Charter boat operators ‘are on the scrapheap’
GENERATIONS of local knowledge and expertise is in danger of being lost unless charter boat operators in Kilmore Quay receive government support.
That’s the stark message being relayed by those who work at the Quay, the small band of operators who have been left to fend for themselves since the pandemic began.
Eamonn Hayes owns the Autumn Dream and has been running fishing and tourism trips from Kilmore Quay since 2002.
He is one of ten charter boat operators in Kilmore, a number which he says is likely to decrease in the coming months if something doesn’t change.
‘I’m afraid the future paints a very worrying picture, not only for Kilmore Quay but for charter boats operating in every coastal county of Ireland,’ Eamonn says.
In 2020, Kilmore’s charter fleet ran for a total three months at 50 per cent capacity. And while Eamonn accepts the restrictions placed upon businesses like his, he finds it harder to the understand lack of support from central government.
‘What I don’t understand is that businesses on land have access to schemes but we haven’t. We are not classed as a bricks and mortar business and, because of that, aren’t eligible for any of the relief schemes announced to date,’ he says.
On a local level, some of Eamonn’s colleagues received a 50 per cent reduction in their annual rates from Wexford County Council (WCC) last year, while he himself received 17 per cent.
But even that was lower than some of their contemporaries.
‘Other businesses located not 100 metres away from our boats got a 75 per cent reduction and were eligible for other relief schemes, but for charter boats, again the bricks and mortar clause, meant we were exempt from relief,’ Eamonn says.
‘I wish someone would inform our officials that Ireland is an island with a blue economy. Questions must now be put to the Minister for Tourism as to why he continuously ignores the plight of Kilmore Quays and Ireland’s charter boat fleet.
‘Ireland should be protecting the expertise and knowledge accumulated over decades of service in their sector not throwing it on the scrapheap to be lost forever.’
Eamonn is eligible for his pension next year but says he hopes to continue to operate his boat well into his seventies. Yet, in the current circumstances, he’s unsure whether the Autumn Dream will see another summer.
‘I lost 60-70 per cent of my income last year. It’s not a big grossing business anyway, you’re really only busy from
April to September, but Covid hit us bad, we were relying on our cash reserves to see us through,’ he says.
‘It costs €8,000-€10,000 to run a boat for a year in terms of maintenance and rates.’
Estimating that his boat alone brings almost a thousand tourists to Kilmore Quay every year, Eamonn says if he and his colleagues were to go out of business the knock-on effect would be huge.
‘Kilmore’s charter fleet brings thousands of tourists into the county annually, feeding its economy,’ Eamonn says. ‘Our loss would have a huge impact on other tourists providers like hotels, shops, restaurants, café’s, not only in Kilmore Quay but across Wexford and the south-east.’
Eamonn remains hopeful he will be able to return to the seas at some point this summer, but says that without financial aid it will be incredibly difficult for those within the industry to survive.
‘There’s an awful lot of worry among people in this business now, we’re not confident of getting going anytime before June,’ he says.
‘Any money reserves we had went on surviving 2020, we are now facing into 2021 with the mounting annual bills of about €10,000 including harbour rates, insurance, bank loans, survey costs, maintenance, accountancy, and bank loans.
‘Charter boat operators just haven’t got the cash reserves to pay these bills, as a result operators are now in danger of going out of business along with the many experienced skippers who sail them.
‘If this is allowed to happen the knowledge accumulated by these skippers over the years, dealing with tourists from all over the world, will be a huge loss to Kilmore Quay and Ireland’s tourist industry going forward.’