The Islander Magazine

As many of you know, I dip in and out of yachting. I still work with incredible private clients, relationships so close I can’t share them online. But there are also big gaps when I’m not on board. And that’s when I’ve been forced to face the transition: stepping from sea life to land life, from adrenaline to stillness. At the age many in yachting consider “young”, I’ve already felt “too old” to stay forever. The pull to begin family life and ground myself is real.

The Mediterranean season is moving west this year. Owners and charter clients who had planned to cruise the Eastern Mediterranean are changing their itineraries, and demand is climbing in Spain, the South of France and the Balearics. Security is the reason. With the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East unsettled, brokers report owners rerouting rather than committing to a season they may not be able to finish, and the Western Mediterranean is the natural fallback.

Chef Evello Mayor is a Spanish chef with a solid, ground-up understanding of the industry, from running his own restaurant to now working in the demanding yacht-chef industry. Where do you come from, and what is your age? I am originally from Burgos, in the rural heart of northern Spain, and I am currently 52 years old. Growing up in a region with such a deep connection to the land and its raw produce definitely laid the foundation for how I respect ingredients today.

The yachts that consistently deliver exceptional experiences, to owners, to charter guests, to crew, tend to share a common characteristic that goes beyond the quality of their interiors or the talent of their crew. They are operationally well-founded. Their administrative systems support their onboard teams rather than competing with them for attention. Their governance structures create confidence rather than uncertainty. Their operational rhythm is sustainable rather than reactive.

Some regattas are about trophies. Les Voiles d’Antibes is about community and tradition. Since 1996, the Société des Régates d’Antibes has opened the Mediterranean classic sailing season with this gathering of époque, classique, and Spirit of Tradition yachts in the Bay of Antibes — that luminous stretch of water framed by Cap d’Antibes on one side and the old Vauban ramparts on the other.

Marine biologists from Mallorca-based organisations Shark Med and Save the Med Foundation, as well as from Université Perpignan Via Domitia, placed the Balearics at the forefront of marine conservation after presenting innovative underwater filming systems at the Sharks International Conference 2026 in Sri Lanka. Sharks International is the global epicentre of elasmobranch (sharks and rays) research and conservation, where this year marine biologists from Mallorca took centre stage.

Keeping a cool head in heated times As we head into the heart of summer and another busy Mediterranean season, it looks like this is a year of last-minute decisions. Across our industry, we’ve seen guests waiting longer to confirm their plans, charters being booked closer to departure, and travel decisions made almost at the final hour. It’s obviously the result of the uncertainty created by geopolitics, shifting economies, and a constantly changing world.

What happens when you combine sixty years of elite composite hull and racing yacht expertise with award-winning electric jet technology? You get the MC-ZERO, a groundbreaking collaboration between McConaghy Boats and ZeroJet that is completely redefining the luxury yacht tender. After turning heads and earning rave reviews at the Palm Beach and Palma boat shows, this electric carbon-fibre tender has officially proven it is more than the sum of its parts.

The Mediterranean is more than beaches, sea and sunshine. It is a living ecosystem, rich in stories, biodiversity and environmental challenges that deserve to be better understood. At Fundació Joves Navegants, we believe the best way to understand the sea is to experience it first-hand.

Not a stew, not crew. A full-time tropical content creator accidentally trapped inside a uniform. Allow me to introduce: Twerking Tara, Chief Influencer of M/Y Delusion. She arrived in St. Maarten looking less like freelance crew and more like someone out of New York Fashion Week. Two giant duffel bags. One ring light. Three selfie sticks, one of which was waterproof.