The Mestres d’Aixa Craft a Small Chapel for the Virgen del Carmen of the Yacht Captains Association

The team of mestres d’aixa (traditional shipwrights) from the Consell de Mallorca, under the Department of Environment, Rural, and Sports, has crafted a wooden chapel for the image of the Virgen del Carmen for the Balearic delegation of the Royal Spanish Academy of Yacht Captains (RAECY).

Coinciding with the celebration of the Virgen del Carmen day, the Second Vice President and Minister of Environment, Rural, and Sports, Pedro Bestard, handed over the chapel for transporting the image of the Virgen del Carmen to the RAECY delegate in the Balearic Islands, Jesús Coll, in an event attended by the Island Director of Environment, Luis Rubí, and several members of the mestres d’aixa workshop.

The chapel is made of varnished oak wood, adapted to the size of the image to facilitate transportation. It stands about 52 centimeters tall and includes a lower compartment (drawer) traditionally used to store guest books or make donations.

Minister Pedro Bestard expressed his gratitude for the "excellent work carried out by the mestres d’aixa who crafted the chapel, which will serve for the delicate transport of the image that is annually kept in the custody of a different member."

Pedro Bestard explained, "We did not hesitate to accept the request from the Vice President of the Mediterranean Sailors Association, Claudia Suárez, who suggested the mestres d’aixa for the crafting of the chapel due to their maritime connection and extensive experience in artisanal work."

In celebration of the Carmen festival, the Department of Environment, Rural, and Sports presented the Traditional Boats Association of Portocolom with a traditional boat that has been restored by the artisans in the workshop. The restoration involved a comprehensive refurbishment of the boat.

Specifically, it is a small boat from Felanitx, known as Elfi, typical of Portocolom, measuring just over three meters in length. The association, which owns the boat, will use it to promote sailing with the Latin sail and to spread knowledge about traditional boats.

The head of the mestres d’aixa workshop at the Consell, Josep Florit, coordinated the restoration work alongside the Consell de Mallorca team.