Rowers taking part in the Victory Day regatta fear that problems in training safely in Grand Harbour could threaten the future of the traditional event.
Speaking to this newspaper before today’s races, a number of the rowers said that their six-week training programme was continuously being disrupted as traffic within the port grew.
Acknowledging that increased activity within Grand Harbour meant more vessels sailing in and out, they said the least they expected was better monitoring of such movements as the regatta got closer.
READ: Double joy for Cospicua at Victory Day regatta
“Jet skis, tourist boats and pleasure craft zoom past us without any regard for our safety. As a result, we’ve often had to either stop half-way through training or simply not practise at all,” one rower told the Times of Malta.
While the event remains one of the island’s most popular traditions, the rowers noted, it seemed there little effort was made to encourage clubs to take part, pointing out that “near-misses” during the build-up period only served to discourage rowers.
“We’re talking about a period of just six weeks of training in the months running up to the races. It’s a much-loved tradition that attracts not only locals but tourists too,” another rower noted.
Giving tourists a glimpse
The rowers feel the authorities should step up monitoring during this time of the year.
While commending Transport Malta for trying to help, the rowers said they feared the watchdog’s resources were limited and, therefore, they could do very little to help.
The rowers are also calling for more awareness about the matter so boat and jet ski operators would better appreciate their problems.
“Tourists really do enjoy watching us train, so boats taking visitors on tours should slow down not only for the sake of our safety but also because it is something that promotes our traditions,” one rower remarked.
A Transport Malta spokesman confirmed that, at this time of the year, activity at the harbour was highest. However, he pointed out that checks were carried out, just as it did elsewhere.
“The area is very busy and requires monitoring not just by Transport Malta but also by the police and other entities,” the spokesman said.
“We do our best but one must also keep in mind that we cannot be everywhere at once.”
Transport Malta inspectors issued over 100 fines this summer to ensure safety at sea and the Grand Harbour was no different, he added.
Apart from the fines meted out, warnings were also issued to instil a sense of responsibility among operators.