"The variety of the boats in the port makes it appealing to visitors"

04-09-2019 | Interviews

Manel Roca

Manager and owner of Las Golondrinas

He has always preferred working on site, rather than at the company's offices, and this has enabled him to witness the transformation of Barcelona and given him an in-depth knowledge of the emotional history of the city that you won't read in books.

Years ago, he says, nearly all the passengers "were locals". There were a lot of families who would take advantage of their free time on Sunday to head down La Rambla and spend the day at the breakwater, an iconic spot where couples could also spend time together during a period when things were more restrictive. This was a time, before the Olympic Games, when Barcelona still faced away from the Mediterranean and when many grandparents and parents would take their children to Las Golondrinas for their first sailing experience.

As a result of the high profile the city now enjoys, a fleet of seven boats (including the traditional two-deck wooden vessels), carry 300,000 passengers of 60 nationalities every year. The company has grown from 12 employees, when Manel's father retired, to 38 (40 in summer). The Golondrinas operate two routes: one inside the port and another along the coast as far as the Forum site allowing passengers views of the beaches, which have become another of the city's distinctive attractions due to their cleanliness and high-quality amenities.

The reason for Barcelona's success is, he says "because people feel at home here". He believes tourism has brought employment and filled the gap left by the reconversion of many sectors, such as the motorbike industry, which Barcelona was once a leader in. Manel thinks that the "variety" of the boats makes the port more appealing to visitors, and considers that port operations have given boat aficionados the opportunity to see cargo and container ships and spectacular cruise liners up close. "The more ships there are, the more beautiful the ride on the Golondrinas is", he says. His work has allowed him to see the effects of climate change and he is very aware that we have to fight against plastic waste, which ends up destroying marine life.

With his white beard, Manel looks like an old sea dog. He wanted to be a sailor, like his Uncle Ernesto, and follow in the footsteps of his adventurer grandfather, Manuel, but his father made him study economics because he saw it as a more secure career path. Now Manel has passed the baton on to his son Manel, a building engineer who has been working in Chile. "We've come to the third generation, which, as the saying goes, wrecks the business, so I'm sure the fourth will make a good fist of things", he says with a smile.