Overseas yachtsmen are being forced to leave the Island because Immigration has sprung new rules which slash the amount of time they can spend in Bermuda, The Royal Gazette can reveal.

The yachting community had no idea the changes were made and last night, businesses in St. George's, who rely heavily on wealthy sailors, said their earnings would be hammered if the boats were chased away.

Yachtsmen who previously could live on-board for six months without paying duty on their boats have now been told they can stay for 21 days and apply for a three month extension.

Veteran sailors Bob and Margaret Nunney from Toronto, Canada, who are moored at St. George's, have vowed never to return to the Island because they are disgusted at the way they have been treated.

Suzanne Hollis of Ocean Sails in St. George's warned that word that Bermuda did not want yachtsmen would "spread like wildfire'' among the worldwide sailing community.

Immigration rules rock yachtsmen One yacht in St. George's, which intended to stay the summer, left on Sunday and three others, including the Nunneys' Windreka III , are planning to follow.

The Nunneys, who have sailed to Bermuda on five previous occasions, were stunned in May when the Yacht Registration Centre (YRC), a Customs department, told them of the 21 day rule.

They said a YRC spokesman said this was the case for years, but Mr. Nunney's Customs' stamp from last year showed he was allowed to stay for six months.

Department of Tourism guidelines available yesterday confirm yachtsmen are able to live on-board for six months before duty is payable.

Gill Outerbridge, the Bermuda officer of Seven Seas Cruising Association, which represents 12,000 full-time cruisers worldwide, said she was not informed of any changes and felt she was giving false information to members coming to the Island.

She said six month stays were standard worldwide and if Government was going to change the rule, businesses should have been given at least a year's notice.

Mr. Nunney told The Royal Gazette yesterday that even a three month stay would be useless because he would be forced to put his life on the line by sailing in the middle of the hurricane season -- for which he had no insurance cover.

He said he was astonished to be told by a senior Immigration officer yesterday that the reason the rules were changed was because of claims that yachtsmen left the Island without paying their bills.

He said: "Late August would be the middle of the hurricane season and I'm not taking our lives in my hands by sailing then.

"We wanted to stay the summer but we are leaving and we will not be coming back. What is the point of coming here for a month? "We spend a lot of money here -- $3,500 in the past month and a half -- but obviously Bermuda does not need those dollars.

"My brother has booked a flight from New Zealand for a few weeks in late August to come and spend money here but it seems Bermuda can do without it.

"I said to the senior Immigration officer `you are turning away long-term tourists with a lot of money to spend' but she said `we'll find another source of tourism'. The impression I got is that they don't need or want us here.

"We promote Bermuda. We brought five boats here with 42 people for a wedding.

How much did that put into the economy?'' Mr. Nunney said the Immigration officer said the changes had come "from the top'' -- from Home Affairs Minister Paula Cox.

His wife Margaret was in tears as she said: "We love Bermuda and the people are so friendly, but I can't help feeling we have been tricked into coming here for six months.

"Those Tourism sheets we picked up today were printed three months ago and they should have stated only three months are allowed.'' Mrs. Hollis said restaurants, supermarkets, bike hire shops, hardware stores, gas stations and boat repair companies would be devastated if big-spending yachtsmen were forced to leave.

"I don't think Bermuda has ever promoted yachting beyond the idea that the yachtsmen are a nuisance. These people come here and spend a lot of money in town,'' she said.

"It's absurd that all of a sudden the rules are changed and are not printed.

If the rules were changed, why was there no discussion with local businesses? "Yachtsmen are our bread and butter and we should be promoting Bermuda as a yachting destination, not making them feel like they are a pain in the neck.

"It is just amazing. These people really need a wake-up call. We have four boats leaving here with a bad taste in their mouths and they will never come back to Bermuda again.

"The yachting community is very tight and something like this will spread like wildfire.'' Ms Outerbridge added: "Very often members will contact me a year in advance and the tool I use is the Tourism sheet and I feel I have been giving out false information.

"Three or four of my members would like to stay for the summer but they are not allowed to and they are very distressed.

"The Association rely on me to keep them up to date with this kind of information and, unfortunately, it will discourage people from coming here.'' The YRC could not be contacted yesterday and neither Ms Cox nor the Immigration Department returned telephone calls.

Up anchor: Sailors Bob and Margaret Nunney