Sailing yacht enthusiasts who have a penchant for performance cruisers, admirers of tri-decked motor yachts boasting top-level luxuries, seasoned charterers, as well as those new to yachting: the Palma Superyacht Show, which concluded on Tuesday the 2nd of May, saw an eclectic mix of visitors overawed by the huge variety of super yachts on display.
One of the legendary yachts on show included the 34m dramatically beautiful classic gaff cutter MERRYMAID, a ready-to-go-anywhere-yacht which has thousands of miles under her keel. Think also the 43m sleek sailing yacht THIS IS US, easily one of the most elegant performance sailing yachts currently on the charter market, the 59m mega yacht MAYBE, which boasts being the largest private yacht to have ever been built and designed in Spain, and the 46m Baltic Yachts-built PINK GIN, known as the “Marilyn Monroe of yachts”.
The display of some of the world’s most celebrated super yachts was naturally a hot topic, but the 60 exhibitors were also a big part of the attraction. Aside from (mostly) returning exhibitors, this edition also welcomed a number of first-time participants. Aventics' Product Manager Fernando Carrera Duro comments he is “pleased with the visitors and new contacts created during these five days at our Aventics' booth.” Annie Nicholson from the Sovren House Group is of the same mind: "Palma Superyacht Show was the key Spring Show in our marketing calendar and proved to be a great avenue to communicate our re-branding from Dovaston to Sovren Crew. The quality of networking and number of crew attending our stand was fantastic.” This year also saw an increase of international brokerage houses exhibiting. What's more, many brokers have indicated that they were pleased with the quality of clients and are already receiving offers.
A third of the show’s exhibitors were located in this year’s inaugural Refit & Repair area. This new B2B section was centred on yachting’s professionals and has been well-received by both visitors and participants alike. Steve Worrall, Horizon Marine Electronics’ Operations Manager says: “Our overall show experience was very good with a high standard of visitors to our stand".
The Refit & Repair area’s Captain’s Corner was where talks on up-to-date subjects took place, ranging from ‘Spanish charter license rules’ to ‘the effects of the new IMO regulations’, attracting super yacht Captains and Senior Crew.
Once again the whimsical characters of the FunFair by Port Adriano surprised unassuming visitors with their comical sketches and original mime-acts during the show. Additionally, the Refit & Repair area hosted a convivial private cocktail party and a highly entertaining performance by the lively swing band Monkee Doo, on Saturday, the 'Sea Night'.
Highlight was of course Friday’s PSS Welcome Cocktail, which was sponsored by MYBA - the Worldwide Yachting Association and Marine Survey Bureau; leading choice for factual, objective, and impartial Surveys of Luxury Yachts Worldwide.
The Palma Superyacht Show, since it’s debut in 2013, has gone from good to world-class, which is evident in the annual increase in the quality of participating yachts and exhibitors. This year’s 5th event will prove a hard act to follow in 2018, but we’re confident the show’s organizers, loyal exhibitors and collaborators will succeed in raising the bar for our next edition. In fact, we already have some ideas on how to pleasantly surprise next year’s visitors of the Palma Superyacht Show.
Top image: Gaston Westphal
Images below: Maybe by Sofia Winghamre, Refit & Repair talk by Stuart Pearce
