Variety and choice, the spice of life at the North Dock.

There is always something of interest going on amongst the eight companies based inside the North Dock Marine Services Building at STP’s refit and repair yard in Palma. With so many products, services, and skills being represented under one roof, there is bound to be something new coming along on a regular basis.

For instance the team at Anicla have a comprehensive stock of paints, coatings, and related products for all finishing applications in their onsite store, and are always looking for new products to add to the range.

Just recently they have added the Wencon epoxy repair range to their product offer. This consists of three products forming a comprehensive tool kit for every yacht, with all the options for effective emergency and long-term repairs on a wide variety of substrates.

Wencon Rapid is a fast curing two-component, epoxy compound with a wide range of applications for emergency repairs and maintenance.

Typical applications are emergency repairs, where a short curing time is required to reduce down time. Wencon Rapid is very suitable for applications where thicker layers of material are required, as the compound quickly sets and becomes solid. The compound can also be used for regular maintenance jobs and as a filling compound.

Wencon Putty is a very quick curing, two component, epoxy compound supplied in a practical stick format, which is easy to use.

Wencon Pipe Tape is a fast curing pipe repair bandage especially formulated to make quick and effective repairs of cracks, leaks, fractures, and corrosion porosity in piping carrying water, oil, steam, most gases and even solvents. Wencon Pipe Tape has good pressure, temperature and chemical resistance.

The friendly staff in Anicla’s store at the North Dock are always on hand to advise on the Wencon range, and many other yacht maintenance products in their comprehensive stock.

Meanwhile the Palmawatch team in the same building have been honoured to win a prestigious new contract for their busy Palma Yacht Care Division.

The 23.32 metre cutter rigged vintage sailing yacht Avel II, is one of the iconic sights regularly seen in the Mediterranean Classic Regattas, where she is enthusiastically raced by her owners.

Lee Metcalfe Palma Yacht Care’s gardiennage manager is a keen regatta sailor himself, and he says that he’s delighted to have the responsibility of caring for S/Y Avel during the summer while her owners, (who also own S/Y Creole, another iconic classic yacht,) are away for a few months.

Lee points out that PYC’s service offer is very flexible and tailored to each individual yacht; for instance Avel has no engine or generator systems, which normally form part of the Palma Yacht Care maintenance program. So the contract scope for her consists of regular cleaning and safety checks according to the owner’s wishes.

The original build of Avel was commissioned by a Frenchman named Rene Calame, to Camper & Nicholson’s yard in Gosport, UK way back in 1896. Maurizio Gucci found her being used as a houseboat on a mud berth in UK and bought her for £15,000 in 1990. She was then assigned to Harry Spencer’s yard in Cowes for total restoration, which was completed in 1994.

Lee Metcalfe himself is looking forward to sailing again in the upcoming Palma Superyacht Cup, when he will be joining the crew of the truly classic 38.8 metre Claasen built SY Atalante. The yacht is from the boards of Dutch naval architects Hoek Design, and was launched in 2015 to great acclaim, when she starred at the Monaco Yacht Show.

Plenty of other products, services and trade skills are available from the other companies at The North Dock as follows:

Trappmann Consulting: Interiors / Design / Upholstery / Bespoke Joinery / Interior Equipment.

IBS: Marine Electrics / Electronics specialists.

Undercover Solutions: Yacht Containment / Covers / Shrink-Wrap / Fixtures & Fittings.

De Cabo: Painting/Polishing/Antifouling

Servicios Nauticos Integrados Palma, (SNIP): Painting / Antifouling / Propspeed Application.

Munditubo: Scaffoldings and Detachable Metallic Structures.

Website: www.thenorthdock.com