Pair of Solidary Sailing on the podium of the 1st National Qualification Competition for Adapted Sailing

The duo Guilherme Ribeiro and Luís Ramalho, representing the Portimão Marina Yacht Club – Vela Solidária, ranked 2nd in General, in the Access 303 class, in the 1st National Qualification Test for Adapted Sailing 2016, held at the end of week in Albufeira.

The competition was won by the Clube Naval de Cascais team, composed of Pedro Reis and Ana Cunha.

In the case of the Vela Solidária de Portimão duo, the 2nd place was an excellent result as, after three years sailing separately, they formed a team in Access 303 again, but only had «few hours of training».

«Having still to improve in many aspects, the duo in Access 303 improved a lot on the second day of the race, having obtained three 2nd places, always finishing the races a few meters from the winning pair, and not giving the Clube Naval de Cascais duo a chance Carlos Araújo and Álio Bálio, who finished in 3rd place», stresses the team from Portimo.

In Access 2.3, individual boat, the sailor Noel Coelho, from the Marina de Portimão Yacht Club – Vela Solidária, finished in 4th place in the general classification, just 1 point from the podium, while Jacinto João finished in 7th place in the general classification.

Class Access 2.3 was dominated by Sport Clube do Porto sailors, André Bento and Luisa Graça, who got the first two places, with the same number of points, having won the last race. André Bento took 1st place overall.

It was only possible for sailors from the Marina de Portimão Yacht Club – Vela Solidária to participate in this 1st National Qualification Test, «thanks to the support of Portimão Tourism and Portimão Marina».

The Vela Solidária project also expresses its «thanks to Marina Iate Clube Albufeira, who provided us with a trailer to transport the boats, as well as to the entire team, for the excellent organization and support to all sailors».

«We also have our special thanks to Mr. Carlos Brito, who supports us unconditionally in the arduous task of carrying out our training sessions, as well as to Cândida Pereira, who has been tireless. Our thanks are extended to Rodolfo Veiga, our most recent volunteer, who gave up his weekend and family and who is the first volunteer to come to us through the recent fundraising campaign launched by Vela Solidária », they add.

Vela Solidária is a project based on partnerships and sponsorships.