David's Diary: Wednesday, May 1, 2002

The Palma Boat Show

Where people like boats there are boat shows. Palma is putting on their show this week. Part of why we have had trouble getting our boat work done is that Nautic LG, the local Jeanneau dealer, has prepared many boats for this year's show. Some of these boats have been prepared on the mainland coast of Spain and been sailed to Mallorca. All of this takes time and so we have had to be patient about our list of problems.

After school today I decided to see what a boat show in Palma looks like. No one else wanted to go, so I headed off by myself and entered the show. Except for the fact that it is outside, the boat show here in Palma is similar to boat shows that we've been to in Vancouver. There are a lot of booths with local suppliers showing their wares and on the water are a lot of boats. What is really different here is that a lot of the powerboats are huge (sixty-five feet or more). While you can walk past these boats, don't try and go aboard -- you are only allowed on by invitation.

The Docks

I visited a lot of different sail boats and went aboard many that are similar in size and cost to Dragonsinger. Karalee and I had to make an informed, but quick decision last year about what boat to purchase. It was satisfying to visit a lot of different sailboats, and realize that we were as happy with our decision now as we had been a year ago. Despite a few teething problems, our Jeanneau 43DS has been exactly the boat that we had hoped it would be. It is the right boat for our family and we look forward to cruising it through the Mediterranean.