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After the first few months of operation SailCascais comes stronger with activities for everyone, who wants to sail in Cascais. This includes private sessions, practical sailing courses for those with some experience as well as group and corporate sailing. With the spring and summer approaching we are looking into more people having interest in this type of outdoor leisure rather than shopping or watching TV. We aim at making sailing more affordable and introduce regular reduced Sailing Packages.

 

5 days, 5 sessions with our professional instructor Gonçalo Vieira Lopes, who loves the sea and who won a few big competitions in Laser Class back in his days. He is also a great person to teach all aspects of sailing to newcomers. Gonçalo spent the last 15 years working in the office, but his heart always belonged to the sea. Here’s what some of our clients, who went sailing with Gonçalo, say about their experience:

“It was amazing,” – said Assunção, who joined us during the Xmas course. – “Nice weather and wind and great atmosphere onboard with Gonçalo and the other course participant Luis”.

“Gonçalo is very professional and explains everything in a simple manner, we enjoyed our day at sea even though it was a bit calm. But it was good for us as it was the first time we sailed on this boat,” – wrapped up Nadia from Moscow, who joined us on a sunny day in January with her husband.

 

“The format of 5 consecutive days filled with action proves well,” – comments Vasco Serpa, our CEO. – “We introduced it during Christmas, trying to change the way people spend holidays and we were happy with the response. There was some interest, however I sense that people still need to get to the idea of spending their holidays in a different way. Now with warmer and sunnier days I believe our courses will attract more people”.

SailCascais has other sailing options available, like for example “Big Wednesday” – a format that is suitable for more people flexible in their schedule who can benefit from renting the whole boat with crew. This format simulates racing, when 2 or more boats (teams) go out for a training and compete against each other. “We see this offer suitable for businessmen and corporates, who’s spirit is highly competitive, yet with their sailing experience they are not ready to participate in regattas.” – concludes Vasco.

 

 

Further on the corporate side SailCascais offers group events for up to 20-30 people having up to 10 boats on the water. Our professional team will set the course for racing and stage it for the participants, turning it into a fun and dynamic activity together. One of such events we ran in December 2017, when a group of 20 friends went sailing on a gorgeous sunny day.

 

See more about Group Sailing in our CORPORATE EVENTS section

 

“We look into organizing more events like this, because it’s super fun and affordable for corporates,” – continues Vasco. – “Having been an office employee for many years, I know how important it is to get out there and do a bit of different stuff together, that is not work related. Also in our partnership with Clube Naval de Cascais that has superb facilities, we can reinforce the fun part on the water with business part ashore followed by reception with amazing Portuguese food and wines.”

To book your experience or get more info, contact us:

Phone/Wsapp: +351 913 389 029

Email: info@sailcascais.com

To keep up with news follow us on Social Media: Facebook, Instagram & Twitter

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Francisco Mourão/Luis Pinheiro are the new 420 Open Portuguese National Champions. After 11 regatas sailed over 4 days the team from Clube Naval de Sesimbra coached by Sergio Duarte overcame in the Open division the new Portuguese Junior National Champions team of Joao Bolina/Rafael Rodrigues of Clube de Vela do Barreiro, trained by Pedro Bolina, by 1 point.

 

The nerves were high going into the last day of racing, and the 4 top teams at the beginning of the day end up being disqualified for different reasons, either premature starts, 2nd pumping penalty or either other race incidents. In the end the overall winner was found already on shore and after protests. In this turmoil of emotions the team of Francisco Rodrigues/Tiago Alves sailed a brilliant last day scoring three bullets to climb to 3rd overall. 

  

 

The female division was won by Under 17 sailors from CiMAV and Clube de Vela de Lagos Bea Gago & Marta Fortunato trained by our beloved Ingrid Braga Fortunato. Don’t get us wrong, surprise is not because of lack of talent, because that they have a lot, but because of their youth and the fact that they embrace the 420 class as a team only a few month ago.

 

 

Amazing job done by the coaches Sérgio Duarte, Pedro Bolina and Ingrid Braga Fortunato on their clubs. Between the three of them they have placed seven teams in the top 8 of the open division and grabbed all the title there were to grab. At SailCascais we are happy to see this amazing pool of talent and level of competition on this youth class and we would like to congratulate the winners and the rest of the sailors for the exciting racing.

We were happy to have given a contribute with our coaches Álvaro Marinho and Gonçalo Almeida Ribeiro, even that a small one, to the crews of Mourao/Pinheiro and Gago/Fortunato on their conquers. Also happy to have worked with other 6 teams before the Nationals that did very well. 6 out of 8 end up on the top 10. Only one can be first place, but you are all winners!

Looking forward to the next event the 3rd PAN (National Qualifier) and looking forward for those international events. Let’s go boys & girls, keep working!

See our video with the Club coach, Sérgio Duarte on our YouTube channel.

#SailForReal

 

Four consecutive years of SB20 Cascais Winter Series prove stable growth of the Class in this Portuguese sailing mecca. After another fantastic season filled with action, wind shifts and strong international presence the future is clear: more teams, more action and higher level of service and competition. And the last event of the season that concluded on 24-25th  March was another one to remember, where team Mobiag/Animal took first with Ukranians of iTParfume winning the overall Winter Series 2017/2018.

 

Day 1 saw only 1 race as started with two 1-hour postponements after the gusty ocean wind allowed to call the fleet to the sea.The boats found their way to the course under 18 to 22 knots from North/NorthWest. At the starting gun a gust of 25 knots was sweeping the course and with the pin favoured and the boats willing to take the right handside of the course the progress was slow. The 49er and Star Portuguese Olympian Diogo Cayolla together with Jorge Lima, 49er Olympian in Rio cleared a beautiful start on Port. They were followed by Animal/Mobiag of Vasco Serpa on their tail and the Ukrainians of Petrovski Anatolii who started closer to the Committee and took the right earlier.

 

 

As predicted the wind shifted to the right and the leading pack at the 1st mark was formed by this group. Ukrainians first, followed by Cayolla, Lima and Serpa. iTParfume set the shut and sailed a clean and fast run gaining a small and nice lead. At the bottom gate Team Animal overtook first Lima with a late spinnaker drop and Cayolla on the mark rounding. Things seemed to be over but they were not..

 

 

 

Animal/Mobiag managed to close a little bit the gap and kept the pressure on iTParfume by the windward mark. And then another strong gust hit the course with both boats flying beautifully. On what it was probably the last jibe the Ukrainians got into trouble, loosing control of the boat and their spinnaker hit the water. The local teamof Animal/Mobiag stood up solid, kept flying and stole the gun from them. It is always beautiful to see teams racing and fighting in heavy winds as these two teams did it that day. Jorge Lima sailed for a strong third place and José Paulo Ramada built on the race to finish fourth.

 

 

The 2nd day started with strong breeze again, a bit more to the North than previous day, ranging from 17 to 25 knots that allowed beautiful 3 races to be sailed. Team Anima/Mobiag was the most solid scoring a 5, 2 and 1st finish. Together with the win on previous day the local team finished at top of the table with 4 points. Sailing consistently is the key in these shifty and heavy conditions with confident boat handling. “In these conditions we are very comfortable. We sail together for a long time and that gives trust in each other to just do the right thing. We stay in contention and grab it when others fall into a mistake,” – says satisfied Vasco Serpa, helmsman of the current Portuguese Champions team.

 

With their second place in the 5th event the team iT Perfume of Anatolii Petrovski from Ukraine won the 2017/18 SB20 Cascais Winter Series. The team sailed a very consistent series with 2 wins and 2 second places in 4 of 5 regattas. A very strong beginning of the season for this team that is aiming at leading the international results in SB20 Class this year. “We love to come here, and we will keep coming. Just a bit tired after a day like today,” – said bow/jib trimmer Anna Kyselova laughing. The season in Ukraine is just about to start and at least 7 events in SB20 class in planned for this year. In third place Team Dom Pedro/Generali of José Paulo Ramada lost their chance in the last race when suffered from loosing boat control for moments on the first run.

 

A huge success this season Winter Series in Cascais, with an established fleet of 30 boats and with a consistent attendance by foreign crews. The season hosted teams form Ukraine, Russia, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland, Turkey, Latvia and of course the grown Portuguese fleet that involves more and more new members.

 

 

Winter is done here in Portugal for this year and looking into the next year Series the case is for further growth as teams are talking about moving boats to Cascais and SailCascais is providing good quality boats and attract top teams. Now it is time for Spring! And the Portuguese calendar is loaded with events starting as soon as in two weeks with the 1st SB20 Spring Cup in Cascais.

Full results of the 5th SB20 Cascais Winter Series

See more photos in the 5th SB20 Cascais Winter Series Gallery or SB20 Portugal Facebook page

The penultimate event of SB20 Cascais Winter Series saw the fleet increasing with 2 more teams and even more nationalities present. SailCascais as the official SB20 Portugal partner and boat rental provider followed the action and released a video about the 4th SB20 Winter Series:

 

 

Dragon sailors, Olympic sailors, people from North and South of Portugal, from Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria, Switzerland and Sweden – SB20 in Cascais connects them all!

 

 

The light and shifty winds of the weekend tested the nerves of many of the experienced sailors of the local fleet and made it a tough and competitive regatta. 3rd to 7th overall were 5 points apart in the end. In the end it was the team of Dom Pedro Hotels/Generali who took the top honours. After 5 races sailed, 2 in the first and 3 in the second day, the local team of José Paulo Ramada sailed a very consistent 2nd and last day in very tricky conditions with a 5, 2 and 5 that together with a win on the first race of the championship allowed them to finish at the top.

 

 

 

A win in the last race together with a brilliant first day gave Sea Camel of Jose Camelo the second place overall. Two first places on the last day allowed Animal/Mobiag to climb a few places and break the tie for third in their favour against Carl Linné of John Harald Orneberg from Sweden, a newcomer to the class that sailed very solid on both days.

 

 

 

 

In addition to the new-coming, but experienced sailors of the Class, a great performance for the young team on Quebramar boat. The team – composed of Laser, Moth and 49er sailors – has extensive knowledge of the area as they spend more time on these waters than probably some of the older participants. The boys were very excited with their result – 6th overall with two 3rd finishes on day 2! Hopefully they are back for the next regatta.

 

 

 

Cascais is always fun and a great spirit is here! 30 boats on the starting line is now normal. The SB20 Portugal is not stopping and we can’t wait for the next regatta in the end of March.

 

You can still join us for 5th SB20 Cascais Winter Series! Call or email us to book your boat:
Phone/Wsapp: +351 913 389 029 / +44 782 560 5419
Email: info@sailcascais.com

>> Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram to stay up to date with news!

 

Results of the 4th event – click here. Overall 2017/2018 SB20 Cascais Winter Series ranking can be found here.

 

Photo gallery of the 4th SB20 Winter Series event:

 

 

SailCascais is organising a 420 Training Camp ahead of the class Portuguese Nationals in the town of Sesimbra on the 24th, 25th, and 26th March 2018. The 9 places made available by SailCascais sold out in a less than a week and more than a month and a half ahead of the event.

Sesimbra is located about half an hour drive from Lisbon, to the south, on the Atlantic coast and is well known in the country for youth sailing. Optimists and other classes train there all year around. The participants of the SailCascais 420 Camp will benefit from 3 full days of training, on the water and ashore with mental coaching and studying the racing rules of sailing with some of the top specialists in the country.

 

 

The training camp is organized by our technical director and Olympic coach Álvaro Marinho. On the water Álvaro is joined by with Gonçalo Almeida Ribeiro, the Portuguese 420 class coach. Together they will work with the teams on boat handling and speed as well as tactics.

Manuel Santos E Silva, one of the top Portuguese umpires, well known in the country and beyond, with extensive experience in major sailing events like RC44s, TP52s and Olympic classes World and European championships. Manuel will work with the young sailors on the rules with focus on boat VS boat.

This training is organised in partnership with Coaching Desportivo. Sérgio Guerreiro, the man behind this company has years of experience in mental and motivational coaching for athletes and sport teams, which is an important part in preparation for any competition that sometimes is left behind.

 

“I am really happy to organize an event for 420 class in my native Portugal. I work a lot with foreign teams abroad, but it’s great to be coaching at home. Having the 2016 World champions from our country inspires to invest time into the younger generation of Portuguese sailors. I hope that my knowledge and experience as Olympic sailor and coach will help the teams improve their skills and compete with better results at the Nationals, that will follow right after the camp on 28-31 March in Sesimbra, and later in their sport careers and maybe Olympic campaigns,” – commented Álvaro Marinho about his initiative.

 

 

With over a month to go, the event has attracted 9 teams from all over Portugal, including 6 teams from the Central region, two teams from Lagos and one from Porto. For this event SailCascais will be working with Clube Naval de Sesimbra for the organization. Sesimbra is buzzing with action this year with the 420 and 470  Junior Europeans happening in July 2018 and a number of events preceding it. The Club has modern facilities, including storage, fully equipped gym, briefing rooms, lockers etc.

 

The enrolment is officially closed, but a last minute request may still be accepted.

For the participants: join our event on Facebook and follow the action on our page!

 

Photos: Luis Fráguas & Ingrid Braga Fortunato © All right reserved

Clear blue skies and a solid breeze of 15 to 25 knots from North/NorthEast is forecasted for this weekend 3^rd SB20 Cascais Winter Series organized by Clube Naval de Cascais. This will give spectacular sailing conditions to the 33 boat fleet that will sail for the win.

 

 

“Conditions are going to be challenging and will push crews to come with their very best boat handling and smart tactics as this wind from onshore is shifty and tricky to play inside the bay where most likely races will be held”,  said Vasco Serpa, SailCascais CEO, the local provider of SB20 charter boats and the current SB20 Portuguese Champion. “Definitely is not going to be a weekend to be very bold. You will have to hold yourself in contention at every moment and be patient to wait for that opportunity when it comes. If it’s going to be a shift, pressure or just a mistake from your opponents. You have to wait and nail it when it comes,” – he added.

 

The fleet is again full of local and foreign talent. Adding to the pool of local habitués in the class that count several Portuguese Olympians, like the brothers Gustavo and Jorge Lima, sailing two different boats, there will be the two time Star Bacardi Cup winner and TP52 helmsman Afonso Domingos aboard ContactoAtlantico.

 

 

On the foreign contingent this 3^rd Winter Series will count with the two strong Ukrainian teams of ItParfume, of Anatoli Petrov, winner of the last Winter Series in December, and Team #GameChanger of  Julia Freespirit, their current national champion. Between the other 6 teams coming from Belgium and Russia, is the team of Sergjs Filatovs a newcomer from Latvia.

 

“On behalf of Clube Naval de Cascais I would like to give a warm welcome to all the foreign crews attending this first Winter Series of 2018” said a satisfied Goncalo Esteves, president of Clube Naval Cascais.  “The Club, together with the Portuguese SB20 Class association have been promoting the Cascais SB20 Winter Series since 2015/16 the. Now with the contribute of SailCascais we have been able to get not less than 30 boats at the starting line and we are confident that with the commitment of all we will see 40 boats per event soon.” continued Goncalo, concluding by congratulating both parties for their remarkable work.

 

Among the fleet two all-female crews, Miudas, of Margarida Aguiar and Naftalina Rosa, of Teresa B. Coutinho and three other crews with female at the helm Natalya Kravets on Matryoshka, Sara Pinto of MataUPinto and as previously mentioned Julia Freespirit on #GameChanger.

With the fleet set and conditions more clear for the next couple of days all is ready for this event. The local favourites Dom Pedro Hotels, of Jose Paulo Ramada and Animal/Mobiag, of Vasco Serpa will have to be at the top of their game against this strong field of competitors. “The conditions will be difficult but they are the same for everybody” answered Jose Paulo when asked to comment the weekend ahead. “We are just looking forward to race again in Cascais against such competition. The quality of participants is really good meaning that we will have a tough championship ahead and therefore fun!” he concluded with an open smile.

 

That’s all for now, back on Saturday from Cascais with the comments to the first day of racing. Have a great end of the working week!

3^rd SB20 Cascais Winter Series of the 2017/18 season is heating up and another record breaking number of participants is on the cards. “We ran out of boats for the second regatta in a row, this time more than two weeks before the event. This is a good indicator that participation will be high. At this point a 35 boat fleet it’s doable”, says our CEO Vasco Serpa.

 

 

The Clube Naval de Cascais Winter Series is a group of 5 regattas run one weekend a month each from November to March and pretends to keep the local fleet busy though their “low” season but tends to attract a lot of foreign teams that are shut for the period due to harsher winters at home.  The concept has proved successful along the last couple of years but this year a number of factors seem to be affecting positively the number of participants.

“The Club has been doing an amazing work promoting the area abroad with top notch events like the RC44s or TP52s stops together with the recent Dragon and SB20 World Championships.” recognized Vasco, “There is this perception that Cascais is a great place to sail, and you know what? It is!  Add to that the club has good facilities and regatta organization is second to none. Onshore the area is filled with a good supply of accommodation and restaurants and then people are friendly.”

This helps to explain why many foreign teams leave their boats in Cascais for the winter while other simply rent a boat and come. At this regatta 8 to 9 foreign crews are expected from Russia, Ukraine, Latvia and Belgium.

 

 

But it is not only about the foreigners. The local class association is shaking things up and its work is paying off. A solid calendar, well publicized together with a close communication with its members brings people together and has helped to increase numbers, “Numbers attract numbers and then you get a local rock star and people say “well, I want to be a part of it”, and here we go,” – said Antonio Barros, the Portuguese SB20 class president, known as ToZé. 

“It is great to see this happening, this is the best thing for a class president, but we are ambitious and we want to have our Nationals close to 50!” he said with a big smile on his face. “There are things that make me happy and for most of the people go unnoticed. We are managing to have a second all-female crew for the 3^rd winter series. This didn’t happen in a while. Also we have 6 women steering boats now. More to be done here, but definitely going in the right direction.” he concluded.

Well that is a pretty ambitious goal as the Portuguese Nationals are coming soon in the end of June 2018.

“It is important that we keep raising the interest to sail with us, and it should be fun” added Vasco Serpa, “Only then we will be able to generate that ownership rotation that will bring more boats into the water”. For the time being the way is up for the local fleet. Local sailors from different spectrums are attracted to try, like the buzz and stick. In startup language let’s say the retention rate is high. And that ownership rotation is happening. Definitely Winters are hot in Cascais!

 

More on the SB20s next week from Cascais, registration ongoing at: www.CNCascais.com

 

Enjoy your Sailing!