3 POST-BREXIT BACKLASH
Three Brexit-related issues that impact UK boaters have triggered a backlash from owners and the industry alike. The first two relate to the process of buying and selling pre-owned boats across UK and EU borders. The other concerns the amount of time boat owners and crews can spend aboard their boats in the EU.
POST-CONSTRUCTION ASSESSMENTS
Pre-owned leisure vessels traded between the UK and EU now need to meet obligations defined in the EU and UK’S respective Recreational Craft Directives. This means that since 1 January 2021 an extra layer of cost and inconvenience applies to all such transactions. Vessels being imported into the UK from the EU or vice versa will need “post-construction assessments” carried out that confirm the boat meets the necessary requirements and those assessments need to come with what is known as a third-party verification. The likely costs are estimated at anything from £500 to as much as £5,000 depending on the size and complexity of the vessel, according to the Royal Yachting Association and British Marine, which will almost certainly have to be borne by boat sellers.
VAT DOUBLE WHAMMY
British owners of boats that have been based in the EU long term face being charged a second tranche of VAT if they bring their boats back to the UK. The new ruling covers any boat which is brought into the UK even if VAT has already been paid in the UK or EU.
For EU Vat-paid boats the deadline has already passed (it came into effect when the UK left the EU on 31 Dec 2020) but for UK Vat-paid boats, which were moved to the EU by the current owner, the window has been extended until 31 December 2021 to bring them back with no further tax due. This doesn’t prevent owners of UK based Vat-paid boats from cruising to Europe without incurring another VAT charge, here or in the EU, as long as they return within three years.
The new rules are causing big concerns among owners and dealers of Britishbuilt boats in the Med, many of whom bring them back to the UK to sell in their home market where demand is strongest.
VISA DISPARITY
Since 1 January 2021 UK boat owners visiting the EU (as well as other Schengen area countries like Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein), have been restricted to a maximum stay of 90 days in any 180-day period without the need for a visa. The 90-day restriction is a major blow to those who keep boats there and spend three months or more on board over the summer season or liveaboards with extended cruising plans.
The 90-day limit is proving particularly contentious with British owners, given that EU visitors to the UK have visa-free access to British waters for up to 180 days a year.
For stays longer than 90 days, UK citizens will require visas. Unfortunately, there is no common EU visa, so applications will need to be made to each EU country that the person wants to visit
– a major headache for voyages from the UK to the Mediterranean or the Baltic.
The multiple-visa issue and disparity between UK visitors to the EU and vice versa has been highlighted in recent months by other affected communities, including foreign home owners and UK pop stars who tour round Europe for months on end. It is estimated that up to 30,000 UK nationals own boats in European waters.
The assumption is that this disparity was a consequence of rushed proceedings rather than a deliberate policy, and that a realignment may be possible. The Uk-based Cruising Association has already launched a 180-day visa campaign to help apply pressure as part of a wider parliamentary lobby.
4 ABSOLUTE’S NEW RULE-BREAKER
Absolute Yachts has released a rendering of its new generation 60 Fly. Borrowing a number of design cues from its Navetta range of swift trawler cruising yachts, it features a near-plumb bow, vast hull windows fore and aft, and full beam flybridge overhangs on the side decks. Fresh innovations include a near 50:50 split between saloon and cockpit space and distinctive squared-off hind quarters.
Cut-outs in the bulwarks help make the most of views out from the main saloon and inside helm area, as well as from the aft galley and adjacent dinette. It also features an unusually long cockpit for a boat of this size with a glass transom and free-standing modular furniture that can be arranged however you choose. Coupled with a full-width flybridge that stretches all the way back to the stern and a foredeck terrace with more seats and sun-pads, it boasts as much outdoor entertaining space as any 60ft monohull we’ve seen.
The tall, beamy foredeck and the fact that the biggest hull windows are in the bow provide a giveaway to the location of the master cabin. However, unlike the forward master cabins of yesteryear, it is set a little further back to make the most of the wider beam and features a forward-facing bed with an ensuite bathroom in the bow. The two ensuite guest cabins are amidships with a transverse double to starboard and a twin to port. There’s also a two-bed crew cabin aft of the engineroom.
We estimate that the twin 725hp D11 Volvo Penta IPS950S will deliver a top speed of a little over 30 knots with a fast cruise of 25-27 knots – Absolute hasn’t released any official figures yet. The fuel capacity is 2,800 litres.
The 60 Fly is due to be launched later this summer with a show debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September.
5 RED DIESEL TO STAY
The UK’S spring budget contained the welcome news that boaters in England, Scotland and Wales will be able to continue using red diesel for pleasure boats after April 2022. However, the current percentage relief scheme, allowing boats with a single tank for both propulsion and heating to claim 40% of their fuel at a lower rate of duty, is being reviewed by HMRC.
The use of red diesel in leisure boats was due to come to an end in April 2022 after the European Union Court of Justice found that the UK was in breach of the EU’S Fuel Directive. Now that we have left the EU, the UK government has opted to ignore that ruling.
However, leisure boaters in Northern Ireland will have to cease using red diesel from 30 June in order to comply with the Northern Ireland Protocol part of the Withdrawal Agreement. This is causing real concern among local boat owners as currently there are no marine pumps supplying white diesel in Northern Ireland. The pumps that are there are likely to carry on serving red diesel beyond June due to the higher demand from commercial boats, which are still allowed to use it.
Unless rapid action is taken to resolve this issue, the only options for diesel leisure boats will be to buy white diesel in cans from a roadside pump, cruise to the Republic of Ireland where waterside white diesel is already available, or cross the Irish Sea to Scotland or the Isle of Man where they can buy red diesel and import it into Northern Ireland provided they have proof of where they bought it. Both the latter options would involve lengthy round trips of at least 150 miles. The Cruising Association, British Marine and the RYA have given a cautious welcome to the news about red diesel in England, Scotland and Wales but are pushing for a rethink on Northern Ireland. Julian Dussek, President of the Cruising Association, said, “I cannot imagine another situation in which legislation would be passed knowing that compliance was well-nigh impossible.” He urged the Treasury to work with the Northern Ireland Assembly to produce financial incentives for the fuel industry to create a viable marine supply of white diesel in the province.
6 ENGLISH HARBOUR RE-LAUNCH
Boutique British boatbuilder English Harbour Yachts has redesigned its popular EH16 launch to reduce the price and appeal to a wider audience. The original plumbbowed model was an open design with tiller steering and inboard diesel propulsion. Now designated EH18, the latest version offers more protection, a new deck design and outboard power for a wider choice of affordable petrol or electric engines.
The cockpit now features a more sociable layout with a dining table that seats six, rear bench seating and a neat aft console with wheel steering. A discreet wraparound windscreen provides additional weather protection, while a new transom extension for the outboard engine includes a pair of neat bathing platforms.
The recommended outboard options include all-electric units from Torqeedo or epropulsion as well as a range of efficient four-stroke petrols. With a 20hp Mercury petrol engine, it should reach 12-14 knots and be priced from around £35,995, inc VAT.
Hand-built in Rutland by former Fairline employees, the new EH18 will be available through Boats.co.uk. New versions of the English Harbour 27/29 cabin cruiser will also be coming soon.
7 FAREWELL LADY AITKEN
Powerboat racing legend Lady Violet ‘Vi’ Aitken has died at the age of 94. As well as having a successful racing career spanning several decades, she helped establish the first London Boat Show in 1955 and the Cowes-torquaycowes Offshore Powerboat Race in 1961. Married to fellow powerboat racer, World War 1 fighter pilot and media mogul Sir Max Aitken, the two of them played a pivotal role in popularising the sport of powerboat racing in the 1950s and 60s through their own successes as well as sponsorship of key races and events by the Daily Express, part of their publishing empire.
Max and Vi’s interest in racing stemmed from their participation as driver and co-driver in the Miami-nassau race in the late 1950s, inspiring them to launch the Cowes-torquay-cowes race in the UK. Lady Violet went on to race on her own in a series of boats named Ultra Violet, nearly always winning the prize for the fastest female finisher and rarely appearing outside the overall top 10. One of her proudest results was fifth place in the gruelling 1969 Round-britain race.
8 STUDLAND STILL OPEN
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has decided that boating and watersports will be allowed to continue in Studland Bay but that measures may be required to control anchoring in order to avoid what it describes as “negative impacts on the site”.
The scenic bay at the mouth of Poole Harbour, Dorset, is one of the most popular anchorages on the South Coast but had been threatened with a ban on any form of watersports due to its environmental sensitivity; it is a designated Marine Conservation Zone.
The decision follows an online call for evidence, which received 500 responses. The MMO is now holding a series of stakeholder events to develop suitable management measures for anchoring in the bay, while “minimising impacts on people’s use of the sea”.
9 BMYS PUSHED BACK TO JUNE
The British Motor Yacht Show will now take place over June 12-20 at the usual Premier Marinas Swanwick venue. The new dates come in response to the Government’s recently unveiled four-step roadmap out of lockdown. The event was due to take place in May. Organisers say the later dates are not only a more responsible approach to coronavirus risk management, but should also coincide with a complete lifting of restrictions for a more relaxed atmosphere. As usual this year’s event will feature some of the latest models from best-known home brands such as Sunseeker, Princess and Fairline, but there are certain to be plenty of new imports on display too.
10 ROAD MAP RULES EXPLAINED
The Royal Yachting Association has published a list of what boat owners are allowed to do and when according to the latest lockdown rules. As well as covering the general dos and don’ts it also provides an up-to-date interpretation of the latest rules as applied to boating situations. It even includes links to advisory pages on the differing rules and timetables of the devolved nations. All have their own route back to what is hoped to be a relatively normal summer boating season. Visit www.rya.org.uk