Well, what a great early Spring we are enjoying , enabling us to get out and make the most of the waters whilst it’s still quiet. It really has been one of the mildest winters I can remember.

This month sees the Palma Boat Show and Superyacht Show open its doors to what will hopefully be a bumper attendance. We are told that all the space is sold out , with a waiting list should anyone dropout. This is great news and is an indication of Palma’s status in the Nautical Industry. Unfortunately, there is simply no more available space on its current site, so maybe the organisers should take a look at the Palma Convention centre as an alternative land based site if the demand warrants it.

The Superyacht Show will have around 80 Superyachts on show once again, with the largest display of large sailboats anywhere on the planet. This is also a great show for crew who are seeking work for the season, with yachts filling up their quota’s of staff! It’s also a great social time for the industry, with many businesses holding parties during the later hours of the show, especially on the late night of the 30^th, when the show is open until 23.00.

Immediately after the Palma Show, our attention will shift to the MYBA Charter Show at One Ocean Port Vell, Barcelona where there will be around 60 – 70 Yachts available to view, purely for charter. This show is only open to Brokers and Media and requires advance registration.

Talking of social events, we are hosting a social event at MC Palma on Wednesday 3^rd April from 17.30 – 20.00 , please let me know if you’d like to join us for a beer and chat as well as some great South African food from El Toro Foods.

I see we are having another general election on April 28^th, the umpteenth in the past couple of years, and yet again it looks like a combination of several parties joining together some with very differing manifestos will end up in power. I just hope we get more sense form them regarding the nautical sector, as the present incumbents don’t appear to like us very much ! The nonsense regarding mooring areas needs seriously sorting out and making plain to everyone, resident yachtsmen and visitors alike. The moratorium on new marinas also needs looking at as demand is outstripping supply by some considerable margin.

Fair Winds !

Simon Relph – Editor