Benidorm brings the story of its last llaut and the fisherman who preserves it to the screen

Benidorm will screen a documentary at 6pm on Tuesday, 3 November, about its last llaut and the memories of Vicent Martínez, the 92-year-old fisherman who has helped preserve this traditional Mediterranean boat.

The screening will take place in the town hall’s assembly hall, with free admission until capacity is reached, as part of the Cultural Week preceding the town’s patron saint festivities.

La Toñina as the starting point

Cristian Aguado said the idea emerged when he discovered the boat’s condition at Benidorm’s sailing club and began looking into its history.

The vessel, known as La Toñina, is barely used more than once a year during the patron saint festivities, but its preservation maintains a connection with the town’s fishing past.

That research led him to meet Vicent Martínez, who has kept the boat afloat and is a central figure in a project connecting a physical piece of heritage with seafaring experience.

Aguado made the documentary with his nephew Víctor Pérez Aguado, following years of work to explain the importance of these boats and the generations who made their living from the sea.

Aguado describes the fisherman as a much-loved person and highlights the value of his knowledge in preserving that heritage.

A testimony of life in the harbour

Vicent still goes to the harbour every morning to work on fishing nets, an activity that forms part of the testimony captured by the audiovisual project.

The account preserves his knowledge of traditional navigation and memories from before Benidorm’s transformation through tourism, with the aim of preventing them from disappearing with the people who hold them.

Aguado also described the declining number of llauts after visiting different harbours between the Marina Baixa and Marina Alta areas.

According to his account, Benidorm has one remaining example, while Altea still preserves several of these traditional Mediterranean vessels.

The screening on 3 November therefore brings to the cultural programme a story about the town’s relationship with the sea and the people who have kept its traditional practices alive.