Let me congratulate correspondent Mario Parascanadalo from Marsascala on his professional and masterly comments on the pros and cons of the development of a yacht marina in our locality. Mr Parascandalo hit the nail on the head when he emphasised that such a development will be a boon to Marsascala. He righty argues that if a marina is developed as it should be, that is, as a modern state-of-the-art project, it can only help us to get rid of unwanted wrecks, monstrous rusting carriers and toxic fibre chemicals used continously by dilletante shipwrights trying in vain to salvage boats which no serious maritime authority can classify as seaworthy.

It seems that Mr Parascandalo has done quite a lot of travelling and what's more important is that he is a seasoned observer and has a keen eye as regards marina projects. I cannot but agree with his stand in favour of such a marina in Marsascala. He is also a realist and knows full well that none of us has the power to turn the clock back. It is as futile as it is useless to hark to the good old times when Marsascala was a tiny village, unknown and unreachable to almost every soul beyond the limits of Zejtun and Zabbar. Today, the population of our locality is almost 10,000; the few sea-side holiday residences have sprouted into an urban area sprawling from St Thomas Bay on one side to the Bajda u S-Sewda lines on the other. We all know that careless urban development has scarred the face of this once lovely and idyllic village.

If a yacht marina is indeed developed it will be a clear sign that we are determined to change things and to turn our dear Marsascala into a tourist hub which can only benefit not just our business community but all the residents. All we need to do is to think, plan and play our cards well.