Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/682623
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 22 MAY 2016 51 YACHTING Malta reported a number of initiatives as part of its mission to develop the po- tential of Yachting in Malta, at a press conference last Wednes- day at the newly allocated Vi- kings Sailing Club premises in Hay Wharf. Yachting Malta has been in- strumental in ensuring that the Vikings Sailing Club continued its operations by assisting the Club in the commencement of refurbishment works to ensure that their new premises are operational. Throughout the years, the Vikings Sailing Club has contributed extensively to the development of various gen- erations of sailors from diverse social backgrounds. It was thus paramount that Yachting Malta offered its support in line with one aspect from Yachting Mal- ta's mission statement: "To fos- ter and promote sailing, with emphasis on the young. This includes the promotion of edu- cation and training in the fun- damentals of sailing, racing, and water safety". Through Yachting Malta's in- tervention and the collaboration of the Royal Malta Yacht Club, the Vikings Sailing Club were also able to bring their boats out from storage enabling them to continue offering Skolasport's On the Move sailing lessons on Laser 16 and Topper (single handed) sailing boats from the Royal Malta Yacht Club premis- es. An excellent example of good will and mutual collaboration between sailing clubs. Other initiatives saw Yachting Malta's contribution towards the Royal Malta Yacht Club sailing development programmes. The first initiative was the support of the International Council of Yacht Clubs European Confer- ence, which saw a number of Eu- ropean Clubs sharing best prac- tices in a two-day conference hosted at the Club. Yachting Malta also assisted the Club's Sailing School to in- crease their f leet of boats with the introduction of the RS Feva class. The addition of these boats will enable the Royal Mal- ta Yacht Club to cater for more people interested in sailing. A similar initiative was also undertaken with the Birzebbuga Sailing Club, whereby the club was supported to be able to pur- chase two new boats - an opti- mist and an RS Feva. Thanks to the introduction of the RS Feva's a group of eight sailors have found a renewed sense of enthusiasm after grow- ing out of the optimists. Yachting Malta has also sup- ported the forthcoming Pageant of the Seas being held in Grand Harbour on the 7th June, organ- ised by the Valletta 2018 Foun- dation to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the laying of Valletta's foundation stone. The event will see 27 yachts with EU f lags making a synchronised entry into the Grand Harbour as part of the spectacle. Last November Yachting Malta has also contributed to the Mal- ta Sailing Federation National Dinghy Championships held at the Royal Malta Yacht Club. "We started in 2015 by sup- porting the Sport directly, ena- bling Clubs to develop and grow further. As from 2016 Yachting Malta adopted a shift of strat- egy. We will soon be issuing a public call for 'new' sailing and power events. We are standby to support individuals, clubs and organizations who are willing to organize new yachting events and initiatives. In close collabo- ration with MIMCOL, Yachting Malta will assist in the develop- ment of a 'cost benefit analysis' & 'economic impact assess- ment' related to new yachting events. Such professional exer- cises will help quantif y the eco- nomic overspill brought about by yachting events and serve as a means to garner further sup- port for their implementation. YM will also serve as a 'one-stop shop' to assist yachting event organisers especially from a bu- reaucratic & expediency point of view. The objectives of Yachting Malta are two fold – that of de- veloping our home grown talent but also tapping into huge po- tential Malta has as an interna- tional yachting events destina- tion". Stated Wilfrid Buttigieg, CEO Yachting Malta. The Press Conference was also addressed by the Hon. Chris Ag- ius, Parliamentary Secretary for Research, Innovation, Youth and Sport Chris Agius stated that the Government understood the plight of the Club, and worked towards finding an alternative solution until work began on the new premises. The Government understood the work Viking Sailing Club was undertaking to develop not only the sport of sailing but also with the young children and youths. The Par- liamentary Secretary said that it was not easy to find an alter- native site that offers similar facilities that the Club enjoyed, especially since the Club's facili- ties had to be located by the sea in order to launch their boats. These obstacles are overcome and now thanks to a financial grant from Yachting Malta, to- gether with the commitment of club volunteers, Vikings have now returned to a deserving site. Hon. Agius reminded those present that Vikings Sailing Club will be offering sessions as part of 'Summer on the Move programme organized by Sport Malta throughout the sum- mer. Applications for this pro- gramme are now open. From an industry point of view Yachting Malta has also set up a number of focus groups, which will be launched over the next months addressing areas such as: a yachting industry skills gap analysis, new apprenticeship and yachting education schemes, po- tential new yacht repair facili- ties, new marinas, breakwaters, the protection of Malta's under- water heritage, sea water quality & surface cleaning, super yacht taxation incentives, chartering & charter code improvements. A number of other initiatives are also being developed and will be announced shortly. More information about Yacht- ing Malta can be found on w w w. yachtingmalta.org Sport SAILING Yachting Malta announces set of initiatives Yachting Malta's CEO Wilfrid Buttigieg, addressing members of the sailing community and the Media at the press conference PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANCIS MICALLEF - DOI