A generator of happiness at sea

If we say that Judith Estrella was born and raised among yachts, the first thing we might think is that this Barcelona native, who graduated in Chemistry in 2007, is the daughter of millionaire parents and that her childhood was spent among islands, marinas, and vacations at sea. That could be the case… although the story goes another way. Judith is the daughter of José Estrella Marín, a textile entrepreneur deeply in love with the sea, who, in a change of professional direction, became one of the pioneers in the Spanish recreational boating business: almost half a century ago, he founded a brand that is a classic in the sector, Marina Estrella, which came to have 18 delegations between the peninsula and the islands.

Some of her first conscious thoughts are already at boat shows, and she remembers that the few vacation periods she spent with her father were often to accompany him to international shows, to lend him a hand as an English interpreter. Thus, almost without realizing it, she immersed herself in the sector and then, for a good part of her student summers, she spent her vacation time working part-time in the family's stores.

With that trajectory among sailboats, yachts, and all kinds of motorboats, it would have been logical for Judith to have remained linked to the business that was her first work experience. However, just as her father went from the textile business to the maritime one, she also changed course, leaving the world of the sea as a business to focus on chemistry and spent from 2002 to 2007 at the UB's Faculty of Chemistry. "I really liked boats, although at that time my fixation, which was an idea I had been carrying since childhood, was to find a cure for cancer. I always believe you have to think big," says Estrella, whose aspiration was to work in a research center.

The experience of working in laboratories was far from what she had imagined and did not satisfy her, so she turned to pharmaceutical marketing after a master's degree on the subject at Pompeu Fabra. She then ended up working for Novartis, the enormous pharmaceutical and biotechnology multinational, and later joined Zimmer Biomet, an almost centenarian medical device company. Among all these projects, she was completely disconnected from the maritime world for some years, although the sea and boats continued to cross her mind for years.

With those maritime thoughts, with the weight of her surname and living in Barcelona, a new change of course was inevitable: she partnered with a good friend and also a lover of nautical, Joan Farell, to create their own business in 2010: Charter & Dreams, born in Barcelona.

That year, a new regulation on the yacht rental sector made it possible to start their company with strength: both Judith and Joan found an interesting business niche in the lack of professional luxury yacht charter companies in the national market. They arrived at the opportune moment to focus on a very specific market where something very important (as often happens) was to have a good network of contacts, both suppliers and clients, and to deeply understand the intricacies of the sector. José Estrella's daughter was the most suitable person to attend to owners looking to put their yacht on the market as well as potential clients looking for the best experience by renting a recreational boat.

Headquartered in Barcelona, their company works in the Caribbean and Mediterranean markets, especially in the Balearic Islands. "We move between Barceloneta and wherever we need to be, although for years Ibiza remains a highly desired and almost unbeatable destination, so we have a permanent presence there," she indicates.

Charter & Dreams directly manages 15 boats. These originally ranged from 15 to 40 meters in length, although in recent years they have raised the minimum length to 20 and on the upper end there are almost no limits, as at the request of clients they can rent superyachts up to 100 meters in length, such as the Chakra, a unique 86-meter boat with capacity for up to 40 guests, attended by 30 crew members and whose weekly rental is around half a million euros, or the O'Mega, almost 83 meters long with capacity for 28 guests and the same number of crew members. In this case, its weekly price reaches 550,000 euros.

The yacht, a safe place for summer vacation

"The possibility of renting enormous boats is there, although we also operate in other ranges, such as 25-meter motor or sailing yachts in which to spend wonderful vacation weeks. We manage our clients' leisure and happiness time, which is usually scarce. They must be treated well and that is why we take care of every last detail on board, which is our strong point," she clarifies.

There is also a very interesting market that is not purely for vacation but for renting boats for events, product presentations, company meetings, filming, or incentive programs. "This segment has worked very well for years and especially in Barcelona, something that decreased in recent years and that in this 2020 has fallen," she acknowledges, although she hopes that as soon as there is some recovery, some initiatives can rebound.

It is tempting to ask the co-owner of Charter & Dreams who rents their services and also who is behind the ownership of some of the spectacular boats moored in Marina Port Vell, Marina Ibiza, or those marinas where the boats she manages are based. Knowing that she has the trust of owners and occasional guests, she smiles and simply says: "That information is confidential. Each boat has a story, like the one behind its name… they can also have many more stories, although if the owners or guests want it that way, they must always remain on board. Our business is based on being the best at what we do and that includes being very aware that privacy is sacred," she concludes.