Nautical training thrives in the Balearics during the pandemic

“After the lockdown, in June 2020, we were not sure if we would survive, as the situation was unprecedented and very complicated” admits Carlos Petisco, the director of Escuela de Mar, one of the most important sea schools of the Balearic Islands and a long-serving member of AENIB. “However, to our surprise, starting from July 2020, we noted an important increase of students for all qualifications, from day skippers to yacht masters”, he comments.

“We saw the first signs at the course start in September 2020, although it was too early to make any conclusions. We didn´t know whether the tendency would continue. Now, after three sets of courses we can say that the demand has increased noticeably. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the pupils for PER (Patrón de Embarcaciones de Recreo – Pleasure Boat Captain) and PNB (Patrón de Navegación Basica – Basic Navigation Licence) have increased by 30%, while those for Yacht Captain and Yacht Master have increased by 40%. As for Day Skipper licences, the demand has grown exponentially in all the sea schools in the Balearics”, he explains.

Socializing at sea

In his opinion, the increased demand is due to the fact that “in this complicated situation, many people have discovered the sea. Many locals, as well as those from other communities, were not accustomed to chartering a boat. However, in a situation where access to the beaches was restricted, many discovered that for a very reasonable price they could spend the day at sea on a charter boat, while avoiding the risk of infection from other people”, he points out.

“At the same time, the charter companies have extended the charter options from mainly weekly rentals to foreign clients to include day charters for the local residents as well as for visitors from other parts of Spain. Somehow the sea has become a social arena, associated with safe recreation in open air”, explains Petisco.

When it comes to the profile of the pupils, “it is varied, with many working-class people, which goes against the false image of yachting being only a thing of the privileged classes. Many people on ERTE (furlough) or jobless have decided to take advantage of the time in their hands and get nautical training instead of staying at home and thinking of Covid”, he analyzes. In this context, he highlights that “in contrary to what we expected, the online training is not the most sought-after option. People definitely prefer human contact, to come to the class and to socialize, of course with caution and taking into account all the safety measures required by the health crisis”, he indicates.

More recreational than professional

According to the data he has available, “the recreational qualifications have increased more than the professional ones, although with the difficult job situation caused by the pandemic, many people have also got interested in the nautical sector as a professional alternative. In fact, right now we have a waiting list for the courses for professional qualifications. We have had for example airline pilots or hotel and tourism professionals, who have seen the nautical sector as a professional opportunity after the collapse of their own activities”, he explains.

From his vantage point, “the nautical sector is starting to bounce back. At sea schools we are the first link in a chain, as our pupils have an effect on the whole industry: after getting the qualification, they charter or even buy boats, they buy equipment and join yacht clubs…I have an intuition that this year nautical sector will perform well”, he predicts.

Even so, the situation of the nautical companies, and especially the sea schools, is not ideal. It has been very complicated to adapt to the security protocols, as we´ve had to reduce considerably the number of pupils per class multiplying our costs by three, as we´ve had to double the shifts of the teachers and make a lot more trips on the boats in order to meet the demand and comply with the limitations of people onboard at the same time. We have survived, but at high cost”, he summarizes.