Boating shines in Menorca: award to José Luis Sastre and sectorial encounter of AENIB and ANEN

The activity of the associations of nautical companies, national and Balearic ones, ANEN and AENIB has moved this Thursday November 6th to Menorca, where the session has revolved around two important events that have put the boating in the center of econmic and business actuality of the Balearic Islands.

At first hour of the day, the Main Thatre of Mahón has hosted the 2025 Businessman Gala, organized by the Confederation of Business Associations of the Balearics (CAEB), that has reunited over 350 people between businessmen, institutional representatives and members of the civil society. The event has been presided by Carmen Planas, president of CAEB, and has had the presence of the president of the Government, Marga Prohens; the president of the CEOE, Antonio Garamendi and the mayor of Mahón, Héctor Pons, amongst other authorities.

During her intervention, Carmen Planas has pointed out the essential role of the businessman as engine of progress, economic growth and employment creation, highlighting that "bussinesmen and bussinesswomen are the center of social progress and economic development of the Balearic Islands". 

The most special moment of the gala arrived with the handing of CAEB's Special Award to business trajectory, that this year has gone to José Luis Sastre, founder and general director of Sasga Yachts, and member of AENIB's directive board. With this award, CAEB recognizes the addition of a family of Menorcan businessmen that has known to transform the tradiitonal 'llaüt' into innovating yachts that today sail through seas all over the world. 

In his speech, José Luis Sastre has wanted to share tha aknowledgement with his family, his team and all those who form part of the project Sasga Yachts: "This award is not the achievement of one person, but the result of many people for a long time. I recieve it with modesty and as a commitment to keep investing, innovating and creating quality employment in our land.”

Sastre haa shared, in addition, some of the projects in which the company's currently working, amongst them, the design of a new 88 feet model and the entry into force of a new refit service that aims to generate a new industry in the island, bringing talent and qualified employment opportunities.

In the afternoon, AENIB's and ANEN's activity continued at the Club Marítimo de Mahón, where the encounter “Situación de la náutica de recreo: Actualización de proyectos y normativa” has taken place, organizes by both associations with the objective of offering an updated vision of the main challenges and opportunities of the sector.

The event has had the participation of Jaume Vaquer, president of AENIB; Jordi Carrasco, general director of ANEN; and José Luis Sastre, vicepresident of AENIB.  Throughout the session, a complete vision of the nautical sector has been carried out on a national level as well as an international one, regarding questions such as the evolution of economy, ships registries and growth previsions for the following years.

The encounter has reunited over twenty representatives of the Menorcan nautical business sector, in a dialogue and analysis space about the present and the future of the sector. Amongt the assistants, Beatriz Méndez Baiges, director of the Nautical National Reference Center, and Jordi Sintes, head of Innovation Service of Training of the same center, who has presented the activity that develops this institution in matters of training and nautical expertise, have stood out. Both have shared the necessary educational and training perspective to face the challenges of competitiveness and professional habilities that the industry demands.

AENIB's president, Jaume Vaquer, has pointed out the importance of this typo of non-centered meetings to bring the reality of boating closer to all the islands: "Menorca forms essential part of the Balearic nautical sector, and we want the Menorcan companies to be completely integrated in the work lines that we develope alongside ANEN nationally.”

On his behalf, Jordi Carrasco has pointed out the importance of reinforcing the public-private collaboration as an essential way to keep advancing in sustainability, digitalization and updating of the nautical sector. In this context, he has mentioned the European project TECoNaut, an initiative cofinanced by the European Union in which ANEN participates alongside entities of seven countries. This project aims to speed up the ecological transition of the nautical industry through training in new sustainable materials, innovating technologies and professional competencies, boosting this way employment, innovation and competitiveness in construction and repair of recreational boats.

During his intervention, Jordi Carrasco has presented SusTechLogbook, an idea financed by the Puertos 4.0 Funds of Puertos del Estado, that develops a technological platform to evaluate and improve sustainability of nautical companies. He has also pointed out the role of the Puertos 4.0 Plan as example of public-private collaboration that boosts innovation, digitalizacion and transition towards a more efficient and sustainable boating.

The session has put into spotlight the weight and vitality of the Balearic nautical sector, from the economic point of view as well as the institutional one. The recognition to José Luis Sastre and celebration of sectorial meeting of AENIB and ANEN reaffirms the importance of boating as an innovation, emplpoyment and development engine for the Balearic Islands, especially in territories such as Menorca, where tradition and modernity shake hands to keep boosting the growth of the sector.