Foreigner sails from Goa in yacht,parks at Gateway,no one stops him

Royal Bombay Yacht Club (RBYC),where the man anchored,has now been asked to post guidelines on its website to ensure vessels do not enter the city without revealing sailing plans 72 hours prior to arrival.

The unidentified foreigner,whose yacht was docked in Goa,allegedly sailed to Gateway of India and sought RBYC permission to anchor.

“Around 8.30 on a Monday morning this man strode into our office and asked if this was the yacht club. I said yes. He said he sailed from Goa and no one stopped him,” said Ashok Motwani,secretary,RBYC.

Motwani recalled the foreigner was questioned over radio by port trust control room but no one told him where to anchor. He then sailed straight into the city.

“When we informed police,they tried to blame us. The man isn’t a member of the club and can’t anchor where he did. He was taken to Yellow Gate Police Station,” Motwani said.

“He sailed away two days after he arrived,telling fishermen he was headed to Sri Lanka.”

Coast Guard,meanwhile,is hoping such mishaps do not recur,now that Mumbai Port Trust has issued fresh directives on monitoring yachts.

“Neither Coast Guard nor Customs can board any vessel without prior information. Since the yacht club is the nodal point for vessels to enter the city,we have asked them to upload on their website requirements vessels need to meet before entering the city and anchoring at Gateway. The club should have the courage to turn away vessels that do not fulfill requirements,without monetary considerations. We have been telling this to them repeatedly,” said a Coast Guard official.

Following the Yusufi seizure,Coast Guard and Navy have held three meetings with the state government to improve the mechanism to monitor small vessels.

Directorate general of shipping,the nodal agency for small vessels,has asked Mumbai Port Trust to issue fresh directives. In the new system,every barge and yacht approaching the harbour will have to inform arrival at least 72 hours in advance.

Coast Guard officials said in the absence of proper papers and monitoring,it was difficult to estimate the origin of every vessel.

“Earlier,whenever there was a glitch in coastal security,Coast Guard was pulled up. Since Mumbai Port Trust leased the Gateway area to the yacht club,vessels heading to Mumbai are expected to inform the club,” they said.

Motwani,however,said the foreigner’s yacht was not allowed to stay on the club premises. “We are complying with the notifications and have been providing information about members to police whenever sought.”

srinath.rao@expressindia.com