GOVERNMENT'S plan to increase the boat duty could "shut down" the sport of sailing.

And the Bermuda Sailing Association has sent a letter to Finance Minister Paula Cox asking her to review the boat duty hike.

In the Budget Ms Cox said that the duty would rise from 33.5 per cent to a whopping 55 per cent and many of Bermuda's sailors have warned that the increase in duty could put the sport in jeopardy.

The BSA said in its letter to Ms Cox this week: "We asked that the Minister consider a rate break for ISAF-recognised racing class as well as programme boats for youth."

The BSA said that the recently suggested boat duty of 55 per cent would take sailing out of reach for the "common man". And that "will set all of the clubs on the island back. Currently, there are over 1,000 children who annually enjoy sailing in several summer sailing programmes, island-wide. The cost of a small Optimist, used in most programmes, will shoot up to nearly $5,000. Eventually these costs will make it impossible for programmes to operate."

The BSA said Bermuda had a lot of national pride when it came to sailing and the island's sailors had managed to record "many outstanding results" on the world stage.

The BSA said sailing in Bermuda had seen a "meteoric rise in local interest and global success" over the past 10 years and that part of this was due to the Government-sponsored WaterWise programme, run by the BSA with the help of the island's clubs.