Majorcan Llaut

 

The llaüt is the traditional boat of the Balearic Islands for trawling, although the appearance of motor boats and the concentration of bathers on the beaches have caused its decline in professional use. For this reason, today it represents a work of craftsmanship reserved for amateurs and its presence in the Mallorcan fleet is almost a testimony. Its consistency and stability in the water make it a perfect boat for all kinds of activities, such as recreational sailing or sport fishing, and weather resistant. The title of Skipper of pleasure boats (PER) is required to sail. The first builders of llaüts were known as "mestres d'aixa" and they used native woods for their production. Today most boats are built with new materials, such as fiberglass, the price of which is much lower, and with very high quality finishes, like any luxury yacht. At present, the number of maesters has considerably decreased and their devotion is concentrated above all on the restoration of old specimens. In any case, there are still training courses to prevent the profession from falling into oblivion.

The original Catalan boats officially arrived in the Islands with Jaume I. Very soon the local adze masters adapted the original models to their needs. The boats from Ses Islas, with some of their own details, matched the qualities of the Catalan boats without ceasing to be very similar in hulls and equipment. Except for the difficulty of giving general details in craft-built boats, made to measure for the buyer by adze masters who finished them with their own details, the Balearic boats were less plain than the Catalan ones at bottom (live work). The Catalans had to rest on the beach on the keel and the schools. While the Majorcan and Menorcan boats could dock at a dock. On the Balearic boats the mast was raised a little further forward than on the Catalan boats.

Montesa Brío 90 at El Bilbaino

 

Great picture of a Montesa Brio 90 in front of the café El Bilbaino in Puerto Pollensa in the 50s

In March 1953, Montesa took part in its first motor show outside Spain: it was the Geneva Motor Show, where Pere Permanyer personally unveiled the new Brío 90 model. They also came up with the brilliant idea of exhibiting some miniatures Montesa models (meticulously made by the artist Manuel Olivé) that caused great admiration among the public. The specialised press tested several Montesa models and the magazine reviews were very favourable. As the brand grew, the bikes started to be exported in substantial quantities to many countries in Europe, South America, and the United States. The North American market, with its great potential, created great expectations for exports. The importer from that country, Kim Kimball (associated with the popular film actor Steve McQueen) started his activity in 1963 by importing some Impala 175 Cross, called "Scrambler" in its American version. Beginning a small business from the garage of his house, he would soon have to expand to new and larger facilities.

Hotel Formentor, Mallorca : The possible utopia

 

Nearly a century ago Adan Diehl from Argentina fell in love with the peninsula of Formentor, located next to Pollença in Mallorca. There, he was dreaming of a place where aristocrats, businessmen, artists and writers from all around the world could gather. This spot becomes the name Hotel Formentor. A dream or madness? 

Adan Diehl, second from the left

Guests of the Hotel Formentor in the 1930s

For its uniqueness, troubled history and diverse roster of guests, who were residing in its rooms, the Formentor belongs to the category of unclassifiable hotels. It is not a typical hotel; even its origin can not be compared to others. Moreover, it is not just a building since all its natural environment has been preserved as if the constructive and speculative frenzy, that has affected the Mediterranean in the second half of the twentieth century, had not existed. Still standing, this place can be considered as a contemporary miracle. Adan Diehl, born in Buenos Aires, was the typical globetrotter who became an inspiration for novelists such as Scott Fitzgerald, Foster or even Thomas Mann in the first third of the twentieth century.  

Cultivated, cosmopolitan, elegant, he wandered the half of the world treasuring the friendship of aristocrats, businessmen, artists and writers. He was one of those who were capable of crossing America for a bet or getting lost in a three-week cruise on one of those transatlantic liners where every dinner required a strict etiquette. At that time tourism was not a mass phenomenon yet and travelers usually formed a restricted seasonal club to visit the iconic establishments of Cote d'Azur, spas of Baden and Davos, the Casino in Monte Carlo or ski resorts in Chamonix or Hallstatt. A life between suitcases, express trains and exceptional hotels until the day Mallorca crossed his path. In one corner of the island, near Pollença, he discovered a peninsula with tiny bays studded with twisted pine trunks, veined rocks changing color constantly, and with golden gleams of the Mediterranean light crackling over the sea scratched with white foam waves.  

This landscape that seemed drawn from the Argonauts' journeys or from Aeneid's travels, was Formentor. Fascinated, Diehl invested much of his fortune in buying the remains of the Mediterranean that increasingly cost more to find despite the beauty of the island. The peninsula had been owned by the Costa family, to which belonged the poet Miguel Costa i Llobera, who wrote the famous poem “The Pi de Formentor”, then it was handed over to the Argentine who was ready to bring his project to a successful end, regardless of expenses. By courtesy of Felipe Bellini, who later projected a road paid for by the new owner, he prepared the building plans inspired by currents of modern nationalist movement that was conquering international architecture of that time. The hotel opening brought a new economic perspective to the area. High salaries, working conditions with eight-hour working days and the prestige of working in an establishment of such characteristics unleashed a struggle among inhabitants of Pollença and the surrounding areas to get a job in Formentor.  

Hotel staff in the 1930s

That was the basis of one of the identifying hotel features: quality and professional service that have been maintained over time as a symbol of identity. The refinement of the interior and the care of every detail were an obsession for Dielh and his wife, Maria Elena Popolicio, who took charge of service, facilities and decor: Canopy beds and canopies of silk, silver cutlery, Mallorcan furniture, dinner sets from Limoges, linen tablecloths, glassware from Baccarat; nothing was enough for Formentor where for the most distinguished visitors golden cutlery was prepared. Jean Patou designed pajamas especially for the hotel and Mariel Rochas a gown that evoked the aesthetics of the Cote d'Azur. To crown his utopia, Diehl invited all his lifelong friends. Many of them such as Anglada Camarasa, Santiago Ruiseñol, Joaquín Mir or Pedro Blanes became enthusiasts of the seascapes with the tiny bays. In 1931 the first Formentor Wisdom Week attended by figures such as André Maurois, the Count Keyserling, Bosch Guimpera, Gómez de la Serna or Josep Pla took place. Throughout the time the cultural dimension has been a constant theme of the hotel and one of the most brilliant legacies of its founder over time. 

Jane Birkin in 1982 at the Hotel Formentor on the set of Evil Under the Sun

Adan Diehl did not make many mistakes, only one that was fatal: designing a model that was half century ahead. His commitment to environment-friendly tourism the contrary to overcrowding, respect for the nature, the preservation of the natural landscape were so visionary that surely few, if any, could understand it. He had enjoyed the adventure for five golden years before abandoning the property and the island, totally ruined. He could have saved his heritage by cutting down the Formentor forests, but in an act of generosity referring to the values of the past, he decided to present Pollença and its visitors with this landscape, where, as he thought, he had found his Ithaca. The whole village saw him off, all the authorities, working class and law-abiding people were watching him leaving like Antonio when he was abandoned by the gods in Alexandria. He did not neither whine nor complained about his bad luck, he kept his composure and charm to the very moment before the embarkation when he lost his Formentor forever. Closed doors, the Civil War, the World War and several ownership changes left the hotel to languish until 1953 when a group of businessmen from Mallorca and Ibiza decided, with financial aid from the Banca March, to revive the Formentor spirit. The Buadas family was one of the most important members of this group.

Joan Buadas, and especially his children Tomeu and Miguel, brought back to life the soul of the hotel as it had been at the time of Diehl. The famous travellers, royals, as Edward VIII, Rainier and Grace Kelly of Monaco, the stars of cinema such as John Wayne, Sir Laurence Olivier, Gary Cooper or Audrey Hepburn, and of course the writers, they all came back. They met again on its terraces, beaches, in its great halls
full of Castilian and Catalan literature. The literary prices were awarded again, highlighting Formentor, won in its first edition by José Luis Borges and Samuel Beckett. Moreover, the International Literature event that was supported by the editors Carlos Barral and Camilo José Cela was held. Barn Lane, Damaso Alonso, Gerardo Diego, the Goytisolo, Blas de Otero, José Hierro, Robert Graves, Italo Calvino and a pleiad of writers, who gave life to the club of poets, took part in the Formentor affairs. The Buadas family, who kept the reins of the hotel until 2006, respected its commitment to the Formentor spirit and held numerous events, exhibitions and cultural initiatives throughout the years, such as the awards for humour and tolerance between 1984 and 1990.

In 2006, Barceló Hotels acquired the Formentor, retaining both its philosophy and landscape heritage that makes this hotel a symbol despite the ravages caused by the uncontrolled tourism and real-estate speculation that have destroyed much of the Mediterranean coast. Run as family business, Barceló has assumed this model that returns to search travellers rather than tourists, visitors who value, as well as a
service and equipment of high quality, the uniqueness of this almost unspoiled horizon, the history surrounding this establishment. A model of that man who dared to dream of a company that has become the heritage of all Mallorcans.

Words by Andrès Puch via spend-in.com/ 

The Formentor hotel in Mallorca, recently sold by the Barceló group to the Emin Capital investment fund, will reopen in 2023 under the Four Seasons banner and after a renovation during which it will increase from 122 to 110 rooms.  Take a look at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9wE48tS5rU

Bounty Motor Yacht

 

Built in 1936 by Camper & Nicholsons at Gosport, Bounty is a motor yacht of teak construction with twin 4L3 Gardner engines. Her Second World War service at the Dunkirk evacuation is recorded in detail as her owner, Lt. C A Lundy RNVR remained in command. After the war a succession of owners cruised in her but her condition declined, although she took part in the 1985 Dunkirk reunion. She lay unused for two years on a slipway at Torpoint, Plymouth until discovered there by her present owner who completely refitted her for cruising in home waters.

M.Y. Bounty arrived at Berthon in September 2005 for a refit that stripped her from stem to stern, individually replacing or repairing every steel frame one-by-one in order to safeguard the teak planking, over 90% of which remains original.

The fully refurbished twin 6LXB Gardener engines provide 254hp at 1500rpm and drive this famous gentleman’s motoryacht at a stately 8-10 knots. New engineering and wiring is cleverly masked behind the lavish stately styling of the new interior, reflecting the understated elegance of a bygone era.

Meermin Royal Yacht

The yacht, which is taking part in the Illes Balears Clàssics, was first owned by a member of the Belgian royal family. The Meermin is another one of the key players in the Illes Balears Clàssics, the annual classic regatta organised by Club de Mar Mallorca. The boat is back on the race course after a complete, two-year refit. The history of this boat, launched in Antwerp in 1951, began with the pretensions of the Belgian royalty.  Later on, the boat experienced dangerous adventures in the Arctic seas and when she was facing seemingly calmer crossings in the Mediterranean, a leak almost brought her to her ruin. Help from an American destroyer saved the boat and linked its fate to Palma, as this is where the destroyer towed the stricken boat.

It was here that she was bought by her current owner in 1991 and consequently started taking part in classic regattas on a number of occasions. However, it was in 2015, after an unfortunate mishap causing serious damage to the boat while hauled out in Pollença, that the owner undertook a total refit of Meermin, from the deck to the masts and the entire interior.  More recently, a little over a month ago, new rigging was fitted, which means that the boat has been brought back to life in this year’s Illes Balears Clàssics.
Originally this beautiful sailing boat, a 14 metre gaff ketch with a riveted steel hull, was built at the Meyntjens shipyard in Antwerp, Belgium to a design by M. Selleslagh. Her illustrious first owner was Baron de Guy,  a member of the Belgian royal family. However, he did not seem to appreciate her beauty and the boat ended up moored at the Dublin Yacht Club, where she soon attracted the interest of Dr. Rory O’Hanlon. The Irish doctor brought the boat to life and took her on great adventures on routes around Greenland and, the most dangerous of all, to Jan Mayen Island, a small, snow-covered volcanic islet at 70 degrees of latitude north in the Arctic. 

 

Jan Mayen Island

There the Meermin faced gales of force 8 and 9 and winds of up to 60 knots, more than 100 kilometres per hour. The yacht had sought shelter at anchor in Walrus Bay on the island. However, the force of the gale broke the anchor chain and threw the boat against the rocks. The captain had already issued a desperate Mayday for help and had  the crew in life jackets,  when he with the engine at full throttle managed to regain control of the boat just as the bowsprit, the pole that protrudes from the bow of sailing vessels, was smashed against the rocks.
After Dr O’Hanlon’s death, the Meermin passed into the hands of an Australian couple who dedicated the boat to more leisurely cruises in the Mediterranean. However, there was still another adventure to come, as the boat suffered a major leak in her steel hull while at sea. Fortunately, a US Navy destroyer, the USS Pebble, was not far away and came to her rescue, towing the yacht to the port of Palma, which became her new base. That day began the new life of Meermin.