Meet The Team – Lucio Pellegrini

Over the coming days and weeks, we thought it would be nice to introduce ourselves in a little more detail. The Grabau International team is a close-knit group with many decades of experience between us. We all have an interesting story to tell about how we got here and what we get up to away from the office, so we have put 10 questions to each of the team.

In this instalment, we talk to Grabau International Palma’s – Lucio Pellegrini.

1.) What is your position within the business?

I represent Grabau International in Palma de Mallorca where we have recently opened an office. I have been living on the island for 5 years now and have worked in yacht charter, management and brokerage business for almost 10 years. My role of Yacht broker focusses on expanding the – already large – network of clients bringing in new listings and matching them with the purchase enquiries we receive from all over the world. As our presence on the island is relatively fresh (Oct 2019), I am also working at growing brand awareness within the local yachting community through my network of contacts and industry partners. In addition to pre-owned yachts, we support as exclusive agents for the Balearics and Southern Spain Luca Brenta Yachts. LBY offers a range of high-performance daysailers and weekenders.

2.) When did you first get into boating?

The first photo of me helming a yacht dates back to when I was just one-year-old sitting on my father’s lap. I was onboard my grandfather’s wooden boat off the beautiful islands of the Bay of Naples. I since been sailing on many different types of boats during sailing holidays, long passages and regattas.

3.) Your favourite yachting moment?

Can I pick two?  Arriving at the Aeolian islands without any navigation instruments, which had burned the day before when a bolt of lightning struck on our mast. Luckily we had caught a fresh tuna that we were enjoying under the glow of Stromboli’s crater erupting at night. My second favourite moment was winning the Regata dei Tre Golfi a 170nm coastal race in the south of Italy hosted by the yacht club of my childhood where I learned how to sail. It’s a race full of breath-taking moments beginning from the starting line where the cannon fires at midnight from the sailor’s village of Santa Lucia in Naples while all spectators cheer from the waterfront on the busy end of May Friday night.

4.) How did you get into the yacht brokerage industry?

I have had a growing passion for boats from an early age. I feel attracted by these somewhat animated creatures that make us feel free to discover the world and change scenery every second. In fact, as soon as I reached the age I completed my navigation licences and started doing summer seasons as skipper on charter yachts for local companies. Later on, I studied engineering and yacht design and I moved into a more conscious understanding of yachts and their dynamics. So from a skipper, I moved into yacht charter and management and started working close to owners providing different services. Yacht Brokerage was an obvious step forward and to prepare myself, I enrolled myself on the Maritime Training Academy’s internationally-recognised Yacht Brokerage Diploma. My experience and interest in yacht sales together with the right opportunity to join Grabau International soon brought me full-time to the brokerage world.

5.) What would you do if you weren’t a yacht broker?

Now that I am a broker and I wonder why didn’t I start sooner, this is a really difficult question to answer. If I had to think of something equally satisfying for myself, I would most probably be sailing around the world onboard a fast performance catamaran stopping only to refill the galley with provisions.

6.) What sailing/boating are you doing at the moment?

Since arriving in Palma, a new yachting life started. I spend my time going around yacht clubs, shipyards and marinas admiring the most wonderful boats ever constructed making lots of new friends and business contacts along the way. I enjoy taking part in regattas on different kind of vessels from J-boats and the Dragon keelboat to modern performance cruisers. I love to go sailing aboard my friend’s boats discovering the huge number of bays and several little sailor’s villages of the archipelago. Of all places visited my favourite navigation route still remain sailing around the south of Italy where I can drop my anchor and taste delicious fresh seafood keeping an eye on my boat while in one of the many different restaurants spread around the coast.

7.) What do you get up to away from the office?

Like a good Italian, I have a particular love for good food.  I love to go around in the research of hard-to-find spots where I can try new dishes that I then prepare onboard having the same or even better taste as the Seabreeze enhance your senses.  The secret of a good result is always good and fresh ingredients. My favourite dish is the ‘Spaghetti alla Nerano’, a special pasta that you can go to enjoy sailing up to the bay of Nerano, between Capri and Positano where the original recipe is kept from the people living in the little village on the beach.

8.) If you were to ‘sell up and sail away’, what boat would you choose?

This is a question I’ve always asked myself. The real navigation for me is onboard on a sloop-rigged monohull, but perhaps having had some excellent experiences aboard multihulls I would say that I would choose to leave on a fast catamaran. I love the fact that you can enjoy the sea view comfortably from the inside whatever the outside conditions might be.

9.) Pick five of your favourite current GI listings and tell us why?

This is really difficult for me as there are so many, but if I had to make a selection I would do it on the basis that a boat is good when it is beautiful. I will, therefore, pick ‘ALMA’ the Italian timeless ready to sail Benetti 35m Classic TSDY that we recently listed here in Palma. Next, I would pick up the Beneteau First 50 Sport ‘NADIR’ as she is perfect both to enjoy the Med Sea and also be competitive in the regattas. Then I would take the Montefino 78 ‘SAMARIC’ for her great comfort, performance and layout custom designed by her present unique owner. She is now at her best conditions and it would be a great motor yacht to go around with low consumption. Next, I would choose a classic, more specifically the 1925 Alfred Mylne 75 Bermudan Yawl ‘ANALIA’. Beautifully restored and perfect to sail with style around the Spanish coast. My last choice would be a stylish catamaran designed by German Frers: the Ocean explorer 60 ‘CYGNUS CYGNUS’ from OQS, a balance between comfort and performance. After the first step aboard you immediately have the feeling of being on a solid, modern fast boat. The simple lines and the choice of the best materials make this catamaran light and elegant like a swan, just like her name. CYGNUS was, in fact, the OE60 exhibited at the 2018 edition of the Palma show when I had the opportunity to get on board for a quick visit. The line of people interested in visiting the catamaran was remarkable.

10.) What is your plan for the rest of 2020.

As has already been said by my colleagues, Covid-19 is now shaping the current global environment, so we must all follow our respective Government guidelines. Until then, enquiries from both buyers remains encouraging and a reminder that we will soon be boating again.I am always ready and available for any of our client’s needs and for the listing of new yachts in the Balearics and S.Spain regions.

If you would like to discuss your yacht sale or purchase plans, in the Balearics, Southern Spain or surrounding areas, Lucio would be delighted to hear from you. He can be contacted at lucio@grabauinternational.com or tel +34 675 236 174