MARINE INSPIRATIONS REPORT – JUNE 2017 – BY CAPTAIN PHIL WADE
Tuesday 20th June 2017
At 10.00 hours we reported to the massive sailing yacht “Aquijo” docked in STP repair yard. This is an amazing sailing yacht, 86 meters long, displacing 1,700 tons and the two mast stretching 96 meters into the sky, more than a 30 story building!
https://www.yachtcharterfleet.com/luxury-charter-yacht-48462/aquijo-photos.htm
Everything on board is ground breaking technology and a logistical nightmare which takes 19 crew to manage. Gerhard Veldsman from Pretoria is the captain and gave over an hour of his valuable time to show us around and explain all the systems, explaining the intricacies of his job and managing the vessel and crew. The vessel charters for about half a million euros a week and the art work on board has a special book written only about the paintings and sculptures on the boat!
From Aquijo we went a short distance down the dock and 3 of the boys were welcomed by Captain Robin Winn aboard the 42 meter classic sailing yacht “This is Us” designed by Andre Hoek.
They left the dock at midday and had an afternoon of practice sailing in preparation for the Super Yacht Cup. The report back from the lads was how impressed they were with how everyone on board had a specific job, knew what to do, and were super efficient.
While the others were on board “This is Us” Mphuzi was on board another Hoek design, the 28 meter s/y “Atalante”, where he is the second bowman, a position he earned due to his previous sailing experience. By all reports he fitted in well and had a great day out training for the forthcoming Super Yacht Cup which starts on Thursday.
Anne cooked a marvelous dinner for us all which we ate on our roof terrace overlooking the harbour here in Palma.
Monday 19th June 2017. The guests from South Africa were treated to a tour of Astilleros Shipyard, the largest and oldest yacht repair and maintenance facility here in Palma. Astilleros dates back to the 19th century and has some large engineering machinery as well as sophisticated carpentry and metal working shops. See http://www.astillerosdemallorca.com/ for more info.
From Astilleros we took them to the 46 meter Feadship called :Mary A” which is docked in Club de Mar marina. Captain Harry Molenaar gave them a very comprehensive tour of the yacht and they were particularly impressed by the crane system for lifting the tender overboard. They also asked a lot of questions on the bridge and showed a lot of interest in the equipment.\
Lunch was typical Spanish tapas at a local café then we visited Deckers who showed them their business model and how they supply yachts world wide with an array of uniforms and clothing.
Finally they were given a tour of the 29 meter sail boat, “Scorpione de Mar” with another South African captain, Clive Walker.
Linus Gerdemann, an ex Tour de France cyclist has always been interested in Marine Inspirations and invited the boys to his restaurant in Deia for dinner. He owns a fabulous restaurant specialising in Thai and Asian cooking for it was quite an experience for the boys and they had fun trying out their skills with chop sticks. – See http://nama-deia.com/ The Town of Deia is about 45 minutes drive out of Palma along some very windy roads and great views over the sea on the NW coast so they got to see this on the way out there.