Starter Kit. Idea 251 of 500. Cluster 13
Sailing charters and a yacht marina at Galle or Trincomalee, with the crew trained here
The mechanism, from the book
An ocean eight times the size of the land, and a fishing fleet that sells its catch on the beach. The Maldives built a tourism industry on water Sri Lanka has more of.
The first step
Walk the harbour at Galle or Trincomalee and find one boat owner who would lend a yacht for a day in exchange for a share of the fare. Then offer a sunset sail to the managers of three boutique hotels nearby at a price per guest, and ask each for a written yes for a named date. A signed booking from one hotel is your proof, and the owner's terms tell you what a charter costs to run.
- Who pays first
- A boutique hotel manager on the coast who needs one more premium experience to sell guests, and earns a commission on every sail booked.
- What leaves today
- Visitors who want a day at sea fly on to islands that sell it, so the charter fare and the crew wages are earned elsewhere.
Ask first
- Sri Lanka Ports Authority. Ask what a marina or yacht berth at the harbour needs in permission.
- Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority. Ask whether sailing charters for visitors must be registered as a tourism service.
Check before you spend
Whether the boats are registered and insured for paying passengers, what safety kit is required, and what training the crew must hold.
Find out these three numbers
- What would a visitor pay for a sunset sail?
- How many boat owners would lend a yacht for a share of the fare?
- What does a crew training course cost?
A comparison from the book
Japan. Chapter Eleven
"The first is the hired foreigner with an end date."
Bring an experienced skipper on a fixed term, and local crew take over after.
The test
Does it keep value that now leaves the island, or build the proof that lets somebody else do so?
From the appendix of Why Not Sri Lanka? by Dr Maheshika Halbeisen. The idea and the mechanism are the book's; this kit was written for the site.