Berthon Spain Service And Refit Review | 2026

BY ANDREW FAIRBRASS

As Berthon Spain Service celebrates ten years in the Balearics, we reflect on a year of change, growth, and continued commitment to our clients, and look ahead to an exciting season to come.

2025 marked the tenth anniversary of Berthon Spain Service (formerly Sentinel), and it proved to be another strong and rewarding year for the business. While the overall size of projects on yachts around the 24-metre range has reduced, the number of clients we support has increased significantly. This shift appears largely driven by broader economic influences, with many owners choosing to delay major capital investments.

That said, routine maintenance and safety work can never be postponed. Throughout the year, we have continued to provide comprehensive support to our clients, always recommending adherence to manufacturer’s service guidelines for yachts and onboard equipment. Our electronic job management system allows us to flag upcoming works efficiently while maintaining a detailed and transparent service history for every yacht.

2025 was also our first full year as authorised Yanmar dealers, and as a result we installed a record number of new engines. These projects are always technically demanding, but they are among the most rewarding, both for our team and for the owners who benefit from improved reliability and performance.

Alongside Yanmar, we are proud to represent Mercury as an authorised dealership and are committed to continuing to grow and support this outstanding brand. The capability, reliability, and innovation of Mercury engines perfectly reflect the qualities we value in a trusted partnership.

Our superyacht tender and chase boat storage facility has gone from strength to strength and was completely full this winter. As superyachts continue to grow and anchor further offshore, their chase boat requirements have adjusted. With longer-range trips and the need for better sea keeping capabilities, well-maintained, capable tenders are now an essential part of the operation.

While marina costs in Palma could never be described as inexpensive, we have seen some welcome softening in prices. Club de Mar, in particular, is now offering attractive deals, and with its redevelopment now almost complete, it is one of Palma’s most appealing marinas. The newly developed facility offers 500 berths, several excellent restaurants, a rooftop swimming pool, enhanced security, and immaculately maintained docks.

Elsewhere along the waterfront, the long-awaited works on Palma’s Paseo Marítimo are now complete. While the process was not without disruption, the result is a transformed seafront that makes it easier than ever to walk or cycle between marinas, shops, and restaurants. It also looks amazing.

Mallorca’s enduring popularity as a yachting destination is no surprise. Its central Mediterranean location offers outstanding cruising grounds, whether around the Balearic Islands themselves or further afield to Sardinia, Corsica, or mainland Spain, all within comfortable reach.

Palma also continues to offer a level of yachting infrastructure and expertise that is virtually unrivalled elsewhere in the Mediterranean. Berthon Spain maintains a full refit team in Palma, always on hand to support owners and enhance their time on the water. STP Shipyard, the island’s primary yard, has expanded further this winter and remains a key destination for large sailing yachts operating in the Med.

Our work increasingly takes us beyond Mallorca as we continue to support clients wherever their cruising plans lead them. We are currently undertaking a major project in Valencia on the 52-metre Astiller Buquebus DONA FRANCISCA, while other members of our team are heading to the Canary Islands to work on a large catamaran.

Closer to home, Berthon Spain’s guardiennage team continues to deliver exceptional service. Led by Addy Timmins and Giles Walton, alongside their dedicated team, they ensure that owners arrive to vessels that are immaculately clean, fully operational, and ready to enjoy, rather than requiring time spent troubleshooting in the bilge. Our concierge service also supports clients with marina and shipyard bookings, helping to streamline every stage of their stay.

Our Managing Director, Andrew Fairbrass, is pleased to announce that we are in the process of opening a new office near Marina Port Premià in Barcelona. This expansion reflects the growing number of clients based in the area and our commitment to continuing to support them with both yacht care and sales. The new office will focus on vessels under 30 metres, while maintaining the high standard of service our clients expect.

Our engineering department, headed by Jaume Benejam, has embraced several complex heavy-lifting projects this year. One standout involved the installation of two new Yanmar engines into a Prestige catamaran. The engines were partially dismantled, carefully manoeuvred through the interior using scaffolding, pulleys, chains, and cranes, and then fully rebuilt, installed, and commissioned – a true technical masterclass.

Through winter and spring, we continue at full pace with weekly haul-outs and launches, covering antifouling, polishing, seacock servicing, rudder pulls, and thruster repairs. We also work closely with MUIR windlasses and currently have several large units undergoing full rebuilds in our workshop, including equipment from the 88-metre Perini Navi MALTESE FALCON, 73-metre Feadship MY LUNASEA, and 38-metre Delta Marine MY B5.

The electrics team at Berthon Spain remains a key and growing part of the business, continuing to work with Mastervolt, C-Zone, Simrad, and B&G. On modern builds, electrical systems now control most of the onboard equipment, making it essential that we continue to develop and keep pace in this area.

Lithium battery systems and solar power remain major focus areas, and ones in which we are heavily involved. We are also closely monitoring developments in electric propulsion to assess how this technology may be incorporated into future refit projects.

As battery capacity increases and solar technology becomes more efficient, traditional generators are becoming progressively less fashionable, reflecting a broader shift in onboard power solutions.

Navigation systems continue to improve and assist bridge crew and owners alike. Forward scanning depth sounders with a 200-metre range and Flir cameras seem to be top of everyone’s wish list this year.

Looking ahead, 2026 has already begun at pace. We are excited to welcome new clients arriving this year and to introduce them to the unique pleasures of Balearic cruising. While some hesitation remains around new builds or major refits, the desire to get out on the water endures, and as many of our clients recognise, life is sometimes too short to put that dream on hold.

As always, we look forward to continuing our support for our longstanding clients, wherever their voyages may take them.

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