A group of windsurfers from Bonaire was shocked when a customs official informed them that they had to pay for their gear to enter the island. This was surprising as they have been coming to Aruba for this competition for many years and have never had to pay before.
Windsurfers are coming from all over for the international Hi-Winds competition, and this group from Bonaire was met with an unpleasant surprise at Queen Beatrix International Airport. Normally, they are able to pick up their equipment and go. This time, however, they didn’t find their equipment and were told they had to declare it at customs.
According to the Aruba section in the Dutch newspaper NU, a customs official told a windsurfer, “We don’t know, you could sell the equipment.” According to windsurfer Pieter Zweers, this was the reason as to why the official demanded they declare the equipment. Several Bonaireans found themselves with this problem on May 7th. “I’ve been coming here for over 30 years to participate in Aruba Hi-Winds. I always bring my own equipment in a big round bag. This is the first time I’ve been confronted with this rule,” he said, very displeased.
To be able to participate in the Aruba Hi-Winds event, which takes place from May 8th to 13th, he had to pay a total of 786.95 florins for three people. “This is strange. My equipment is not new, and you can see that. Yet, I couldn’t convince the official,” according to Zweers.
After paying the sum, he could walk to the deposit where his equipment was supposed to be. It turned out, however, it wasn’t there either. It turns out that his equipment was accidentally flown on to go to Curaçao.
“I believe that if I hadn’t paid, I could have simply gone to pick up my things the following day. This turned out to be the case with another windsurfer. He didn’t pay, but the next day he could go get his equipment. I’m glad I got mine though, and that I can participate in the event.”
The organizers of Aruba Hi-Winds have been informed and have already contacted the Customs department. They are reportedly still awaiting a response from the chief. “Let’s hope for a positive response. If it’s like this in the future, this will be the last time I participate in Aruba Hi-Winds,” the windsurfer commented.
In the photos, there is a copy of the receipt he received after making the payment and a picture of his equipment to participate in the Hi-Winds competition.
