THE Bermuda Sailing Association were relieved this week after Government decided not to raise the importation tax on ISAF sailing boats. Government originally were going to raise the tax on all boats from the current 33 and a half percent to 55 percent. But after the BSA and others pleaded for no tax change for those boats in which Bermudians compete in ¿ classes like the Laser, Optimist, 420 and Sunfish ¿ Government relented and said they would keep the duty at 33 and half percent. Pleasure yachts and motor boats will have to pay the 55 percent tax though.

"We are very pleased that Government will not raise the tax on those racing classes," said Somers Cooper, the head of the BSA.

The BSA and others in competitive sailing circles in Bermuda feared that if that duty had been raised to 55 percent then it could easily kill the sport of sailing ¿ a sport in which Bermuda has been very successful over the years on the international stage.

Cooper said: "Right now we are going through the process with the Finance Ministry to set the guidelines. One of the items of clarification is the fact that there are some racing boats we have in Bermuda that are not recognised by ISAF. To be recognised by ISAF a class has to have fleets located around the world in three different continents. But the Comet class here is the only fleet outside of the United States. And the Comet class has been around in Bermuda for over 40 years and races under the ISAF guidelines ¿ it is just not registered as an ISAF class. They have never applied for international status even though they are a proper racing class. Another class is the J105."

The third class is the Oppi which is just like an Optimist but it is plastic and less complicated. "That is the boat we put the kids in first before they go into the Opti class. Since the Oppi is plastic it can take a lot more beating that the Opti. The clubs in Bermuda use the Opti but we use the Oppi for the Government programme that we run (Waterwise).

"So right now we are compiling all this information for the Finance Ministry so they can look at it."

Cooper said that Bermuda currently have four young sailors in Peru where they will takes on scores of other sailors in the 2008 South American Optimist Championships starting this weekend.

Those four sailors are Dimitri Stevens from Dellwood, MacKenzie Cooper and Owen Siese from Warwick Academy and Brian Bulhoes from Mount Saint Agnes.

They will be racing off Paracas, Peru and the Opening Ceremony will be staged today with a practice race on Saturday. The regatta starts on Sunday and racing continues until next weekend when the Closing Ceremony will be held.

"This is a busy year for our young sailors," said Cooper. "The North American Optimist Championships will be held in late June and early July and we will be sending about nine sailors and then the World Optimist Championships will be held in Turkey later in July and five sailors will be competing for Bermuda."