Sasha Romashova: 'Malaga is the Florida of Europe, but with the open people of Andalucía'

She was born in St Petersburg, Russia but has made Spain her home. Recently, she moved to Malaga from Barcelona to become the commercial director of the megayacht marina. Sasha Romashova has spent more than half her life in the nautical world, first as a crew member on large yachts, and now in the management of large marinas such as IGY Malaga Marina.

-How did you start in the world of megayachts?

-Working on board ships, as a stewardess. I worked on very interesting ships, of different sizes. The last one was the 90-metre Palladium, but also on iconic ships like those owned by Getty (photography moguls). After seven years sailing around the world, I decided I wanted to stay in the industry, but on the other side, so I joined the Port Vell marina [Barcelona].

-Why did you decide to change your life and come to Malaga?

-Malaga is now in a period of growth and has a lot of potential in general, but specifically in the nautical world. Malaga is like the Florida of Europe, where the weather is always good - but with the people of Andalucía. I have been here for four months and the first thing I noticed is that everyone is very open, everyone is willing to help and this struck me from the first day I landed here. And it's also a very safe city for clients. It has all the positives of growth, but without the negative side of a lack of safety.

-What are the owners of the megayachts like?

-It's like in any field, you find people who spend lots and others who are more normal. If we talk about families, about people who have been wealthy all their lives, they tend to be more interested in culture than in spending. But yes, obviously, they are people with a lot of money.

-Tell us some of your experiences and anecdotes from your time onboard.

-I worked on a ship years ago where the owner said she had left a particular bag in London, and sent a helicopter to pick it up. But well, I'll also tell you that after 20 years that's unusual. This was when I was starting out, in the 2000s. People now are much more environmentally aware, much more educated and they understand what is happening in the world. Now you don't send a helicopter to pick up a bag.

-You mean that the conscience of billionaires has changed as well.

-Yes, of course. And there has also been a change of generation: there are now many young owners, in their 50s, who are globally educated and who are aware of sustainability. That's why more and more hybrid boats are also appearing on the market. Or like this sailboat here (the interview took place at Muelle Uno in Malaga harbour), which is made of carbon fibre and is very light, and therefore uses less fuel. In general, new owners are a different story from when I started 20 years ago.

-What is your life like in Malaga, what do you like to do?

-I am a fan of kitesurfing and snowboarding. In general, I like sports and that's a plus living in Malaga. It's a very healthy city, people love sports, there are many outdoor gyms. For surfing there is Tarifa next door, and for snowboarding I have the Sierra Nevada. I also play golf, and Andalucía has more golf courses than anywhere else in Spain. So back to your previous question, why I like Andalucía so much, well, it ticks all the boxes.

-Although you've only just arrived, what do you imagine Malaga will be like in 5 or 10 years' time?

-Good question. For me the most important thing is whether local people can deal with change, because in the end if people can't coexist, it's not going to be a comfortable city for those who arrive or for those who are already here. I think Malaga is going in the right direction: the local population is handling all the changes. As far as I can see, for the moment it is going in the right direction, but of course, the politicians have to look for solutions to citizens' problems.

-One thing that many people wonder, do the wealthy owners of the boats really come to Malaga, or just the crews?

-Shipowners do come in the summer. All the short stays we have in summer are for shipowners, to get to know Malaga. But the long stays, when the winter season starts, are only for crew members.

-Do you know of anyone famous who has been here recently?

They are not well known, but there are shipowners who are coming back because they like Malaga so much, and that makes me very happy: it's important for these people who travel on megayachts to come back. So many people have money and nobody knows them, because they are not famous. For example, I have a friend who worked on a very big ship, and the owner became a millionaire by inventing Amazon packages. Nobody recognises him in the street. And this happens a lot, especially in the United States - they go unnoticed. Once I was talking to someone wearing a fishing T-shirt, flip-flops and a cap, who looked like he was 30 years old, and it turned out that he was the owner of a very large yacht...