Palma has long attracted the Mediterranean’s maritime elite. The Romans left gold coins. The Crown of Aragon left a skyline of castles and cathedrals. While the Catalan Atlas, produced by Palma native Cresques Abraham in the 14th century, depicted every glamorous port of call from Bodrum to Cadiz. In 2019 it made sense for Hill Robinson to open an office in a city with sailing in the blood.
In a location as prestigious as Palma we needed a personality to match. Our Marina Port de Mallorca bureau is headed by John Bardon, who brings 50 years of experience to an office of six.
When we say ‘experience’ we mean just that. Bardon captained both MV Savarona, the Turkish presidential vessel that once ranked as the largest yacht in the world, and SY Creole, the largest – and arguably most beautiful – wooden sailing yacht ever built. What he doesn’t know about yachting could be written on the back of an MYBA contract.
Although Hill Robinson’s metiers include aviation and operational management, Mallorca has provided specialist crews for 2,000 years. Yacht owners still sail in to find expert personnel, from audiovisual technicians to naval designers. In short, Palma maintains the highest standards of shipyard construction – with the staff to match.
Key to our Palma success has been our project managers. The art of progressing a plan from investigation to inception – with cost control and timescale management – is a Hill Robinson forte. The occupation of project manager has become so important that the role was recognised by a Royal Charter in 2017.
Curiously, project management was once a hard sell to yacht owners. We work alongside shipyards to act in the best interests of each client. To improve communication between owners, shipyards and all stakeholders. Ensuring the complexities of yacht construction is as easily as sailing from Monaco to Mallorca.