Dear Islander,
This past month has seen lots of action in our neck of the woods, with the Palma Superyacht Show and Palma Boatshow having taken place at the beginning of the month, closely followed by the Palma Vela Regatta, the first major Med regatta of the season.
Despite very mixed weather, and the absence of a public holiday, the figures for the show were still encouraging, around 35,000 for the five days, only a small drop on last year’s total. This has been seen generally as a success by the organisers and exhibitors alike. Certainly the presence of 65 Superyachts, largely sailboats, was a magnificent sight on Moll Vell, and a credit to the brokers, owners and organisers who made it happen. We now have the show with the largest number of sailboats over 24 mtrs on display on the planet. Not bad for a local show !
I can see plenty scope to develop the show further, particularly the land based stands, where they could maybe expand the space across the Paseo Maritimo to a space often used for local fiestas. This could become a really good retail area, bringing in tourists to the show’s activities and showing them the delights of our industry and sport. I would also like to see more interactive displays and getting both adults and kids out on the water , thus hopefully encouraging more local participation. We need to get the kids involved in both the sport and the industry for the good of yachting going forward.
Palma Vela Regatta was a very dull weekend weatherwise, but the conditions made for some “Snakes and Ladders” racing in the tricky winds blowing predominantly over the land, very unusual for a regatta in May ! With around 150 yachts racing in the bay, the race organisers of RCNP once again did the competitors proud.
This month sees the Palma Superyacht Cup, my favourite event of the year where we can see some of the world’s finest yachts racing in our home waters. This year sees the 20th anniversary of the event and with a good level of entries including three classic yachts, it should prove to be a vintage regatta.
Finally, by this time next month we shall know the result of the EU referendum in the UK, let’s hope that whatever the decision, we can hope for a successful future for our industry !

Fair Winds !