SAILINGNEWS
Brokerage sales are booming!
Against the thought that the long a Westerly Ocean Ranger
difficult economic journey north still made and a Sigma 38. This level
backdrop, a sound financial sense. of business is also having an
number of firms
Y CUNNINGHAM
Interestingly, the increase effect on prices. No longer
are reporting record in demand is depleting the are people prepared to accept
sales. The most
TO AND
stock of used boats which, ‘silly’ offers, though much
dramatic growth
PHO
in turn, is stimulating depends on the way a boat is
is in used boats domestic business too. prepared and offered for sale.”
although, in many By way of example,
cases, new sailing Euroyachts has been
yachts also seem to selling trade-ins and
IS YOUR
be holding up better brokerage boats to a VHF LEGAL?
than expected. waiting list of local
Close on the heels of
As a case in customers without even
warnings that UK yachts
point, Angus Scott, having to advertise them.
visiting EU inland waterways
MD of Euroyachts Further south, because
should have waste holding
tanks, comes further legislation
in Largs told of the rapid growth in
requiring boats going inland
Sailing Today that demand, many brokers are
to have VHF radios with
the company’s total rapidly running out of used
ATIS (Automatic Transmitter
sales in March this year were given the weakness of sterling, boats to sell.
Identification Systems).
up by £350,000 on the same there were understandably “Booming business is good The ruling was originally
period in 2007 and a massive plenty of used boat customers news for us at the moment,” agreed at Basle in 2000,
£620,000 on 2008. from abroad, notably says Michael Schmidt’s Andy
has nothing to do with DSC
While most of that could Scandinavians, for whom Cunningham, but brokers in
and applies only to inland
be attributed to brokerage, Scotland was just a cheap general are struggling to keep
waterways. Ofcom launched
Euroyachts was still currently flight away, but they also pace with demand. “In the
it here in the UK on 1 January
– again for inland waterways.
selling roughly one new boat recently sold a Jeanneau space of 10 days, we’ve just
The aim of the scheme,
a week. Sun Legend 41 to a sold two Hanses, a Jeanneau
which is monitored from a
According to Mr Scott, Frenchman who obviously Voyage 1250, a Hunter Pilot,
centre in Brussels, is to track
interference and illegal use of
Beneteau Group forced
VHF. While DSC sets have a
9-digit MMSI number, ATIS
requires a separately registered
to make big cutbacks
10-digit identification number,
along with similar data to
DSC, including boat name,
type, and call sign, which it
Faced with what the company
transmits in a fraction of a
describes as a ‘sharp, 50 per
second at the end of each
cent downturn’ in its business
broadcast. Many East Coast
in 2008-2009, the Beneteau
skippers have heard squawks
Group has decided to cut TO RICK BUETTNER at the end of transmissions
staffing levels to ensure the
PHO from Dutch yachts, which are,
company’s competitiveness
in fact, the sound of ATIS,
and long term viability.
although, under the legislation,
Its American factory has
owners should switch it off
already lost 10 per cent of
once they leave Continental
inland waterways. The good
its workers and indications
news is that the UK has
suggest that at least 600
gained a concession. Instead
employees will be laid off
of obtaining a completely new
in Europe.
code to be entered, simply
The Group, which produces adding a ‘9’ to the front of your
both Beneteau and Jeanneau MMSI will suffice – but it has to
brands, employs almost 4,000
be registered with Ofcom, and
people, many of whom have translates to 2,000 jobs. would uphold its social
appear as an addendum on
already been working fewer Last year the Beneteau responsibilities.
your VHF/DSC licence, before
hours since the beginning of Group apparently turned over “As we were able to
you can legally use it. When
you apply for registration and
the year. more than €1bn. demonstrate during the
get the notice of variation, you
Unconfirmed reports Putting a positive gloss on crisis in the 1990s, which
also need to obtain a copy of
suggest that the drop in the news, Chairman Bruno the company emerged from
the ‘Basle Arrangement’, which
business is the equivalent of Catheliais insisted that the stronger, I’m confident in our
must be carried on the boat at
2.7 million working hours, company’s fundamentals were collective ability to secure our all times. GC
which, say the unions actually healthy and that management future,” he said.
16 Sailing Today July 09
ST147
News_cjRE.indd 16 11/5/09 20:00:01
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