O Vilamoura Sailing internship center has been hosting, since October, the «best sailors in Europe». Weather conditions are once again key to attracting so many athletes to the Algarve.
This training center reached its maximum capacity with the presence of about 400 sailors who are part of the most important Olympic classes around the world.
Around 70 countries chose Vilamoura to do their winter preparations, before the start of the European and World Championships for their respective classes.
«If the preference for Vilamoura of the best Olympic sailing teams is no longer new – classes Nacra 17, 49er, 49er FX, 470, Ilca 4 and Ilca 6 – the truth is that their stay in Portugal has never been so prolonged», he says. this internship center.
The teams started to arrive at the beginning of October and should only leave in time to compete in the prestigious Troféu Rainha Sofia, in Spain, for six months in Algarve waters.
The number of sailors arriving in Vilamoura has also continued to grow. At the moment, close to 400 athletes daily use the infrastructures of the Vilamoura Marina and the logistical and support services provided by Vilamoura Sailing.
Moreover, since 2018, Vilamoura Sailing has taken advantage of the presence of so many sailors of Olympic classes to hold the Portugal Grand Prix, a competition that scores for the World Ranking of the 49er, 49er Fx and Nacra 17 classes.
From Sunday, the 20th until the 23rd of February, training days turn into high competition, with hundreds of Olympic sailors putting on a show off Vilamoura.
Many of them are true icons of world sailing, such as Frenchman Franck Cammas, with records in several Atlantic crossings, victories in the Volvo Ocen Race and Extreme 40.
For the first time, the Portugal Grand Prix will also integrate the European Raceboard Championship, a discipline of Windsurfing.
«We adopted a growth strategy, beyond the Olympic classes. Vilamoura Sailing has invested in its own fleet of J70s, thus providing athletes with the possibility to compete, for a few days, in a highly competitive class and for another 5 days in their class. Our goal is to have, in 2023, close to 70 or 80 J70 vessels in the Grand Prix, making this event even more attractive and highly competitive", says Nuno Reis, director of Vilamoura Sailing.
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