This was the 14th Horus Super-yacht Cup with 18 of the worlds most impressive sailing super-yachts gathered for a 4 day regatta in the Bay of Palma. Palma is one of the few venues in the world where yachts of this caliber gather. Sojana, a 35 meter ketch came to Palma from Antigua and Mari Cha III travelled some 13,0000 kilometres from Tahiti to take part.
The boats span a wide range of styles, sizes and ages too, The largest this year was Meteor at just over 51 meters. The boats are not designed for racing but there is plenty of competition with races over the four days of the event creating a great spectacle in the bay.
This year the event was given a new site along the old quay – the same venue as the Palma Boat Show earlier in the year.
Admittedly a few of the photos are not actually of the super-yachts … the fishing boat certainly isn’t, but they were decked out nicely for the event and made some nice photos …
Photo gallery – Superyacht Cup, Palma de Mallorca – 27.06.09 (23 photos)
San Juan is celebrated throughout Mallorca and indeed many other parts of Spain. It is a celebration of the shortest night of the year, the summer solstice. The event takes different forms in different locations – all however based around the central features of the sun, fire and water.
There are beach parties with bonfires, and celebrations in many towns with fireworks, fire runners (“Correfoc”) and music ranging from local folk bands to more popular and modern music.
In Palma de Mallorca the San Juan celebrations this year were in their usual location of Parc de Mar in front of Palma Cathedral.
Starting with folk music and dancing at 9pm, at 10.30 the entertainment moved on to the Correfoc and fireworks which were the centrepiece of the evening. Following this there was more music continuing through to the early hours.
Correfoc – the fire runners
The word Correfoc comes from “Correr” – to run, and “foc”, which is fire in Catalan. Correfocs are spectacular events whereby “fire devils” run through the streets and interact with the crowds whilst playing with fire staffs and various fireworks.
The devils are playful sprites rather than evil spirits – they taunt the crowd in a playful fashion, usually to the hypnotic sound of drums and demonic chanting. Whilst the Correfoc looks decidedly dangerous and it is best to be reasonably cautious while watching or taking part – there are generally few accidents and injuries are slight!
Photo gallery – San Juan, Palma de Mallorca, 23.06.09 (18 photos)
On Tuesdays Arta hosts one of the main markets in Northeast Mallorca.
As with the other market towns the give-away is how unusually busy the town is every Tuesday morning, so you’re advised to turn up reasonably early although the market runs until lunchtime.
On offer are clothes, jewellery and local handicrafts – some of which are pretty good quality. There is also an indoor food market with fresh local vegetable produce and meats. Typically for Arta the market has a very relaxed feel. It is not one of the biggest ion Mallorca but has a certain charm and is an ideal place to stock up on the weekly basics, have a coffee, ensamada, relax and maybe stop off for lunch when you’re done.
For more information about Arta town and properties in the Arta area please see the following links.
≈ Location guide to Arta, Northeast Mallorca
≈ Top ten country houses for sale in Arta, Mallorca
≈ View all our selected properties sale in Arta
≈ Brief MPP to find your ideal property in Arta
Arta Weekly Market – 16.05.09: 9 photos
Most towns in Mallorca have regular weekly markets with a wide range of fresh food and often clothes, jewellery and other gift items, household goods and craft stalls too. They usually start early in the morning and run through to around mid-day. The markets are held on different days in each location. The largest is in Inca on Thursdays, and the most popular and traditional agricultural market is in Sineu on Wednesdays.
The market in Santa Maria is held every Sunday morning. It is one of the most popular on the island and it is good to get there early if you can, as people come from all around to visit and stock up with local produce.
≈ Find out more about Santa Maria del CamÃ, Mallorca
≈ Search for properties in Santa Maria
Santa maria market photo gallery – 18 pictures
Palma’s 26th annual international boat show has been running this week in its usual position on the old quay in front of La Lonja on the Paseo Maritimo. The show has grown each year and this year was no exception regardless of the international recession, with 2,400m2 of additional space for the 162 exhibitors.
The yachting and boating industry is a major focus for Palma. and for Mallorca in general. Palma has become one of the most prestigious harbours in the Mediterranean and this years event shows the industry here is going from strength-to-strength.
There were 310 boats in all with vessels ranged from sailing dinghies to multi-million pound super-yachts and pretty much every type of leisure boat in between.
Here are some photos to give you a flavor of the event.
Palma International Boat Show photos – 28.04.09: 22 photos
