Editorials

Today my journey into the wonderful world of sailboats has taken me into the most important of subjectswhen it comes to catching the perfect wind – sails. I’m meeting with Juan Jose Merayo at the lovely cafe in Club de Mar. Work is going on all around us, which is …

Ask anyone, as I have done this week, and it seems that the name Pendennis is synonymous with quality. You only have to look through the roster of new builds and refit and refurbishments that have come through the company in the last 32 years to see why that is …

Born in 1974, Dominique was brought up in a multilingual French-English-Dutch household in a village towards the north of Flanders.  His father was a businessman, his mother a pastry chef and, while other children were given a Mars bar for an after-school snack, Dominique and his three siblings feasted on …

With Covid – 19 and the Corona madness still around, yacht owners, charter guests, captains and crew are questioning and investigating the possibilities to sail to the Caribbean ( or not ) this upcoming winter season. The Islander spoke with Jan Roosens, Managing Director of the Yacht and Ship agency …

2020 never ceases to surprise or amaze us! A month ago, we were all pretty optimistic on the tourist front, with hotels and restaurants re-opening, and now here we are just a few weeks later and the season has pretty much ended for anyone connected to the tourism industry. I …

Born in 1966, just four months before England held the World Cup aloft, it was written in the stars that Steve Lenton was going to be a dyed-in-the-wool football fan.  His lorry driver father was a Nottingham Forest supporter, and weekends were held sacred for taking Steve and his little …

I am writing this two thirds of the way through 2020; a year none of us will forget and, with all your help, I am almost half way through my 555 km swim around this incredible island. Pain stopped play for the most August and September but I am glad …

One of my favourite stories of the seas is the one on the Orcas that visit the Strait of Gibraltar. I have encountered Orcas when sailing in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, in the Galapagos islands or in Norway … but the most impressive interaction of these extraordinary marine …

“Can you hear me clearly?” is the first question Jan-Erik Viitala, Founding Partner and Creative Innovations Director of Axopar Boats, asks me as we link in for a phone interview this week. “Ummm, it sounds like you’re on a plane….”, detective skills are clearly not my thing. No, in fact, …

August certainly lived up to its reputation of being a furnace with humidity thrown in, but I’m happy to say we managed to escape and spent most of the month in Galicia, France and then the UK with our Campervan! The cool evenings and fresh mornings were a delight !! …