Editor’s Note: An Eye on Spain, Design & New Launches

　　After living a stone’s throw from the looming mass of Gibraltar’s iconic rock something of an age ago, I got to know its neighbouring country pretty well; giving me, what I thought was, a firm grip on the Spanish superyacht scene. But, in the last few years a new infrastructure and a new focus on bringing the under-appreciated coastline the attention it deserves has brought Spain into a whole new era.

　　Development has grown, new marinas are still on their way in iconic spots such as Ibiza and the established trends of yachts heading to the new ultra-marinas in the heart of Barcelona are stoking the fires of change for Spain.

　　This week brought increased focus, following the close of Palma and the opening of the brand-new Superyacht Show in Barcelona. Opening yesterday, the Superyacht Show is already welcoming an impressive array of iconic yachts to an inaugural event and an impressive footfall of visitors.

　　We’re looking to bring you more from the fleet headliners across the week, but in the meantime, you can find out more about what’s on display here.

　　The change in tax and the birth of new marinas, brands and destinations opened the floodgates on the yachting community looking discover a trendy new hotspot in the West Mediterranean.

　　For more information on the cruising grounds of Spain and discovering the ‘Big Four’, check out our rough guide to cruising Spain here.

　　In Italy, the industry has, as always, been hard at work delivering new initiatives, projects and even preparing for the return of their own superyacht showcase ‘The Versilia Yachting Rendez Vous’ which opens on May 10th.

　　Staying in Italy, Sanlorenzo introduced a new superyacht to the water in this week’s latest arrival while designers Luca Vallebona and Tommaso Spadolini walked us through their latest designs.

　　For more information, stay tuned across our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds or get in touch with us here to let us know about anything you think we might be missing.