Enviromentalist and by fair means sailor and rower Giacomo De Stefano was sucked into the maelstrom of the Man on the River project post production, when, in Palma de Mallorca, David, a local sailor and university professor showed him his Llauts, the traditional double ended fishing boat. Llauts like other traditional boats are simply disappearing form the island despite some (dinosaurs like) fans. Ruled by the mass tourism industry Mallorca is loosing most of its traditions and skills. And not only that. 23 million of visitors and one million locals are consuming only in summer, 400.000.000 plastic bottles of water and other drinks.The underground waters are now polluted by unrespecful farming, bad use of water and natural resources and illegal urbanizations. And, even worse, these bottles are not always recycled.
Giacomo was determined to discover and recapture the former glory of the boats which built Mallorca and brought back to the Mestres D’Aixa (the Masters of Axe, the boatbuilders) their jobs and their lives and reporting the water situation in the most famous touristic destination in Europe. But how?
The logical way for him was to circumnavigate the Mallorca Island with a traditional Llaut, a 6 metres open boat, using only wind, and his arms. He raised the attention of as many persons as possible about the water issues and learn and share the situation and the potenciality of activating projects of sustainable economies. A circular economy project, bringing together a team of persons who worked for decades to save the island from speculators and corrupted politics (soon the list). Wouldn’t it be better, and wiser to work with nature and not against it? And also much more financially rewarding.
Daily Giacomo and various guest, aboard and along the coast, sailed, rowed and eaten local food and interview local artisans, boat builders, business men, biologists etcetera… and also dwelling with the crazy touristic invasion and its consequences. Facing also, as his experience in the last projects teaches, close minded persons who see him as a danger for their dirty traffics.
Aboard and along the coast Dragan Miletic, followed the trip and took pictures.
Still wonderful waters, coves, sandy bays with tourquois transparencies. But for how long?
Giacomo ended his little odissey in the Alcudia Bay during the Semanda del Conde, the famous classics sailing week end of august.
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