FOUR-time Olympic sailor Peter Bromby says that Government should not just abandon the proposed 55 percent tax on boats but decrease it to 22 and a quarter percent where is once was years ago.

"To put it to 55 percent gives the sport very little chance of succeeding," he said. "I don't think they have thought it through very well. The (current) 33 percent duty has stifled the sport for a long time as it is. I do not think a lot of people understand what has been happening with the tax at 33 percent. For instance the Etchell fleet have only had one new boat in 25 years since it went up from 22 and a quarter percent. It is amazing how many old boats there are in Bermuda. What we have become is an Etchell and J-24 graveyard. Boats that have been used on the circuit in competition (overseas) come to Bermuda to be put out to pasture 8211; Bermuda is the place where your boat goes to retire. And that is the effect the current tax rate has been having. When we go away (to compete) we are chartering a decent boat 8211; here we have been training in dinosaurs."

Bromby said that with the shipping costs it makes it difficult to bring in a boat. "And that duty makes it so much more tough," he said adding that Government would find that by reducing the tax on boats they would in the end bring in more money.

"I would say to Government that if they went back to 22 and a quarter percent they would get even more revenue and taxes because more people would bring boats into Bermuda. No one is going to bring in a boat when the tax goes to 55 percent. I know people who were thinking of bringing in a boat but they are not now. Not with the tax going up to 55 percent."

And the Star sailor who is trying to qualify for the Beijing Olympics 8211; his fifth 8211; said that if some people wanted to make the sport of sailing more inclusive then the raising of tax was the completely wrong way to go about it.

"One of the ironies is that Government gives the BSA funding for their summer programme and asks us to keep our price down. In one breath they are telling us to keep our price down and in another they are whacking us with more duty. It just makes no sense.

"By putting more duty on boats it will make the sport more exclusive.

"If you think it is expensive now how do you think it is going to be when you raise the tax to 55 percent. If some people think that our sport is suffering from an elitist image you tell me how you have helped that situation with raising the taxes."

Bromby and his crewmate Lee White left Bermuda yesterday to compete in the legendary Bacardi Star Class Regatta in Miami. Bromby has won this regatta twice in the past and it will be one of a number of races before the World Star Championships in Miami in April where he will make his last push for qualification to the Beijing Games.

Early registration shows that there are a number of World and Olympic champions in the fleet from 26 countries.

Among those are five Bacardi Cup champions including defending champion Hamish Pepper of New Zealand, John Dane who will represent the US in the 2008 Olympic Games, Afonso Domingos of Portugal, seven-time champion and Olympian Mark Reynolds of California, and Bromby.

"The Bacardi Cup has through the years built its reputation as an Olympic tune-up event attracting the best Star sailors in the world," said Craig Prandini, event chairman, "and the Florida weather is a huge bonus. We already have 107 boats registered and we are expecting some heavy competition on Biscayne Bay."

What started out in 1927 as a three-day event with less than 10 boats in Havana, Cuba, now attracts more than 200 sailors each year and remains one of the few sporting events in which weekend enthusiasts have the opportunity to compete head on with Olympian and World Champion athletes.

Already registered are 35 teams from USA, 11 teams from Germany, 10 from Italy, seven from Brazil, six from Switzerland, five from Argentina, three from both Austria and Russia, and two from both Chile and Ukraine. Those countries fielding one team each so far include Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Croatia, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Netherlands, Finland, Bermuda, Ireland, Bahamas, Great Britain, Canada and Bermuda.

The regatta will be sailed from Sunday through next Friday. It is co-hosted by the Coral Reef Yacht Club and the US Sailing Center, both based in Coconut Grove.

The sailors sail one race per day on an approximately 10.5-mile course in Biscayne Bay. One of the six races will be thrown out.