Dock 1 transformed for Boat Show
The area around Dock 1 in Cospicua, disused for the past few years, has been transformed into a hive of activity for the HSBC Premiere Valletta Boat Show, which was inaugurated this evening.
More than 70 gleaming yachts are on display in the sea and on the wharf along with a wide range of yacht services which were being exhibited under a row of marquees.
Infrastructure and Communications minister Austin Gatt, who inaugurated the show, praised the decision to locate it around Dock 1, saying it gave the people the opportunity to visit a place they rarely ever saw, thus being better able to appreciate the potential it had for re-development.
He explained that the area, besides Malta's oldest dry dock, also included 68 seafront vaults. The government, he said, did not wish to see the area developed in the same way as the Valletta and Vittoriosa waterfronts but was seeking something new and hoped to adopt a proposal by the end of the year. Embellishment would be taken in hand in March at a cost of €7 million, which would be partly funded by the EU.
Dr Gatt underlined the importance of the yachting industry and pointed out that despite the recession, the registration of yachts under the Maltese register had continued to grow - by 3% for yachts smaller than 24m and by 11% for the larger ones.
He announced that after a year of talks, the government had signed an agreement to transfer the former Malta Maritime Authority offices in Ta'Xbiex for use by the Royal Malta Yacht Club.
The Boat Show remains open up to Sunday. Opening hours are from 6 p.m to 11 p.m.. tomorrow and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The show is sponsored by HSBC Premiere.
Activities include live entertainment, food and beverage outlets and children's entertainment.
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mbusuttil
Sep 25th 2009, 13:17
you ppl are never satisfied ... i guess if the transformation from a haven for drug addicts and rats to an attractive recreational garden was done by 'anothers' it would have been perfect!
joyce aquilina
Sep 25th 2009, 12:27
@ludwig flask,i agree with you 100%,it should have been named cospicua boat show.
@ m busutill,have you ever been to gnien cottonera?,first of all also its name should have been cospicua as it is on our land .and the garden was never well planed,the swings are so far up it gives .it gave me the chills last time i was there with my grand daughter,there are no baby swings and the public toilets are so far away from the garden
Ludwig Flask
Sep 25th 2009, 11:11
"...the HSBC Premiere Valletta Boat Show..." is held in Cospicua - I cannot figure then why "Valletta" not "Cospicua"! Maybe a last minute decision with reference to venue?
mbusuttil
Sep 25th 2009, 10:58
@ms aqiulina
what about gnien cottonera ? recently inaugurated and already vandalised ?!
joyce aquilina
Sep 25th 2009, 08:23
@mr sammut,another big plus for austin gatt my foot.we do not need another yacht marina here ,neither a crafts village,what we need is something that we [BORMLIZI]can have a recreation area for us to injoy and spend time in it
Raymond Sammut
Sep 25th 2009, 03:02
This has been long in coming. Here is one of the prettiest spots on Malta. As a small boy, my old man used to take me to the Bormla band club to watch snooker. I remember this dock surrounded by a high wall covered with soot, and all I could see was the deck of a large ship being dry-docked during the Bailey years. Now it is truly a pretty sight. My old man took me back there last time I visited and I spent a lot of time taking pics. And these boats would be phenomenal to look at. Another big plus for Austin Gatt. If Dr Muscat won the next election, he should seriously consider retaining Gatt as a minister, unless the PN decided to make him their new leader. I reckon they are going to need him badly at the rate they are going.
D. Micallef
Sep 24th 2009, 23:05
i thought the ideas were all in place already.
what about the crafts village?