MYBA stands for Mediterranean Yacht Broker Association, an entity founded in 1984 to unite all agents involved in the management of superyachts: boat rentals, maintenance services, catering, assistance to crews, guests, and any other matter related to the day-to-day of a sector as impeccable as it is discreet, despite its main protagonists being vessels that do not precisely go unnoticed.
The MYBA Charter Show has brought to the docks of Barceloneta and Spain about twenty large yachts based in other ports that will spend the entire week in Marina Port Vell with the aim of their commercialization and negotiations between brokers, port agents, suppliers, service companies, and other marinas. These companies have moved to Barcelona from other parts of Spain and nearby countries such as France, Italy, or Monaco, as well as from places like the Cook Islands, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, or Israel.
As it is a professional event, access is restricted to the general public, although from different points of Barceloneta and other port docks, several of the large yachts that call here these days can be seen, such as the historic Shenadoha of Sark, a 42-meter, three-masted schooner with 120 years of intense history. After passing through many hands, the sailboat is currently Italian-owned and marketed by the British broker Burgess, who these days has brought three yachts from its extensive catalog to Barcelona to close rental agreements for this and upcoming seasons.
Other important companies present this week in Marina Port Vell are Northrop & Johnson, Camper & Nicholsons, and Fraser, which have among their offer of rental boats yachts such as the Roma, 62 meters, Balista, 47, or the Curiosity, 45, which these days display all their splendor and even the extras they have on board to demonstrate all their possibilities: from auxiliary boats to jet skis, windsurf boards, or any other accessory that guests of these yachts may want to use during their vacations and anchorages.
Along these lines, Sean Read, the captain of the Triumph, another of the yachts present these days at the Barceloneta dock and decorated as for grand occasions, has hosted lunches for clients and suppliers in one of its outdoor dining areas. The Triumph is an elegant 66-meter vessel that, during its visits to the city, is assisted by P&C Yacht services, a subsidiary of Barcelona-based Perez y Cía.
World Yacht Group
Facing several stands installed on the Barceloneta dock, one of the most notable yachts at the MYBA Charter Show for its lines and dimensions is the Stella Maris, an enormous 72-meter recreational vessel marketed exclusively worldwide by World Yacht Group, a firm born in Barcelona with offices in California, Florida, the French Riviera, the Balearic Islands, and Madrid.
The company, founded by Joan Plana Palao, a naval engineer and former superyacht captain, has a catalog of 22 boats in different parts of the world and a dozen more yachts for sale. Precisely a few months ago, it closed the sale of the Stella Maris to its current owner, a Californian businessman of Chinese origin who trusts Plana for the comprehensive management of his boat.
"The formula is based on balancing the owner's needs with commercialization to third parties. The owner schedules a series of vacation periods per year aboard his property, and the rest of the time we put it on the market," says Plana Palao. The yacht, with capacity for 12 guests housed in seven large suites, has a crew of 19 people, several lounges, a gym, a spa, a treatment room, a helipad, and exquisite decoration by the studio of the renowned Michaela Reverberi. Rental prices are in line with the luxury and exclusivity experienced on board: 700,000 euros per week, to which a 20% VAT must be added, plus extra expenses borne by the client: food, drinks, fuel, port fees, and crew tips, which on average means adding 30% more to the weekly rental price.
The Russian crisis
The conflict caused by Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin's decision to invade and attack Ukraine has also affected this sector, that of high-end recreational boating, which we might apparently imagine as being unrelated to wars and conflicts. However, both the armed confrontation and the economic pressure measures against certain personalities close to the Russian president, as well as other restrictions imposed on the fortunes of that country, have prevented a certain number of yachts from being able to travel to Barcelona, and the business of yacht rentals for Russians has plummeted, as some brokers commented yesterday on the docks and in small groups formed at the foot of gangways or at the MYBA stands.
In any case, according to other professionals in the sector, such as Alberto Cadeddu, director of the Sardinian Nautica Assistance, the American market will make up for the Russian slowdown this summer in the Mediterranean. "After two years without being able to travel to Europe, North American nautical charter clients are renting a lot in Sardinia, the Balearic Islands, and the Mediterranean," says Cadeddu, based in Olbia, the heart of the Costa Smeralda and one of the paradises for yachts and superyachts, a sector that these days is doing business in front of the Barceloneta buildings in an event that currently has editions for 2023 and 2024 secured.
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