-I live in an area where our main road is full of commercial traffic and particularly timber hauling lorries and livestock transporters.
It is very rare to see VOSLA more than once a year locally spot checking lorries for overloading;safety;tachograph abuse and illegal use of red diesel.
Sorry but I just cannot imagine every yacht entering a Belgium Port of which there are few and having its tank dipped.
This is something that I could never grasp happening here in the UK let alone anywhere else-there just are not enough customs or excise men on the ground to do the job..
Is there anyone on here who has been done for useing dyed fuel in Belgium?
Not that I am going to Belgium but I am not about to offload 80 gallons of fuel first!
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The Douane are based in the Hbr & check Non Shengen boats quite routinely.
i have never had any problems, fuel has never been mentioned BUT it could be. i first took my boat there in 1978 & have been most years since often 2 or 3 times a season.
 
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Stop going

Stop visiting Belgium. Easy.

It will take a season but economic sanctions will work faster than Euro bureaucracy.

You're right, RYA has very little interest in cruising - it's much more geared to the racing dinghy types. Maybe the CA could take a lead?
 
sailorman said:
Maybe i should ditch 38 yrs with the RYA & join the CA then.
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If your going west then its a good idea.. they have moorings in some nice spots, for instance just below the lower pontoon on the yealm.....
 
GlennG said:
Probably the most significant event to affect our sport, the effective banning of British boats from Belgium should be calling the RYA to action. I CANNOT BUY ANY OTHER THAN RED DIESEL, therefore it's illegal for me to go to Belgium. From what I see, it's a slow-burner with various articles being published, for example the lead news article in this month's YM (March 2012), but not a lot else.

I really like going to Oostende; a really nice destination. The North Sea Yacht Club is fantastic, as is the famous Robert. And the moule-frite are to die for, even challenging the kebab and chips in Ramsgate.

However, I'm damned if I'm going to be caught up in a game of Fine the Yachtie by a bunch of Belgoid plods. Arguing with them is like wrestling a pig (pun intended). From my experiences with dealing with Belgian bureaucracy, they really do love it.

So now the issue has been forced, we're caught up in the mess that should be sorted out by our governments with the RYA screaming at them to sort it out. To quote from the RYA site: "We continue to lobby the Directorate for Taxation and Customs".

Great, in the meantime it's us the Yachties who are going to be caught in the middle.

So where's the advice that says KEEP OUT OF BELGIUM? What about a forced refuge there -- doesn't this contravene any international shipping laws? What about the RYA supporting vessels and owners who get fined?

What hacks me off is that it's only a gnats tadger away from the French and Dutch BANNING British boats from their shores. Then the whole issue of E-Borders becomes moot as we can't sail anywhere.

Quite frankly if the RYA doesn't get this sorted out, there's little point in sailing as a hobby and there's little point of the RYA.
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When they test it is it just a colour issue or is it more technical - chemical tests to trace the dye?

If just colour I can sell you (with receipts) quarter full bottles of Acme Super-Red Diesel Fuel System Cleaner and Enhancing Elixir. I reckon a few teaspoons of red dye to a cup of paraffin would do to fill the bottles, and wouldn't £19.99 be cheap compared to a big fine....
 
ffiill said:
Sorry but I just cannot imagine every yacht entering a Belgium Port of which there are few and having its tank dipped.
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Hmm, what would a typical Belgoid plod think... Oh look, a boat with a red duster, just the colour of his diesel. Vous et nicked / Eek van nijked (or whatever the Flemish is).

Then what. They're utter *******s when it comes to fining people, it's in their culture -- why do you think the EU's based there? (I lived there for some time and know first hand what they're like.)

Now maybe the answer is to call the RYA who will pay the fine?

In any case, it'll completely screw your trip.
 
jwilson said:
When they test it is it just a colour issue or is it more technical - chemical tests to trace the dye?

If just colour I can sell you (with receipts) quarter full bottles of Acme Super-Red Diesel Fuel System Cleaner and Enhancing Elixir. I reckon a few teaspoons of red dye to a cup of paraffin would do to fill the bottles, and wouldn't £19.99 be cheap compared to a big fine....
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Yeah, have a little tank full of Red Bull, that'll get em!

But for a Belgoid plod, it doesn't matter; for them it's red and red means you pay. You pay now. Or wait for three weeks for the analysis to come through at which point they'll do you for harbour dues...
 
GlennG said:
They're utter *******s when it comes to fining people, it's in their culture -- why do you think the EU's based there? (I lived there for some time and know first hand what they're like.)
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If that's how you feel about the country, why would you even contemplate going back there? Why not avoid the dreadful place altogether :confused::confused:
 
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