The sailing season on the West coast of Sri Lanka was well introduced this year by the successful and well-attended boat show in Dikkowita where local population and foreign visitors could discover the increasing number of sailing and motor boats and the chartering services the industry has to offer. A strong sign of the development of the industry was a conference on the creation of marinas with the presence of experts from the ICOMIA (International Council of Marine Industry Associations) invited at the initiative of the Building A Future Foundation (BAFF).
Pursuing its efforts to develop the yachting industry in Sri Lanka, BAFF is present on all the segments of the yachting sector from naval architecture and design (www.sabrosa-rain.com) to boat building, sail making, mast making and chartering services.
In 2012, ‘Mirissa Moorings’ was created at the initiative of BAF with the main objective of creating employment for the local youth from the southern coast of Sri Lanka. In 2014 the name changed to ‘Sri Sail’, the number of boats increased and the programmes were expanded. Now Sri Sail offers sailing trips, rentals of high speed Rigid Inflatable Boats and coastal cruises with the luxury catamaran Pearl for locals and visitors.
Our Sri Lankan skippers take clients on an exhilarating sailing experience, a thrilling ride on a RIB or a relaxing cruise on a smooth catamaran. European qualified instructors developed training programmes for locals as well as for tourists.
The local youth is trained by these instructors to become certified skippers. Next to sailing they are educated in driving RIBs, improving their English skills and learn administrative tasks. This way Sri Sail creates sustainable jobs in an eco-friendly new economy.
On top of that Sri Sail still offers secure mooring facilities for boat owners at its mini marina in Mirissa Fisheries Harbour. Via sister companies additional services like maintenance and repairs are available. The Harbour itself is equipped with a boat lift, donated by BAF foundation to the fishing community, to take boats out of the water.
More information on programmes, services and rates can be found on www.srisail.com.
Sri Sail (www.srisail.com) and Sail Lanka Charter (www.sail-lanka-charter.com), both present at the boat show held in Dikkowita in October 2014, were appraised and encouraged by his Honorable Basil Rajapaksa Minister of Economic Development in Sri Lanka.
