Students Trip Sept 23 – Day 10

Students Trip Sept 23 – Day 10

Students Trip Sept 23 – Day 10
DAY 10. SUNDAY 1ST October 2023
This was their last day and also a Sunday when all the yachting industry is closed. We arranged for them to go to Port Soller, a bustling town on the dramatic North West side of Mallorca, about an hour’s drive from Palma. Our friend
Peter runs a charter operation out of Soller so they got to visit one of his boats, “Bonnie Lass” (https://bonnielasscharters.com/)and he explained how his business worked. Thanks Peter for doing that on a Sunday and hope we catch up soon.
Linus, who had hosted a dinner at his house last week had driven the boys out to Soller and his son Mick joined in the tour which was really nice. Mick is just 14 but he hit it off with the Cape Town lads which is why he wanted to join them. After the visit to “Bonnie Lass” they were all invited for lunch up to a beautiful house overlooking the port by another friend of Linus which was very kind and the boys appreciated it very much.
Finally, Monday arrived and the guys packed up all their new clothes and souvenirs and Maria March, a fantastic long time helper and supporter, took the them to the airport with instructions to try to find their luggage in Madrid.
Fingers crossed!
The Marine Inspirations programme provides young people from around the world – who would otherwise not have the opportunity – with an insight into careers in the super-yachting and maritime industry, developing a range of seamanship skills and industry connections to improve their prospects.
For the past 21 years the Lawhill Maritime Centre www.lawhill.org has helped students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds embark on successful careers in the maritime industry  by providing them with an industry-focused education while still at school. Lawhill receives no state funding and is reliant on industry and individual support to fund its operations and provide student bursaries.

Students Trip Sept 23 – Day 10

Students Trip Sept 23 – Day 9

Students Trip Sept 23 – Day 9
Below is a very edited version of the report for Saturday…
Day 9 Sat 30 Sep : Written by Nhlakanipho Lebengu.
“Today was another remarkable day filled with adventure and exploration. We went first to visit “Corom” riding on Captain Phil’s bicycles. This boat was berthed on Pier 3 in Club de Mar and It was quite hot today, so the bicycles allowed us to fully enjoy the sun while getting some exercise. Upon arriving at the boat in the marina we were welcomed aboard by Captain Peter Lea and the Chief mate who, despite being a white South African, has the nickname of “Zulu”!
“Corom” is a luxurious 30m motor yacht built in 1999 by SanLorenzo shipyard in Italy (https://www.sanlorenzoyacht.com/uk/shipyard/shipyard.asp) and is for charter in the Balearics.
He taught us about safety and emergency procedures, such as Man Overboard, and emphasized the importance and use of EPIRBs, which help alert search and rescue forces in case of an emergency at sea. We also received a motivational talk from “Zulu,” who emphasized the significance of knowing what we want in life and always striving for excellence, as our actions could impact potential opportunities in any industry.
After the tour on the Carom, we hopped back on our bikes and enjoyed a delightful bicycle ride around Palma docks before heading back home to indulge pizzas prepared by Aunty Anne. What a sumptuous lunch! We extend our gratitude to Anne for such a delightful meal.
However, the excitement did not end there. Later on, we returned to STP to explore another motor yacht called “Pick Up”. This motor yacht, also built by Sanlorenzo in Italy in 2011, has an overall length of 46 meters and a beam of 9.3 meters, draught of 2.6 meters with gross registered tons of 499. Once the tonnage goes over 500 the boat would fall into a whole new category in IMO which would mean a huge amount of bureaucracy. Captain Bret Kruger gave us the tour and explained how the boat was still undergoing construction and maintenance work. Seeing the behind-the-scenes work on the boat’s flooring was particularly fascinating. Witnessing the application of the sealant, which binds the wooden floors together, highlighted the attention to detail and craftsmanship that goes into creating the deck and other wood works.
After the tour, our hopes were set on visiting the Sailing Yacht called Maltese Falcon, though luck was not on our side this time. Nonetheless, we remain optimistic about the possibility of visiting the boat in the future. As the day was quite hot, Mr. Terry kindly took us to Anima Beach for a refreshing late afternoon swim in the Mediterranean Sea. The warm and gentle waters were a delightful departure from what we Capetonians are accustomed to. It was truly an exhilarating experience!
Upon returning home, we quickly refreshed ourselves with a shower before heading to Jazmín thing Asia Buffet for supper with Mr. Terry (Phil’s nephew) and Mrs. Emma joined us and displayed a keen interest in our future endeavours, blessing us with her well wishes. The food at the restaurant was superb, and we were amazed by the variety of dishes we ordered, including the fresh sushi. It was truly a remarkable meal! To end the day on a sweet note, Mr. Terry treated us to ice cream at a local shop before we headed back home. Thank you, Terry! This Saturday was truly incredible and filled with unforgettable moments.”
– Nhlakanipho Lebengu.
The Marine Inspirations programme provides young people from around the world – who would otherwise not have the opportunity – with an insight into careers in the super-yachting and maritime industry, developing a range of seamanship skills and industry connections to improve their prospects.
For the past 21 years the Lawhill Maritime Centre www.lawhill.org has helped students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds embark on successful careers in the maritime industry  by providing them with an industry-focused education while still at school. Lawhill receives no state funding and is reliant on industry and individual support to fund its operations and provide student bursaries.

Students Trip Sept 23 – Day 10

Students Trip Sept 23 – Day 8

Students Trip Sept 23 – Day 8
DAY 8 REPORT. Friday 29th September. 2023

Firstly I should apologise that the heading from yesterdays report was wrong, I did a cut and paste and forgot to change the heading…. Oops. And now again we are late with the reports.

Just too busy.

I explained yesterday that part of these trips, aside from the maritime mentoring, we also talk about financial stuff but also these reports are an important part of their learning. We try to instil in them the need to show what they are interested in and what they learn which in turn is what our sponsors want to hear. I tell them over and over that it is not a case of “Yesterday we went here, then we went there and we had lunch at such and such a restaurant” it is all about showing them how to write an interesting report about what they have seen and what impressed them most. This is actually quite a hard lesson to teach and is difficult for them especially as they are not writing in their mother tongue. We get them to write their version of the report and then I tweak it a bit and correct most of the grammar. Recently we have been experimenting using ChatGPT but this gets to be a bit too flowery, Lots of scope for us and AI to improve and of course another interesting lesson for the boys.
The reason I have explained all of this is that I have not used their report today as we are so late and I do not time to tweak it as explained above and the report they submitted needed too much work.
Anyway, this is a summary of what they did.
On Friday morning I took them down to Astilleros shipyard, a short walk from our house here in Santa Catalina. The lovely Velislava got us through the strict security and showed them around the various aspects of the historic shipyard.(see – https://www.astillerosdemallorca.com/es/) which was established way back in World War 2. A lot of history and a very traditional work ethic and classic shipyard. Thank you Veli for taking so much time to show the lads around which they found very interesting.
The 58 meter ketch “Twizzle” was hauled out on the slipway in Astilleros for work on the hull so this was something new for the youngsters to see and understand. Captain Luke very kindly showed them around the boat and the engineer talked them through the engine room. The chef also explained the logistics of catering for a large crew and guests and they were captivated by this. What we are trying to show them is that things don’t just happen, there are jobs and people behind the scenes making it all run smoothly.
Their next stop was at another large (56 meter) sailing yacht called “Malek” which was also in Alstillos but in the water at for maintenance work. Barney, the chief mate gave them on a comprehensive tour explaining all the systems and how it operates on such a big boat. Another inspiration, not only for the boys but also for the crews who met them and showed them around.
Sorry that I was not with the lads on Malek and I have no photos to post but if interested have a look at this link — https://www.yachtcharterfleet.com/luxury…/melek.htm
Also on the premises at Astillos is a rigging shop called Trabajos en Cabos owned by our long time acquaintance Pachi who showed them how modern yacht rigging works in this high tech industry. They were also shown how to splice these new lines and how to connect them. An interesting visit and another good insight for the lads.

Luke from Twizzle treated us all to lunch at the canteen in Astilleros and then I took them to Moll Vell Marina to see yet another large sailing yacht called “Juliet” where we met up with Captain Jonathan Allen. “Juliet” was built at the prestigious Huisman yard in Holland 30 years ago and is considered one of the classics of super yacht sailing boats. See https://www.yachtcharterfleet.com/luxury…/juliet.htm

Although these marine students saw three large sailing yachts today, each one is different and is run differently so they get a wide spectrum of insight into how it all comes together. I take this opportunity to thank all the captains and crews who have taken the time to show us what they do. Thank you!
Cheers = Phil

Our Sponsors

A2B Projects
Yacht “Mirage”
Captain Colin Richardson.
Capt James Gilmour
Captain Nick Jackson
Captain Mark McDowell – Super Yacht References.
Captain Clive Walker and his wife Maria March.
Paul Hamill – Shore Marine.
Captain Mike Kopman.
David Abromowitz
Rob van Wierengen
The Bongers Family
Karen Benjamin – Thread Works
The Marine Inspirations programme provides young people from around the world – who would otherwise not have the opportunity – with an insight into careers in the super-yachting and maritime industry, developing a range of seamanship skills and industry connections to improve their prospects.
For the past 21 years the Lawhill Maritime Centre www.lawhill.org has helped students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds embark on successful careers in the maritime industry  by providing them with an industry-focused education while still at school. Lawhill receives no state funding and is reliant on industry and individual support to fund its operations and provide student bursaries.

Students Trip Sept 23 – Day 10

Students Trip Sept 23 – Day 7

Students Trip Sept 23 – Day 7

DAY 7 REPORT. Thursday 28th September. 2023

When Marine Inspirations does these trips we expose the students not only to maritime stuff but also lessons in life. I have always found it amazing that we don’t get taught about money at school and few parents actually include their children into their financial world — mortgages, savings, salaries, costs etc. I have been quite passionate about this and on most trips I spend an hour or so talking finance with the youngsters. Hopefully they will take it in and learn more by themselves. Today was the day for that talk which Sima reports on below.
The visit to North Sails is always very impressive the way they handle the large sails, each often weighing half a ton or more. Thanks to Mark Sadler for organising James to show them around and explain their business.
We had a quick and healthy lunch at home then visited the J Class yacht Velsheda which is skippered back in 1984 in Southampton. That is a long story! Now over to Sima.
Written today by Sima…
Another beautiful day here in Palma. We have been lucky with the weather, sunshine every day and not too hot. This morning Captain Phil gave us some financial wisdom explaining how money works, compound interest and the need to start saving early in life rather than procrastinating. . Mrs March was driving today we headed off to the world’s best and most popular sail maker which is North Sails. North Sails was founded by John North in the year 1957 and letting it to now becoming a technology company at the leading edge of innovation. We met some of the guys working there and James who is also an organizer at the company gave us a tour around the whole building explaining what each section has to offer. We learned about different types of batons and the reasons why they have designed these in different ways for the main sail and Genoa. We saw the Kevlar and the carbon Fibre and why they are the most recommended materials for Sails. We had a good look around the premises as we went to the store room which holds about 1300 Sails and they are currently expecting more coming at the end of the upcoming races. And of course there is no trip without action! We helped Tom, an employee of the company by folding the 20+ metre Sails and it was fun.
We enjoyed the trip to North Sails and then went to have a look at one of the 6 original J class boats in the world and also Capt. Phil’s former boat that he used to captain. We visited Velsheda which is a J-class yacht designed by Charles Nicholson and built in 1933 by Camper and Nicholsons. She has a length of 39,5 m and a mast height of 52 m which is a huge mast to have. She has two anchors and an exceptional interior showing off the stewardesses’ good job. She also has a mother ship called Bystander and is a 42 m classic yatcht and very beautiful.
Day 6 was day full of education but also exposure and we continue to thank all the Marine Inspiration supporters.
Sima
Thanks Barney!! Great tour and amazing videos you showed us all. Good memories for me too.
Cheers – Phil

Our Sponsors

A2B Projects
Yacht “Mirage”
Captain Colin Richardson.
Capt James Gilmour
Captain Nick Jackson
Captain Mark McDowell – Super Yacht References.
Captain Clive Walker and his wife Maria March.
Paul Hamill – Shore Marine.
Captain Mike Kopman.
David Abromowitz
Rob van Wierengen
The Bongers Family
Karen Benjamin – Thread Works
The Marine Inspirations programme provides young people from around the world – who would otherwise not have the opportunity – with an insight into careers in the super-yachting and maritime industry, developing a range of seamanship skills and industry connections to improve their prospects.
For the past 21 years the Lawhill Maritime Centre www.lawhill.org has helped students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds embark on successful careers in the maritime industry  by providing them with an industry-focused education while still at school. Lawhill receives no state funding and is reliant on industry and individual support to fund its operations and provide student bursaries.

Students Trip Sept 23 – Day 10

Students Trip Sept 23 – Day 6

Students Trip Sept 23 – Day 6
DAY 6 REPORT. Wednesday 26th September 2023
Rob (A2B Projects) and Craig Ogier gave me some relief today and looked after the lads in STP shipyard. Rob showed them around the shipyard and explained his job then handed over to Craig at lunch time in the workman’s bar/canteen thriving with people working on the boats. For interest sake these are the two boats they visited during the day as described below.
They also got to see Adele’s chase boat which is 23 meters long and has it’s own separate crew. The boat follows the mother ship and provides back up and transport for shorter journeys. This system is becoming more and more prevalent in super yacht environment and now some of the mega motor yachts will have a shadow boat of 70 meters or more where they stow all the toys as well as helicopters, cars, boat, submarines etc etc. The list goes on and on.
Day 5: Written by Liyabona Njingolo
Everyday, a different experience palma brings us
Today started off early. We headed down to STP to meet up with Rob van Wieringen, the project manager of A2B Projects. He gave us a tour around the port and of all the projects he’s involved in. It was enticing to hear what he does and the level of expertise he has to have to be so capable at doing his job. Concluding Rob’s tour, we had lunch with Captain Craig and the Visione crew. Coincidentally enough, we were cleaning the deck of Yacht Visione that day which is one of the boats that Rob also manages.
Visione is a 44.84m sailing boat built in 2002 made almost entirely out of Carbon Fibre, which is essential for weight savings, especially in races. We were unable to see her in her full elegance as she she was undergoing maintenance and covered in a heated shrink wrapped tent. This dome helps with filtering out and omitting any dangerous gas from the machinery used. This is evidence of the marine industry’s step in sustaining a green environment. The cleaning on Visione was great fun considering we were about 6 metres in the air working on the boat on dry land.
As we left Visione we headed over to Yacht Adele, where we were given a tour by Captain Charlie who is from the UK. This 20 year old boat was in the most pristine condition for its age, intriguing us, was it’s great maintenance. After the tour Captain Charlie gave us gave us the opportunity to go up the 62m mast in the hydraulic crows nest. Everyone went up all the way except for Liyabona who only went up to the first spreader. We then went to see Adele’s chase boat – Stargazer, which resembled a lot of the main vessel. The function of the Chase boat is to take the owner and guests ashore, because it’s quick. The great day was ended off with a complimenting dinner cooked by Captain Phil.
Liyabona Njingolo
The Marine Inspirations programme provides young people from around the world – who would otherwise not have the opportunity – with an insight into careers in the super-yachting and maritime industry, developing a range of seamanship skills and industry connections to improve their prospects.
For the past 21 years the Lawhill Maritime Centre www.lawhill.org has helped students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds embark on successful careers in the maritime industry  by providing them with an industry-focused education while still at school. Lawhill receives no state funding and is reliant on industry and individual support to fund its operations and provide student bursaries.

Students Trip Sept 23 – Day 10

Students Trip Sept 23 – Day 5

Students Trip Sept 23 – Day 5
DAY 5 REPORT. Tuesday 26th September. 2023
The day did not start well. I forgot that the boys had been offered paid work to help one of the yachts take off their mainsail, a job that always needs plenty of people. I got into trouble! Sorry X!
The first visit of the day was to Eyos Tenders out in a small town in the middle of the island called Binisalem. Tom Sell is a very interesting man and explained to the boys how his several businesses work. His first venture was into Mini Storage here on the Island before he founded Complete Marine Freight, a company shipping yachts, as well as support equipment worldwide. There is big business moving yachts around the world on board large ships and there are even several companies with specialised vessels specifically for this purpose.
The next company Tom got involved with was Eyos Tenders and then Eyos Cruises. We visited the two warehouses and saw the storage and maintenance setups for the yacht tenders which these days can be huge, one tender that we saw was a 47 foot Wally tender. Eyos do the maintenance and repairs or just storage when, for instance the large yacht is undergoing shipyard work and they want their tenders (some have 3 or more) out of the way. Eyos Tenders then provide the service.
We then went with Tom across the street to another warehouse which is where Eyos Expeditions works from. They send supplies to Expedition yachts and mini cruise ships who are in remote parts of the world, especially places like Antarctica for example. We saw crates getting packed with skis, kayak paddles, tents and clothing for passenger shore expeditions. A niche business for sure which seems to be going very well. Thanks Tom, that was a very inspirational talk you gave the boys.
Our next stop was at OmniAccess and WOW, what a setup that is! Marta Serrano showed us around the admin block and then handed us over to a technical guy called Alex who explained that side of it. They employ over 200 people and some of them work shifts on a 24/7 basis. As a result of the work hours they have an American style diner complete with an old fashioned Jukebox (this fascinated the boys) and in the basement is a gym and a mini night club inside a mock up of a Boeing 777 fuselage complete with a fully equipped band stand and a VW Camper Van for decoration. The 3 floors of work space are very tastefully decorated and hinges around a comfortable work place. There are literally hundreds of computer screens and many of the staff have 3 or 4 on their desks.
Inside air-conditioned rooms there are cabinets each with racks and racks of computer hardware, as well as inverters and UPS systems, all connecting to the satellites which the staff monitor and control.
The 26 parabolic dishes are located about a hundred meters outside the building in a fenced in enclosure and we were told about how they work and why some are bigger than others.
SATELLITE PARK.
A fascinating visit which every yachtie should do sometime. I sure envy the people who work in such a nice environment.
After a quick Menu del Dia lunch in town we drove inland to Alaro where I handed the lads over to Shaun Carkeek, a prestigious naval architect and successful yacht designer. ( https://www.carkeekdesignpartners.com/home/ )
A fascinating talk for the boys so see yet another side of the industry.
We all then met up at our Goat House in the nearby mountains overlooking Alaro where we had a feast of suckling pig and sea stories.
Sorry about the longer than usual report, Hope you enjoyed it as much as we all did living the adventure here in Palma.
Cheers = Phil

 

Our Sponsors
A2B Projects
Yacht “Mirage”
Captain Colin Richardson.
Capt James Gilmour
Captain Nick Jackson
Captain Mark McDowell – Super Yacht References.
Captain Clive Walker and his wife Maria March.
Paul Hamill – Shore Marine.
Captain Mike Kopman.
David Abromowitz
Rob van Wierengen
The Bongers Family
Karen Benjamin – Thread Works

 

The Marine Inspirations programme provides young people from around the world – who would otherwise not have the opportunity – with an insight into careers in the super-yachting and maritime industry, developing a range of seamanship skills and industry connections to improve their prospects.
For the past 21 years the Lawhill Maritime Centre www.lawhill.org has helped students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds embark on successful careers in the maritime industry  by providing them with an industry-focused education while still at school. Lawhill receives no state funding and is reliant on industry and individual support to fund its operations and provide student bursaries.

Pin It on Pinterest