CBYA dinghy section suspended until further notice due to a malicious attack!

Those who turned up for Dinghy Day on Wednesday 9th May had an unpleasant surprise. All three dinghies had been holed, our inflatable safety boat had been slashed down both sides, and our latest replacement outboard had been stolen, despite being secured with a very strong chain, and being locked in our strongbox. There was no damage to any of the other boats on the El Portet beach, so obviously the objective was to put the CBYA Dinghy section out of action.

 The rock and rope shown above was used to smash the boats.

A full police report has been filed, but since there are no CCTV cameras on the beach, and no evidence regarding the identity of those involved, we do not expect any further action from the Guardia Civil.

The CBYA dinghies were insured for third party liability, but due to the high cost of insurance in Spain, we did not have cover against this kind of incident.

We may be able to repair one or two of the dinghies. However, since we no longer have a safety boat with an outboard motor, and since the El Portet beach location will continue to be open to future similar attacks, we have decided to suspend the CBYA Dinghy Section operations until further notice, whilst we look for a more secure location from which to sail and store our boats and equipment. As this is likely to take some time, we have decided to remove all of the CBYA boats and equipment from the El Portet beach and move them to  a temporary storage location (preferably in the Moraira area). We are planning to make the move before the beach starts to get busy, and we will be looking for CBYA volunteers to assist in the relocation, once we have decided on the date.

In the meantime, if anyone has any suggestions as to where we can securely store, and work on, the boats, please advise Bob Gordon or myself.

To read the full history of the CBYA Dinghy Section birth and development, click HERE.

A sad day for the CBYA!

Hugh Epsom

Chairman