March 22, 2021
Palma de Mallorca is a resort city famed for its Gothic architecture and outrageously good tapas. It’s also a prime transatlantic yacht destination and the center of Mediterranean yachting life. An abundance of marinas and ports are surrounded by chic restaurants, artisanal boutiques and a vibrant nightlife, the sound of which is beginning to flourish again as Palma readies itself for a busy 2021 summer season.
Due to its prime position, Palma is one of two loading ports that DYT uses in the Mediterranean, the other being Genoa. Palma’s location in the middle of the Balearic Islands is unrivalled, while Genoa is the gateway to the Adriatic Sea.
“In Palma, we have exceptionally good operations and facilities,” says Susanne van Gelderen – Dijksterhuis, DYT’s Palma sales representative. “The number of marinas and refit yards is extremely high, which places Palma among the top three destinations in the Mediterranean for yachts. It’s also the perfect place to enjoy excellent sailing conditions and bluewater cruising.”
Throughout the past year, even when marinas remained closed, DYT’s trusted sailing schedules continued apace. DYT’s ever popular routes between the Mediterranean, US East Coast and Caribbean have always served owners well, but amid Covid-19 they enabled our clients to make the most of life on the water, even when the world was in lockdown.
“We’ve had the full support of the port authority throughout Spain’s lockdown to continue with our services, which has proven invaluable to owners looking to relocate their yachts,” says Susanne. “We’ve been able to adapt and innovate to the needs of our clients. The demand from owners looking to relocate their boats never diminished, and we even saw the emergence of US-based owners foregoing the restricted Mediterranean cruising in favor of shipping their yachts back to the US with DYT.”
The resilience of the yachting industry has never been more apparent. Global lockdown has been tough, but the tide is finally turning. “The season is really starting for us here,” says Susanne. “People are mingling, restaurants are open and there’s a huge number of vacancies available for crew.”
Following multiple boat show cancellations and postponed events that dominated the yachting scene last year, light is beginning to shine through, and two of Palma’s highlight annual events on the yachting calendar have been confirmed as going ahead in 2021.
The Palma Superyacht Show, which features some of the finest superyachts currently for sale and/or charter, is scheduled to take place on 3 – 6 June. Later that same month, the anniversary edition of the Palma Superyacht Cup is due to happen on 23 – 26. Both shows will be adapted to local pandemic restrictions and social distancing remains in place, but enthusiasm runs high. As a proud sponsor of the Cup, we at DYT look forward to welcoming owners, captains, crew and visitors who will be joining us at both engagements. And we look forward to a full year of sailing, too.