Manuel va nèixer en el carrer Bayarte de Santa Catalina, on encara viu sa mare. De casat, se va mudar, a dues passes, dins el mateix barri de la seva família de pescadors. Son pare era pescador profesional i un germà seu, també. Ell no pesca, però està lligat a la mar a través de les barques que construeix des de que era un al-lot.

- No puc viure sense el barri de Santa Catalina ni sense la nàutica- confessa Manuel- Vaig ser el deixeble del gran modelista naval Javier Pastor i la meva passió són les reproduccions en miniatura.

La seva artesanía està basada en la reproducció fidel de barques i vaixells antics.
Té una gran biblioteca de llibres de nàutica que li serveix per conèixer els detalls de les embarcacions que fabrica a escala.

A més actualment presideix l´Associació d´Amics del Museu Marítim de Mallorca, i va a publicar un inventari de bots i pasteres antigues mallorquines.

-Els Amics del Museu - explica Manuel- lluitam per què se torni a obrir el Museu Marítim que hi havia fins 1975 on ara hi ha el Govern Balear (Consolat de la Mar). Estam en converses amb les autoritas portuàries per cercar un lloc adient.

Viu a Santa Catalina perquè troba que aquest barri "ès el millor del món, perquè ho té tot aprop: la mar, el centre de Palma, Passeig Marítim...i conserva l´encant d´un poble". Anyora, però, els veïnats de quan era jove, perquè ara en queden pocs.

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Manuel Gómez Planas, miniaturist
Craftsman with two passions: The sea and Santa Catalina

Manuel was born in Bayarte street in Santa Catalina, where hismother still lives. Married, he has moved very close within the same fishing neighbothood. His father and also his brother were both proffesional fishermen. He does not fish, but is linked to the sea through the boats he has been constructing since his early childhood. - " I cannot live without Santa Catalina or without seamanship", Manuel confesses. "I was the disciple of the great naval modeller Javier Pastor and my passion is miniature copies".

His craft is based on the faithful replicas of antique boats and ship. He has a large library of nautical books which he assembles on a small scale. He also currently leads the Association of Friends of the Maritime Museum of Mallorca, and has published an inventory of old boats and mallorcan "pasteres". The Friends of the Museum "-explains Manuel "are struggling to re-open the Maritime Museum which used to be where the Balearic Goverment is now situated (Consulate of the Sea). We keep permanently in touch with the port authorities to find a most suitable place to re-establish it".

Manuel lives in the Santa Catalina neighborhood because he says "this is the best neighborhood in the world because it is very close to everything", the sea, the center of Palam...and still retains the charm of a village. He misses his neighbours from the old days, as now there are very few left.