Boat Show Palma 1st Day Report

Considering that the 2012 edition was cancelled due to lack of support, the Palma Boat Show has come back with a bang, after its resumption last year, and grown hugely in its present format.

The turn around has to a large extent been due to the success of the adjacent Palma Superyacht Show, which this year has attracted around fifty boats in the size range from 25 to 70 meters, with 19 specialist companies all presenting their services in tents along the dockside overlooking the moored yachts.

This has almost doubled the amount of exhibitors in the Superyacht area, which has temporary occupation rights at the usedly reformed Moll Vell superyacht marina, whose club house and facilities building was only at the foundations stage last year and had to be cordoned off behind safety barriers thus reducing the width of the quayside to just a couple of metres. This year the building is completed although not quite ready for occupation yet, and offers on its top floor, an elevated viewing terrace open to the public via a staircase outside of the show perimeters. This must be one of the worlds best 'boat show panorama' photography spots, and the modern stylish building itself provides an attractive backdrop to the show, with a wide usedly paved area in front allowing comfortable viewing of all the moored yachts.

One of the most notable and representative of the brokerage superyachts on display is the 50 metre ketch SY Thalia, she was built by Vitters shipyard in Holland and is presented for sale by Ventura Yachts.

As expected the weather in Mallorca obliged with all day sunshine and a pleasant sea breeze in the afternoon on the opening day, with temperatures reaching 25C by the time the show was opened and inspected by Jose Ramon Buaza the President of the Balearic Islands, who has been strong supporter of the yachting sector in Palma.

There are 158 exhibitors in the total show including the traditional section with exhibitors such as Azimut, Fairline, Princess and Bavaria displaying the whole range of family size sailing and motor yachts. And with the usual large selection of RIBS, dayboats, sailing dinghys and accessories its fair to say that nothing at all is missing at the 2014 Boatshow Palma.

A good sign for the organisers is that around 40 (25%) of the 158 exhibitors are at the show for the first time, proving that last years revival is being built upon successfully in terms of support from the yachting industry. The total exhibition area covers 2,375 m2, with lots of places to chill out with a cool drink or a light lunch, and over 200 boats are viewable actually in the water. With the public holiday on the 1st May, the show is expected to attract a large number of tourists and locals on its second day.

Entrance is €5,00 and free for under 12's pensioners and professional visitors. The show is open until Sunday 4th May with opening times from 11am to 9pm with a 'Night of the Sea' on Friday 2nd May, where exhibitors will stay open to 11pm, and many will hold dockside parties for visitors and clients.

 

*Image credits:  John Rawlinson via flickr  (CC 2.0)
*Original story: BYM Product and Industry News via Google News (search term: Palma Boat Show)