Mallorca wooden boats: 300 protest mooring rules

Mallorca’s traditional wooden boats face a fight to stay in the water: about 300 people gather in Sant Jaume square in Portocolom, Mallorca, on Sunday 18 October to protest mooring rules. The Portocolom Traditional Boats Association organises the protest against conditions set by the Balearic port authority, PortsIB, for restored boat sheds. It says Portocolom still has 197 traditional boats — more than a third of those left on the island.

Rain cuts the planned programme short.

An annual fee, but only months afloat

The first permits for the restored sheds carry an annual charge of almost 2,900. Yet boats at sa Bassa Nova 1 can stay in the water for only four months, and those at es Babo for six.

The association says many families may struggle to meet those terms. It also warns that months out of the water could cause lasting damage to wooden boats.

What the association wants

The protesters call for safe moorings that let the boats remain in the water all year. They also want affordable rates, priority for traditional wooden boats — particularly in protected areas — and space for smaller craft.

For the association, protecting the restored sheds is not enough. The boats themselves, kept by local families over generations, must have a place in Portocolom’s harbour.

Topics: Protests · Sea & coast · Felanitx

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com