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The MYBA Charter Show is over for this year, and after a brilliant yet exhausting week, we have been reliving some of its finest moments over and over again.
To the MYBA team and the sponsors – thank you for such a spectacular time (as always) – it was fantastic. From the quality of the boats in attendance to the parties and the four days of uninterrupted sunshine, we really couldn’t have asked for more.
If you’ve been following our Instagram story (@superyachtcontent) then you’ll already have a bit of an idea about what went on! If you haven’t then read on because these are just a few of the things we got up to last week on the quays at OneOcean Port Vell in Barcelona.
We checked out a few boats
We were lucky enough to step onboard some of the most fabulous charter yachts in the industry and enjoyed some incredible tours. The chance to check out SHERAKHAN (available for charter with Y.CO) was certainly a highlight, particularly as we were shown around the boat by Chief Stew Manon de Wit – who’s been a member of the crew for over 10 years! She was a fabulous guide and delighted in showing us every aspect of the boat which she quite clearly adores.
In every room you encounter special details, and owner Jan Verkerk’s personal influence on the recent refit is very noticeable throughout the interior. From the hand shape barstools to the original artwork and incredibly impressive 26 seater table in the main salon, SHERAKHAN is the ultimate charter boat and no doubt will be even more popular after her pre-season makeover at ICON Yachts. (*available for charter with Y.CO)
Another yacht we have written much about is MY JOY (available for charter with Burgess), and seeing her in full show mode is something truly magical. Every single corner has been designed with exquisite luxury in mind and from the silk hand-woven carpets to mosaic bathroom floors, you could spend hours in every room and still keep finding new things to look at.
With an unusually slim beam, the owner built this boat with outside space in mind and was quite determined that whilst on board his family would spend the majority of their time out in the open air. From the aft deck cinema to the forward games area by the windlasses, guests will be entertained for hours.
JOY also happens to have one of the most beautiful superyacht gyms that we have ever seen. Bright and spacious with glass doors that allow you to train indoors or outside and with ample space for yoga in the sun, we can see why this is space is used every day whilst on charter. In truth, this boat is a fitness freak’s dream; outside of the gym, cardio enthusiasts can even create their own floating jogging track as it is possible to traverse all the way around the superstructure on the owner’s deck – which is wide enough on the sides for two people to walk or run side-by-side.
available for charter with Burgess
We went to some great parties
It has to be said that this is an industry that knows how to throw a party. Monday played host to the quay parties, including some incredible live bands (thanks to BWA Yachting) that had people dancing on the dock as early as 6 o’clock! On Tuesday we were lucky enough to be invited to the cocktail party on board Y.CO CA ELIXIR, being served delicious canapes and cocktails (including an apple pie, which is now my number one favourite). This was followed by the MYBA welcome party at the El Born Cultural Centre. We have to congratulate MYBA for providing lots of cheese, plenty of wine and a great setting for catching up with industry friends among the ruins of an ancient Catalan market.
Wednesday was yacht hop day and what a fantastic collection to choose from! There was rum tasting on LEGEND, incredible music on board THE WELLESLEY and more cocktails along the marina than you could shake a stick at.
Caught up with yacht show pals
The MYBA Charter Show has evolved hugely since it has re-established itself in Barcelona. The show is now much larger than previous incarnations and attracts some of the industry’s most respected charter brokers and suppliers. These few days in Spain provide about as good an opportunity as you will get during the year to talk business and get to know the fleet, as it is not open to the public and therefore carries a much more relaxed and focused atmosphere than most. There is nothing better than getting up to date with what’s happening across the industry than those chats in the sun, possibly with a glass of wine in hand. For attending captains, the opportunity to connect with provisioners and agents from around the Mediterranean is hugely valuable, as itinerary planning for the summer season has already begun at this time of year.
Tried the local cusine
You can’t come to Barcelona without at least dipping your toe in the tapas (not literally obviously). We managed to squeeze in a fantastic dinner at Tapeo propped up at the bar drinking Rioja and soaking up the atmosphere. If you get a chance to go, make sure you try the bombeta and the chicken legs (they’ve also got the best patas bravas). For pudding, we made things a little less authentic, finding ourselves in Nitrogenie, a nitrogen ice cream parlour. It’s pretty fun if you like that sort of thing and the chocolate brownie ice cream is AMAZING.
On the short walk home, we still had time for a nightcap so popped into Collage, down one of Barcelona’s many side streets. Since it was still early by Spanish standards we had the place to ourselves and the cocktails were beautiful.
And hung out with Cookie the dog
Thoroughly underutilised (in our opinion) for marketing purposes, Cookie was the secret star of the show. She chose to spend most of her time out of the limelight in the shade but did attract a lot of attention to her stand, Med Fuel SRL/ Eazy Bunker, when she did pop out for the odd sunbathe!
Another star of the show was tennis ace and yacht owner Rafael Nadal, who was enjoying his second visit to the event. Nadal is reportedly a keen yacht spotter and says he can name most large boats in any given anchorage.
In summary, this show just gets stronger every year. 53 yachts participated in 2018: a whopping 2521 linear metres versus the 2437.9 linear metres in 2017. The total gross tonnage of yachts on display was 32.167 – another increase from last year’s 29.000 gross tonnes. In attendance were 592 brokers and CAs, including 265 MYBA Members. That means nearly 100 more than in 2017 – when 495 brokers and CAs took part. Lastly, 540 crew members worked extremely hard over the 4 days of the Show and were mirrored by the 96 exhibitor stands on the Quay which showed off some of the most exquisite services our industry has to offer.
And….drumroll….the total number of attendees was an INCREDIBLE 1885! Congratulations to everyone involved, and we look forward to seeing you next year.
