38 - Lifting keels easier said than done
To begin with it was a 'thing' with one-offs and the Wallys, later, even the more conservative shipbuilders such as Baltic and Nautor's Swan became enthralled. Is it now lifting keel mania?

46 - Building materials
Thanks to the ease of use, it has been possible for some time now for many people, even non professionals that is, to carry out creative work using the very latest building, repair or modifi cation materials.

56 - Ecological Motor Propulsion
The expression "ecological motor propulsion" gives the impression that the engine does not pollute, whereas in truth, it only does so less and often, even that statement is not correct. At present, there is no such ecological marine propulsion to be had anywhere, other than in well prepared sales pitches, perhaps.

58 - Active phins vs gyroscopes
Recreational boaters have had the pleasure, for some years now, to do away with those "nastys" such as pitching and rolling which so much infl uenced comfort both under way and at anchor. The pros and cons of the two better known systems.

66 - Buying a boat today
Taking a realistic look at the ins and outs of the current economic crisis, you discover just how much of an irrepeatable opportunity it is for bargains in today's market.

70 - We tested:
Catana - Catana 65 • Terranova Yachts - Explorer 68' Enterprise Marine - EM 600 • Ferretti Yachts - Ferretti 510 Grand Banks - GB 45 Eastbay SX • Mochi Craft - 44' Dolphin Bayliner - 300 SB Cruiser • Century Boats - CC3200

118 - The engine turns one hundred
If recreational yachting has reached today's spread and popularity it owes it to an act of love...

126 - The atolls of French Polynesia
Some Countries are the epitome of common places. Where expressions such as, crystal clear turquoise waters, powder white fi ne beaches, rustling palm trees, etc. though a trifl e abused, make some sense. The Tuamotu archipelago in French Polynesia is one of those places.

136 - The gardens of the great spirit
A Canadian itinerary along the Saint Lawrence river, all the way to where it joins the Atlantic Ocean and where whales fi nd their sanctuary.

162 - Croatia Charter
We would like to recommend the Croatian coast, full of natural harbours, gulfs, islands and plentiful Marinas, true paradise all year round, particularly easy to reach if you reside somewhere off the Adriatic.

A SECTOR WITH POTENTIALS
FEW KNOW ABOUT

All yachting world players accustomed to working with banks have been suffering considerably since the outbreak of the American mortgages crisis. Shipyards which in the time of plenty based their development programmes on self-financing are doing better, at least on the credit level, having followed the ancient and healthy principle of never biting off more than you can chew. Many however, financially prostrated by commitments taken on for infrastructural development when sales were booming, are now in the hands of the banks and investment funds, and all are anxious to get out of the red because they are responsible to their respective chiefs for the lack of return on invested capital.

European governments to date have not expressly backed up the recreational yachting sector, but fortunately it was able to avail itself of general social buffers at both national and Community level. This was a precious aid and at least prevented the immediate loss of specialised human resources, but more is needed. The market crashed vertically in a fairly short space of time, and entrepreneurs were caught out. Not that there weren't any precursory signs. Demand on the yacht market had been gradually diminishing, a result of changes in consumers' habits and the fact that sales were fairly often obstructed by the chronic lack of moorings. But nobody expected the crash that so resoundingly involved buyers, builders and sellers.

Many who believed they were rich or at least well off - precisely the people who had sustained the market for years - found themselves having to deal with the new situation, postponing purchases or even losing their deposits on new vessels under construction. Many of these people were victims of unscrupulous behaviour by certain banks with regard to their clients, users and entrepreneurs who were sold shares that top management knew to be toxic, valueless. All of this led to the breakdown of the sector, but everybody wants to come through and possibly set out again. And this is not the first time, nor will it be the last.

It is worth underscoring that the sector, though politically challenged, provides work and jobs and wealth worldwide without necessarily calling for State support. While various governments are thinking about saving automotive industries, fridge, and furniture manufacturing plants etc., by allocating funds for billions of dollars, millions of euros and pounds sterling, as well as actively offering incentives for the scrapping of old for new and using the ecology lever to further enhance the purchase of new vehicles (it's impossible to estimate how much the public pays to save a single job) yet nobody thinks of backing the yachting sector which creates jobs free of charge. Yet it too is an evolving and changing sector, with the highest investment profitability indexes. Furthermore it creates a network of interconnected suppliers which is even more precious for its vital effect on otherwise underdeveloped areas.

Now, to relaunch yacht sales worldwide, which are certainly not priority purchases, instead of cash that is hard to distribute due to fragmentation of the companies themselves, what is needed is a common incentive policy that facilitates user approach at least at the lower end of the market, among the young and old. But as they say, none so deaf as those that will not hear. Be it for reasons of political demagogy (promotion of great industries and great trade unions is preferred), or the relative electoral importance of the coasts (generally poor and underdeveloped) or the impossibility of scrapping (unless envisaged at the time of designing the boat), the economic role of the recreational yachting industry is underestimated almost everywhere.

Only the USA believes in the sector and has demonstrated it by extending financing also to the yachting industry. The political lobby supporting the recreational yachting industrial segment was targeted with almost fifteen thousand emails from entrepreneurs, so some of Mr Obama's shower of billions of dollars will be allocated to this sector which is highly considered in all the states of the Union, especially at local levels, with administrations that finance the necessary infrastructures. Given the absence of other provisions for the very survival of the yachting industry, why doesn't the European Union urgently propose to member states - respecting the rules of free competition and circulation - a halving of VAT on smaller yachts, services and infrastructure management?

Lucio Petrone