Sail makers, surveyors, all the super yacht services you could possible think of and STP, one of the Med’s biggest and most renowned shipyards: They’re all situated in Palma de Mallorca. For quite some time now the European super yacht hub, as it seems as if every month a new business opens its door focussing on super yacht owners, captains and crew. From painters to polishers and from florists to fresh faced newby crew looking to find their first gig at sea, if it’s related to the wondrous world of super yachting you’ll be able to find it in abundance on the beautiful Balearic Island of Mallorca.
The stunning Eleonora
So, it comes as no surprise then that like Monaco, Antibes and Ft. Lauderdale Palma has its own super yacht show and with the month of May marking the beginning of the season the Palma Superyacht Show, with its optimum timing, is the perfect opening act!
Since its debut in 2013 it has developed into a show of standing and this edition promises to be the best to date in terms of participating yachts and exhibitors. From Fairline to Furuno and from Horizon Yachts to Hoek brokerage; they’re all taking part and what separates the Palma show from the others on the boat show scene is that it is organised by the industry for the industry.
In the words of the Balearic Minister of economy Joaquín García: “There are more requests from companies who want to participate than available space” something that reflects with no doubt that, “This Boat Show has positioned itself as a national and international leader in the nautical world”.
What we find particularly interesting is that the show is characterised by a higher percentage of sailing yachts as opposed to motor yachts (in water) than any other yacht show in the world with a ratio of no less than 60% sail to 40% motor.
Where the Monaco show features mainly motor and it’s super sized yachts like the 92m Oceanco Equanimity or the 86m Aquila that steal the show, Palma comes back strong showcasing predominantly sail yachts like the beautiful, classic sail yacht Silver Spray (originally built in 1916 as one of the Dutch North Sea pilot schooners) or the sleek and stunning, super fast SY AEGIR.
With more than 70 boats of up to 65 meters this year’s event is only considered the best exhibition of super sailing yachts worldwide!
With so much sail packed away in port it’s a good thing that this will be balanced by plenty of carbon flying in the bay with the Palma Vela scheduled on exactly the same days as the show.
This means you can go for a sail in the morning and come back in the afternoon to buy one of the yachts on display whilst still leaving you with just enough time to stock up on a few cases of Sancerre and decide on where you would like to sail your new yacht to this summer season! 😉
The fact that the show takes place in the heart of the city of Palma, the capital that proudly sits up top of the list “Best Places to Live in the World” according to a recent article featured in the Sunday Times, will no doubt attract international visitors and buyers as they can spend a long weekend in sunny Palma escaping the colder climates enjoying the huge array of top notch restaurants and hotels the city has to offer, all in walking distance from the super yacht show.
Mallorca! The best place to live in the world!
But also if you crew on boats instead of planning on buying one of them the show has plenty in store for you like the crew training courses which will run from the ACREW Lounge, an area for crew to relax, enjoy some food, drink and network with other crew as well as leading business professionals. Also the Captains, Crew & Exhibitors Party, themed: Cowboys & Indians scheduled for the 2nd of May promises to be an event not to be missed!
Or indeed just drop by to gawk at the breathtakingly beautiful SY Eleonora, an exact replica of the schooner Westward, arguably one of the most famous and best known racing schooners in the world!
So! We’ll see you at the show?
30th April – 4th May 2015
