Gentrification has turned ports into inaccessible resorts

A hundred shipowners demonstrated last Saturday in Cartagena while the Ocean Race was celebrated. Among the banners you could read things like “the sea is not sold” or “decent cattle rates”. And it is that while the gigantic yachts and more pointers in the world sailed through the Murcian bay, on land they protested the sailors who use those same waters the rest of the year. It is this image that summarizes perfectly The crisis that crosses the nautical recreational in Spain.

A background problem. What began as isolated protests in different ports has become An increasingly generalized phenomenon. Small vessel shipowners denounce disproportionate increases in mooring rates that are expelling them from the ports. In Cartagena, the cost of mooring a five -meter ship has gone from 30 euros per month in 2000 to 400 euros current. In Ibiza, the situation is even more dramatic. And is that the medium The nautical gazette He shared one of the budgets of Port Nàutic Ibiza for an 8.95 meter vessel, which has seen its annual rate triple from 7,300 to 25,700 euros.

Port Nàutic Ibiza budget for a motor of 8.95 meters in length. Image: Nautical Gazette

A new reality for the market. As mentioned The confidentialbehind these increases there is a structural change in the Spanish nautical sector. Investment funds such as CVC, known for their agreements with LaLiga, have entered the business through business groups such as D-Marin, which already manages ports in Barcelona and Mallorca.

The traditional model of Yacht Clubs, designed to foster sports and social activity, now competes with marine oriented exclusively to maximize benefits. “In the background, a kind of gentrification is being lived that repeats the same processes that we see in the housing sector”, explained to the Enrique Rey, partner of a sailing school at Mar Menor.

The figures that confirm the trend. The data of the Higher Sports Council show the real impact of this transformation. Federative candle licenses have fallen from 50,000 before the 2008 crisis less than 20,000 in 2024. A 60% reduction that reflects how high costs are closing the door to new navigators. “The entrance barrier for this world is higher and popular nautical has less space”, summarize King.

Social nautical. Paradoxically, there is no consensus on where to draw the line between accessible navigation and luxury. For the Balearic Government, social nautical places it in eight meters. This ambiguity has allowed to some extent that the new concessionaires establish exponentially higher rates for vessels that exceed the established limit by a few centimeters. As warns Manu Fraga, director of the Real Club Náutico de Palma: “If this is generalized, the majority of residents who today have a ship, will have where to put it.”

And now what. The president of the Royal Spanish Federation of Vela, Joaquín González Devesa, proposes That the nautical clubs declare their public utility and allocate at least 10% of their income to federated sport, losing the concession who do not meet it. On the other hand, King too Point out The regulation of coasts, which has limited traditional anchorage and access from beaches. The truth is that without an intervention of public institutions, the current model points to increasingly exclusive ports where, as Rey warns, “there will only be room for those who have luxury ships.”

Cover image | Monika Guzikowska

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