Dear Islander,
We hope you will find the Marine Business Directory included with this months issue, a useful “pull out and keep” guide to many of the excellent services available for yachtsmen and residents in the Balearics. Your ongoing patronage of all of our advertisers is much appreciated, because after all, it is their support that enables us to produce a free publication for our readers.
In this months issue we have a special feature from Marine Control S.L. on cathodic protection, which is well worth reading before you haul out, and check your stern gear this winter. September also sees the return of the Technology Update feature from Roger Horner of E3 Systems, who was taking his vacation last month, and sent in his latest article from a yacht somewhere off Croatia, thus proving the practical use of mobile communications!
Having just returned from my own vacation in the Netherlands, where it rained almost continuously for 12 days, I am appreciating more than ever, the climate in the Balearics, but also reflecting on the crazy weather patterns which have become almost a way of life, wherever you live these days.
I remember only a few years ago talking to barge skippers in Holland, who were perfecting methods of “bouncing” their heavily laden (but shallow drafted) vessels over mud banks in the canals, which had become dangerously low in depth due to a lack of rainfall.
Now after the wettest August in living memory, the water levels in Holland are clearly above normal, with boats moored on floating piers in the town harbours looking menacingly close to street level!
To dry, too hot, too wet, sea temperatures too high - in fact, too much of everything weatherwise seems to be attributed by many “experts” to climate change, brought about by man´s disregard for the environment, which brings me to a comment on our article titled “Pollenca Bay clean up” on page 26 of last months issue.
Here we quoted a statement from Pollenca town hall, basically blaming yachtsmen for polluting the bay, and killing off the Posedonia weed with rubbish and detergents.
But a charter skipper who operates daily in the bay, has contacted The Islander claiming that untreated sewerage is leaking into the bay from an underground tank near the beach, which of course you cannot blame yachtsmen for!
Now, we have no axe to grind with the authorities, and are fully supportive of any moves to keep our seas clean, as we believe all serious boating people are, but is the yachting public being fairly treated?
In order to have a balanced viewpoint on these issues, we would really like to hear from any of our readers with input on this subject, and / or, our closely related front page story this month.
Saludos,
Peter Franklin