Excitement! This is what I have felt and heard the most in the last month. The layout of the December issue was positively received. It is still very much a fun work in progress and probably always will be. Personally, I tried to celebrate the milestones we reached with the team; submitting the magazine design to the printers well on time; receiving the printed copies here in Mallorca; getting them shipped to the new destinations in addition to the Spanish mainland; seeing them being distributed in Ft Lauderdale, St Maarten and Antigua at the Charter Yacht Meeting….but every milestone reached, meant a new challenge had to be addressed.
Then, on the 1st of December, we threw our first INIP (Islander New Issue Party) and…OMG…the atmosphere was so warm, enthusiastic and loving! Words of congratulations and encouragement were shared with the wonderful team we have. Further in this issue, there is a round-up of the event – make sure to have a look. If you weren’t there, you missed out!
Even before the INIP, we had already started putting this current issue together. The winter months bring the focus to Refit Season in the Med. Incredible developments are taking place in our industry with STP expanding, MB92 inaugurating a 4200Tonne(!!!) travel lift, and Astilleros de Mallorca working towards an equally massive sinker lift to service ever bigger yachts. Clearly, the race for the refit jobs on the biggest yachts in the world is on. In the Balearic Marine Cluster article on Large Yachts, you will read how government rules and regulations have a huge influence on this side of the business.
Escaping winter, of course, many yachts have crossed to the Caribbean. There is a fresh energy in the islands now that Covid restrictions seem to -dare I say it?- be a thing of the past. Yachts are returning, and exciting events such as the Antigua Charter Yacht Meeting, the St Barth New Year’s Eve Regatta, The Heineken Regatta and so on, are seeing their entry lists going back to pre-covid figures. Reading the Charter Knowledge section, you can dream away of sunny destinations. Interest in South East Asia and the Indian Ocean is rapidly increasing. The Maldives and Seychelles are showing their ambition to become attractive, year-round yachting destinations.
I wish all our readers, advertisers and contributors a prosperous and healthy 2023. Make sure to log off from screen time often. Read a paper magazine (preferably The Islander!) so you can recharge before going back to addressing your plans and dreams. May they all come true!
Jens OomesÂ
