New royal yacht arrives in Palma

The new royal yacht Fortuna was officially handed over yesterday to the Spanish National Trust in a ceremony which took place at the Portopi naval base. The yacht had arrived in Palma in the early hours of Sunday morning after the long crossing from the mainland where she was built. King Juan Carlos and heir to the throne Prince Felipe went aboard on Sunday afternoon. The new yacht is bigger than the one she replaces and has been financed by a group of local businessmen. Yesterday morning at midday a group of local VIPs went aboard before the actual hand-over. A new mooring has been built for the Fortuna so that she is no longer clearly visible from Paseo Maritimo. A section of the main quay has been cut-away which allows the royal yacht to moor “inside.” This action has been taken because of security fears. Four years ago the Basque terrorist group (ETA) had planned to assassinate the King as he boarded the Fortuna which in those days was clearly visible from the road. The plot was thwarted by police and all those involved arrested.