In a statement addressed to the Minister Pavle Radulovic, the representatives of YC "Jugole Grakalić" from Herceg Novi, with 70 years of tradition which can also be praised by local clubs in Tivat and Kotor, claims that the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism has not recognized sailing as a sport of great importance for residents and domiciled citizens of Boka Bay.
"You have not been told that the transfer of sailing skills from the elderly to the younger in Boka is not only a tradition but also a naval practice that lasts for 20 centuries, and that sailing clubs that have been doing this for 70 years bear the survival of this sport and maintain a tradition that has grown into the habit of the domicile population. You did not consider that the seamanship of sailors from Boka, which has been transferred for centuries, has built BokaBay as it is today in cultural, ethical, and construction, to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site," warns the Minister of Sustainable Development from YC Jugole Grakalić.
The plan envisions as many as 15 locations for golf clubs as well as an area for a regional diving center while sailing as a traditional seaside sport is completely omitted. The Management Board of YC "Jugole Grakalić" requires that in the Draft, the Ministry introduces sailing as a sport of importance for the cultural identity of Boka Bay and the development of nautical tourism and for this purpose to foresee the locations where the clubs have been operating for 70 years. They state that the civilizational needs of each society are to preserve the cultural and ecological heritage, which is also a vital part of the seventh protocol of the Barcelona Convention according to the requirements for Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM).
The Integrated Coastal Zone Management Program for Montenegro (CAMP MNE) is jointly implemented by the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) and the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism of Montenegro, and local self-government units are involved in the project area as well as other competent institutions. The MAP-supported project promotes Integrated Coastal Zone Management as an instrument to ensure that diversified human activities in the coastal area are coordinated and managed to achieve sustainability goals.
The first spatial regional plan for the South Adriatic Region was completed in 1969 as well as the general urban plan of Boka Bay, which made the basis for planning and organization of the coastal area. The sailing clubs in Boka, according to those plans, got their own space and building permits for the development of sport and nautical tourism premises, which ensured the preservation of both sport and a traditional way of living, as a part of cultural heritage.
"How it comes that you 'accidentally' forget about us, we do not know, but we expect this public participation in the public debate to contribute to correcting this 'mistake'. When drafting the ICZM Strategy for Montenegro, it was noted that special attention should be paid to sport and recreation and that coastal sports and already established sports clubs should be treated as an integral part of the social and economic matrix - claims Board of Directors of YC "Jugole Grakalić". They remind Minister Radulovic that the Ministry, in cooperation with the Montenegrin Sailing Federation, and with the recommendation of the Montenegrin Government, in 2013 defined the need for traditional clubs from Boka Bay to be recognized and preserved by confirming their locations as they are for 70 years.
The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism also conducted a Study for the Development of Sporting Tourism, and in the selection of sports that were the subject of analysis and consideration was sailing.
"Then you have stated that the problem for our sport is the lack of institutional access to the ministries, as well as the unresolved spatial status of clubs. This is an opportunity for us to overcome this problem both institutionally and in planning, and that what has been established for 70 years in the people of Boka Bay is also defined through this new Spatial Plan". YC Jugole Grakalić Board of Directors informed on their remarks also the Ministry of Sport and the local administrations of Herceg Novi, Kotor and Tivat.
