water sports
a Sailor’s Market
“That one should like Gibraltar would go without saying. How could one help loving so hospitable a place?” With these words Captain Joshua Slocum describes the Rock in his classic book Sailing Alone Around the World, first published in 1900. Slocum dropped anchor at Gibraltar on 4th August 1895 after crossing the Atlantic from Boston at the start of his epic solo circumnavigation of the globe. His book is a classic boys’ own adventure and I remember reading it as a young lad.
It seems however that Slocum encountered the same problems at Gibraltar, more than a century ago, that many modern yachtsmen find today — namely a shortage of berths. In 1895 Slocum was a hero for having crossed the Atlantic single-handed and the naval authorities generously provided a berth for him at the Naval Dockyard. Today tired yachtsmen arriving or departing across the Atlantic, and there are many, are likely to find difficulty in finding a berth. This is a sad when one considers the benefits to Gibraltar of a vibrant yachting sector. I would like to date the start of the yachting industry in Gibraltar to the arrival of Joshua Slocum in 1895 but that would be fanciful. It was really started by the entrepreneurial Hector Capurro who in 1960 created Sheppard’s Marina. Built on sunken barges and hard work, Sheppard Marina quickly gained a reputation for hospitality and professional yacht repair that would not have been unfamiliar to Joshua Slocum. Yachts entering or leaving the Mediterranean made a stop at Gibraltar de rigueur. There are many reasons for this — language,
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jurisdiction, the availability of professional yacht repair skills and the ability to buy and sell a yacht in a friendly place made Gibraltar the place to come to. For the next three decades yachting prospered and word of Gibraltar’s friendliness and expertise was spread far and wide by visiting yachtsmen. The availability of berths grew quickly, first with the opening of the Marina Bay and then Queensway Quay marinas. At its peak Gibraltar had 500 berths for yachts of all sizes. Sadly the closure of Sheppard Marina four years ago led to a loss of up to a third of all marina berths. Now visiting yachtsmen can no longer count on an automatic welcome. The restricted space available for yacht
repair activities has also seen a decline in the yachting sector. Yachts no longer automatically come to Gibraltar for repairs. Indeed many have to go from Gibraltar to Spain for repairs. Yachting is an invisible contributor to Gibraltar’s economy, with yachtsmen contributing to tourism in more ways than daytrippers ever can. At the centre of this activity is Gibraltar as a yacht brokerage centre. Brokers are the estate agents of the floating world. Changes in the way yachts are bought and sold, namely the use of the Internet, has seen the arrival of a new generation of yacht brokers in Gibraltar, such as BoatshedGibraltar.com, able to give boats massive marketing exposure, attracting buyers from across the
The yacht sellers need a bank and investment advice. Buyers need a marine survey, registration documents, a berth, maintenance; they may want new equipment, fuel, provisions and maybe training...
world to come to Gibraltar to complete the transaction in a safe, low cost and sunny environment. Within the yachting ecosystem there are many important participants. The yacht sellers need a bank and investment advice. Buyers need a marine survey, registration documents, a berth, maintenance; they may want new equipment, fuel, provisions and maybe training. They may also need or want legal support. Buyers need accommodation on the Rock when they come to inspect or take delivery of their vessels. Sail Training Schools are thriving in Gibraltar. Where else in the Med can you combine tidal conditions to meet RYA standards with winter sunshine? All of these activities create work, value and income so the next time you hear that someone wants to buy or sell a boat tell them Gibraltar is a great place to do it. Although the internet creates a worldwide niche opportunity for Gibraltar the yachts being bought and sold on-line exist in the physical world and need to be moored somewhere. The more berths Gi-
GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2009