THE owner of a Scarborough pleasure cruiser has vowed to continue his battle against officialdom.
Last year Tom Machin, skipper of the Coronia, was banned by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) from taking passengers along the coast to Whitby.
The MCA said that a Class C Vessel, such as the Coronia, was not allowed to travel more than 15 miles from its point of origin, despite EU directives which adopted a softer approach and would have meant the Coronia would have still been allowed to make the trips to Whitby and back.
As Mr Machin prepares his vessel for the new summer season, he received a visit from Euro MP Edward McMillan-Scott who has pledged to help get the rules changed.
CAMPAIGN ... MEP Edward Macmillan-Scott, left, and Coronia skipper Tom Machin
More than 12,000 people signed a petition last year backing Mr Machin and the Coronia, which helped in the rescue of thousands of soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk during the Second World War.
The petition was handed over to Mr McMillan-Scott so he could present it to the Prime Minister and the European Commission.
The Euro MP was visiting Scarborough to reassure Mr Machin and to tell him he was trying to prevent the same restrictions being enforced this year.
He said: "If the Coronia made it to Dunkirk and back I'm sure she can make it to Whitby and back. The British authorities are imposing higher standards than those recommended by the EU, and then they blame the EU for it. It's extremely damaging.
"My next step of action is to invite the local MPs to take on the issue. There will be a time when I will have to invite the EU to take more direct action, but I hope it does not come to that."
l Last week the MCA backed down on previous threats to stop Bridling-ton's Yorkshire Belle from sailing at Easter.
The Yorkshire Belle and the Coronia are licensed to run from April 1 to October 31, with both vessels traditionally starting the boating season on Easter weekend. In the past whenever Easter weekend has fallen before April 1 the Department for Transport has always extended the licence.
However the owner of the Yorkshire Belle, Peter Richardson, was told by the MCA that the extension will not be made this year, and in turn he would loose out on 10 days trading. It was expected that the Coronia would face the same fate. But, in a dramatic turn of events, the MCA announced that an extension to the Yorkshire Belle's licence would now be made.
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