In the first instance the following letter has been sent out to each MEP approached:

Dear (here the formal name was inserted),

You are, without doubt, a very busy man (changed to lady where appropriate) so I will be as brief as possible. Many people live aboard boats and manage to support themselves, making ends meet by avoiding marinas and anchoring in safe havens that have existed, all over Europe, since navigational charts were first drawn.

Now, an ever-increasing number of European authorities are laying down buoys in those safe havens and insisting that those who
wish to enter them must pay exorbitant fees and remain only a very few days. In addition, when attempting to anchor within sight of a marina, vessels are often approached by officialdom and told that they cannot anchor and must enter the marina, in spite of the fact that the anchorage is clearly marked on a chart and does not obstruct the entrance to the marina in any way. Some authorities are even making laws that enable them to remove the anchorage from the next edition of navigational charts.

Before it is too late, we are campaigning to have a special permit created for live-aboard sailors of a minimum of two years' standing and no other residence, to which end we have created a website called www.freeseapass.co.uk and www.freeseapass.com and have just begun inviting interested parties to join us.

The consequences of doing nothing and allowing live-aboard sailors to be squeezed off the sea, would be the return of many thousands of Britons and other Europeans to their home country, with no means of housing or supporting themselves on arrival - especially in times of recession, when to sell a boat is even harder than to sell a home. This would mean a burden on the tax-paying public which can be avoided if action is taken now.

We would be very honoured if you would visit the website and see if there is anything you could offer by way of comment,
suggestion or help.

Thank you so much for your time. Best regards,

Linnet Woods - Co-ordinator (British citizen)
Free Sea Pass
At anchor aboard the schooner Leopard Normand III
Palma Nova, Mallorca, Balearic Islands

linnetwoods@freeseapass.co.uk
linnetwoods@linnetwoods.com
Mobile Tel: 0034 680474278 (Telefonica Movistar - Spain)
Mobile Tel: 0034 627786422 (Vodafone)

If nothing has been heard from an MEP within three days, we have been sending out the following message:

Dear

You may remember my e-mail of 6th July, on the subject of the Free Sea Pass campaign? To my horror, the site was down the following day (some technical hitch at the host server's end) so you might not have been able to view it on receipt of that e-mail.

We would be very grateful if you would take the time to visit http://www.freeseapass.co.uk and give the campaign your consideration.

Many thanks for fitting us into your busy schedule.

Best regards,

Linnet Woods - Co-ordinator
Free Sea Pass