There is no need to list the litany of complaints about cowboys on the roads and taking up public space on pavements and piazzas. The rampant abuse is well known, as are the pointless attempts of the public to make their voices heard by the authorities. However, another side of the cowboy mentality has for too long been overlooked: the situation at sea.
For many years, the main gripe was the lack of seamanship skills and poor etiquette. The nautical licence has done little to curtail the wild impulses once boat drivers have the chance to push the throttle, especially motorboat drivers who speed past, blissfully ignorant of the impact of their wake. The few enforcement dinghies out there cannot even begin to cope, even if they really wanted to.
Over the past years, the growth in population and disposable income have led to a staggering proliferation of boats. It is no surprise considering the beaches are full, when concessionaires control swathes of public areas and traffic is unbearable. The number of boats has grown well beyond the capacity of marinas, leaving owners with only two options: using a trailer to get the boat in and out of the water each time you use it; or to put down what the Transport Authority optimistically calls a mooring.
Boat owners are actually supposed to apply to the authority for such a mooring, and use an officially registered buoy. Go to Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq or St Paul’s Bay and try to count the official buoys compared to the jerrycans, detergent.