- "the boat is going!" - Was one of the first words we heard upon arrival at Muelle Prat. Many people in charge of boats were preparing to draw public attention to the little fearful, while interesting, came to the industry, invited to observe the tradition that has remained in place for several generations. The great family that make people who work here are struggling every day to get economic support to their homes. Each member enjoys the fun atmosphere that reigns there, or rather reigned .. . On this occasion, we just noticed the site certain air desolation: the earthquake of February 27 had left its mark not only the spring but also in the heart of Buenos Aires. This also became one of the reasons that motivated us to choose it as a point of investigation, and we wanted to know why this is, get to the bottom of the situation and bring to light what is hidden to our eyes, in addition to learn more about the hidden history of one of the economic sectors, culturales y turístico más importante de Valparaíso. Para adentrarnos en el asunto, comenzamos a observar el lugar para entender cómo afectaba el aire de desolación al público en general: en los turistas extranjeros se notaba sorpresa por los daños estructurales, sin embargo, esto nos los reprimió, paseando por el sector de lo más normal (aunque la cantidad de turistas extranjeros era mínima); en el caso de los turistas nacionales, se veía en sus rostros reflejada la preocupación ante lo acontecido, sumándose a esto un recelo hacia el mar, evidenciado principalmente en los adultos " no quiero pasear en lancha porque si hay otro maremoto... " (visitante sector) and the local people, boaters, artisans and other workers were in itself a depressing atmosphere, it was noticed on the view that her life had changed.
To enter into the subject from the viewpoint of the protagonists, we went to talk to Don Carlos Lemus, president of the National Inter-Union Workers Boats Prat Pier, which was kindly providing the necessary information to become aware of what really happened. One of the issues that most intrigued us was why Prat Pier was in such bad shape two months of the earthquake, to which he replied that it was void because the act part of the company behind the dock, Valparaíso Port Company. Then we learned that the sector is owned by the company and the Boat Owners Association "leased the pier for docking sector and to make the trip across the bay" (Nelson Garrido, member of the union of boaters), so EPV that would be required to take over the maintenance of the site. However, the EPV and boaters (we focus on the latter as representatives of the struggle) are rivals looking to make the property or keep it, respectively. On the one hand, the company wants them out of place, since they occupy a strategic sector for the port. By contrast, the boaters do not want to move there, because the spring has been with them for generations, naciéndoles a sense of belonging and identity with it.
order to organize and to champion their rights in a united way, created in 1984, the National Inter-Union Workers Prat Pier boats, initially to solve the problems between workers and owners, however, this he joined the fight against the EPV, which took full ownership of the port of Valparaiso in 1998, after the enactment of the Port Modernization 19,542. Now not only defending the rights of workers but also their jobs. Note that if the EPV got to separate it would be a blow not only for boaters, it would be a blow to the history of the port.
The trouble with all this fighting is that they are boaters and people living there who suffer the consequences directly, since the company has the backing of the law. That is why boaters are organized to fight for their rights and keep what theirs is.
At present, the most important problem affecting the spring, and thus who are in it, is the destruction that generated the last earthquake. Achieve a quick solution is to give the current battle occurred in place, which involves all workers. So far the EPV has given only "aspirin" to the problems they have and have been told they must wait until they make the change directory command port (the conclusion of the alliance), and after six months begin studies of the place, in other words, are preventing the delivery of a prompt resolution.
As we had Don Nelson Garrido, the problematic relationship is between the boaters and the board of the EPV, as the latter are those who do not accept and seek to eradicate the place, so boaters should be alert to the plays that they made. This is what triggered a series of measures taken by the boatmen (union and association) and has had several consequences. To begin, through the advice of Mr. Milos Miskovik, director of the Tourism Development Department of the Municipality of Valparaíso and thanks to the latter, achieved the distinction of Intangible Heritage of Humanity to the boats, was obtained with this protection and State support and UNESCO , ensuring their stay at the dock, as well as to keep their jobs. In addition to this you are looking for ways to pursue legal actions to improve the situation of the spring, through a complaint to the EPV for it accountable for the infrastructure problems of the sector. Although still in the planning stage and is not sure if that would prove to promising implications for improving post-earthquake conditions being experienced in the Prat Pier.
We conclude that the fight that occurs in the spring is far from over and that while boaters are handicapped by the EPV, they will not give up so easily, they seek all means to keep the Muelle Prat as their place of belonging and home for much longer, thus conserving part of the tradition and culture of Buenos Aires most striking of the Jewel of the Pacific. 
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