Margarita Clar, a life in the heart the Balearic nautical sector

A person linked to AENIB practically since the start of the association and very well known in the Balearic nautical world has just gone into pension. We are talking about Margarita Clar, who has been in charge of Ferdinautic together with her husband, Fernando Lesmes, for three decades. Their son Andrés will step into her boots, taking over the family company which has not ceased to grow since it was founded in 1990. It has a technical team specialized in repair, installation and after sales service of generators, electro-mechanic systems, refrigeration, air conditioning, electrical systems, pumps, batteries etc.

Margarita Clar was responsible for the AENIB accounts as a Treasurer for many years. Her retirement from active working life coincides with assumption of new tasks within the entity. In the Annual General meeting last Thursday, she was appointed secretary of the new Board, which resumes work after its re-election in the meeting.

In the course of her long professional career Clar has witnessed first-hand the huge changes that have taken place in the sector. “When my husband started the company in 1977, it was one of only three nautical companies in existence, apart from the 'mestres d'aixa' (traditional shipwrights) who are the old masters of the sector. Today we have a large nautical sector employing lots of people. Besides, our sector is united, we help each other and that is to a large degree thanks to AENIB. I encourage all those not yet part of this family to join in and they will find out how beneficial the association has been for the development of the nautical sector on our islands. AENIB consists of people that are used to fight in order to move forward with their companies”.

Clar tells us the story of her first steps in AENIB: “I was at PIMEM (Federació de la Petita i Mitjana Empresa de Mallorca – Federation of Small and Medium Size Companies in Mallorca) when Margarita Dahlberg came to see me in order to explain that she was starting a new association that would unite the whole nautical sector. She told me: ´come with me, since we are only a few women in the nautical sector´. I took heed and so we started working to publicize the association, to make it grow and capture the attention and recognition from the administrations towards the sector. At the same time, we have, of course, always helped companies with bureaucratic issues, given advice etc., as well as invited experts to give their opinions and to share their experiences related to topics that could be of interest for the sector. To give a couple of examples, the recent online meeting about Brexit, or the presentation in conjunction with the Annual General Meeting, given by the professor Antoni Riera from UIB.

At this point she reminisces that “the most memorable moments I have experienced at AENIB have been the Annual General Meetings, because we are all together and can talk in a relaxed manner. This year we haven´t been able to do it in person because of Covid. However, now I have more time for AENIB”, she rejoices before moving on to analyze the principal challenges of the sector and by extension the association, during the legislature that is about to start. “The Covid has harmed us a great deal economically, many companies have had to do ERTEs (furlough personnel), or even close down. But if we fight united, I believe we will get through it. To achieve this, we will have to make the society and the administrations see the economic importance of our sector. By the same token, we need to get rid of the image many people have of yachting as a thing of the rich. We have to make people see that we are also mere workers, that most of the nautical companies are small and family owned, with only a handful of staff. On the other hand, nautical tourism generates a lot of income for the Balearic Islands, since it is quality tourism attracting visitors with high spending power. The Balearic nautical sector works equally with the megayachts of 100 m, as well as little boats of 3 m”, she concludes.

Another matter is “the issue of the sudden extra charge, the tax of 1,5% in the shipyard and 2,5% in the port that APB charges on the invoicing of the companies for works done in the public port areas. We don´t agree with this and are fighting for the interests of the nautical companies. For the moment, we have managed to push for a creation of a joint working group”, she explains. She also emphasizes “the shortage of qualified personnel in the sector, given the lack of specialized nautical training on the islands, which should be an absolute priority”. Lastly, she considers that “a big obstacle for the Balearic nautical sector is the lack of moorings. If there were more moorings and also launching ramps, also many Mallorcans would have a little boat and could enjoy the sea”, she explains.

As a summary of her years at the AENIB, Clar reminisces how “in the beginning, Marga Dahlberg and I knocked on many doors but got ignored. Now the administrations take us seriously. The association is becoming increasingly well known, and is currently the preferred mediator in all issues to do with the development of the nautical sector”. Looking at the immediate future, she emphasizes that “this has not changed, we have to continue fighting for the sector. I would be delighted if the potential of the sector was recognized in helping the Islands back on track. We are all important and our efforts matter more than ever”.