Fernando Correia/JLS
The magic of stopovers is the impact on children. From Optimist sailors to the school kids that never thought before about sailing, the race village and yachts creates a dream...
Friday 05 March 2010, 15:00 GMT
If you talk about the Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Race in Portugal, the name João Cabeçadas immediately springs to mind.
His sailing CV makes impressive reading - ocean sailor, one of the best riggers in the world, three editions of the Whitbread (Esprit de Liberté 1989-90, La Poste 1993-94 and Brunel Sunergy 1997-98) and 10 years working with the Swiss team Alinghi in the America’s Cup.
He notes that the Whitbread/Volvo has changed a lot since he was last a part of the scene. “When I raced the Whitbread Race back in the fifth, sixth and seventh editions, the race had only six legs. Six long legs. Starting and finishing in the Solent,” he recalls.
“Lisbon was a mere three days from the race start and the same distance from the race finish. It never came to my mind in those days that Lisbon could became a stopover because that would involve a very short leg.
“With the Volvo Ocean Race taking over the Whitbread and short legs included I immediately thought that Lisbon should host the race start or a stopover. Thanks to the successful effort from Lagos Sports, gathering together the infrastructure, resources and will, this stopover came true. I'm quite excited about it as I know that it'll be a success.
“Portugal is ready to accept this challenge. The Volvo is going to take all the support of the Portugal citizens; I have no doubt about it. Portuguese are supportive of sport events and have a particular admiration for the sea.”
Cabeçadas added that the stopover would directly benefit sailing in the region. “It will capture more attention for our sport, eventually generating a larger universe of Portuguese sailors, starting with the kids,” he said.
“I've always thought that one of the magic facts of these race stopovers is the impact that it has on children. From Optimist sailors to the school kids that never thought before about sailing, visiting the race village and yachts creates a dream. It's just magic.”
As for the prospect of a Portuguese team in the future, he said: “It's about time. The difficult part would be funding it. All good sailing teams have mixed nationality members. There are good Portuguese professionals able to be part of a mixed nationality competitive team, racing under the Portuguese flag. Time will tell and the Lisbon stopover could be a good point to start.”
Interview: Helena De La Gandara