The Balear Celebrates Its Centenary

This summer, a full agenda of events is planned to commemorate the 100-year history of the "Balear," a vessel built by Astilleros Ballester in 1924.

The Department of Environment, Rural Affairs, and Sports continues with the commemorative events for the centenary of the "Balear" planned for this year. To celebrate the anniversary, Portocolom is hosting a program of activities where the "Balear" takes center stage, as the iconic vessel was dedicated to trawling for many years in this fishing village of Mallorca.

In this context, the main commemorative events of the "Balear's" 100th anniversary took place on Friday, July 12, organized by the Association of Traditional Boats of Portocolom, featuring two lectures and a popular sardine dinner on the port's esplanade.

At 6 p.m., the "Volta a Mallorca" lecture was given by the Maritime Museum Consortium. Subsequently, at 8 p.m., researcher Pere Oliver Reus delivered a talk on "Fishing with Trawl Boats," a fishing practice on which the oceanographer is an expert. The celebration concluded with a dinner on the dock's esplanade, in front of the "Balear," accompanied by live music.

The Second Vice President and Minister of Environment, Rural Affairs, and Sports, Pedro Bestard, remarked that the "Balear" "is a very beloved vessel by the residents of Portocolom, as it fished for many years in this town, and that's why we wanted to celebrate this small tribute."

On July 30, the "Balear" is scheduled to participate in one of the official training sessions for the Copa del Rey Mapfre 2024, and on July 26, August 1, and August 2, in three stages of the start and finish of the Vuelta a Mallorca sailing race.

The events will continue in September, with the "Balear" participating in the Diada de Vela Latina, held at the Club Náutico de Cala Gamba on September 15 and 16, where various events have been organized in honor of the Mallorcan vessel.

The vessel, which turns 100 years old in 2024, was built in Palma by Astilleros Ballester in 1924 for trawling. In 1998, the Consell de Mallorca declared the "Balear" a cultural heritage site in the category of a monument.

The "Balear" actively fished for over 70 years, first in Palma and, from 1980, in Portocolom, when the Font family sold it to a local fisherman. The boat was established in that port and continued fishing until the end of its useful life in the mid-1990s.