Hippocampus Nº 44

José Sotto Mayor Matoso
President of Clube Naval de Cascais 2008-2014
Commodore of Clube Naval de Cascais since 2020
What do you consider to have been
1 the most outstanding moments of
these first 85 years of life of the CNC?
The construction, in 1970, of the south
pier of the Cidadela, which significantly
increased the club’s facilities, making it
possible to organise major light sailing
regattas, namely the World Finn Class
Championship, in August 1970, with the
participation of about 170 boats, a record
never to be surpassed again.
The reconstruction to the club’s current
facilities. Following the construction of the
Cascais Marina, the club’s piers are now
sheltered from the southwestern winter
storms, allowing year-round use in great
safety.
The closer relationship, which began
around 2008, between the CNC and the
Cascais Municipal Council and Turismo de
Cascais, and whose support and relationship
of mutual trust have created the conditions
for Cascais and the CNC to become one of
the most important and recognised venues
for the most important and prestigious
international sailing competitions.
What are your best memories of your
2 terms as President and Commodore
of the CNC?
The great development of the activity of
adapted sailing for disabled people - Project
Sailing Without Limits -, promoted by
Charles Lindley, and which had a frank
development during the period in which I
was President. In particular, I recall a major
international championship in the Trident
trimarans in 2008; and the visit, in 2011,
of the current King Charles III, then His
Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, to
learn about this project.
The CNC’s 75th Anniversary celebrations
in 2013, namely the ceremony at the Palácio
de Belém, in which the President of
the Republic awarded the club the title of
Honorary Member of the Order of Infante
Dom Henrique and then the great gathering
of the Members’ Dinner at the club’s pier.
The great development of the Dragon
class activity, with a historical tradition in
the CNC, and which has resulted in the
recognition of the CNC and of Cascais
as one of the main world centres for the
activity of this class in these years.
What sporting or social event at the
3 CNC has made the biggest impression
on you and why?
The win, accompanied by Gustavo Lima
and Frederico Melo, of the Dragon Class
European Championship in Cascais in
2013. After leading the International Dragon
Class Ranking List in 2012, that victory,
in the waters of my club, in Cascais,
the town where I live, was the culmination
of a campaign of several years of racing
around Europe, along with the consolidation
of Cascais as one of the main world
centres of this class in those years.
How do you see the future of the
4 CNC, namely in the medium/long
term?
The CNC is, by its statutes and experience,
a club of introduction to the practice of
sailing and the organization of sailing
competitions. For this reason, the continued
development of its Sailing School, and the
subsequent sailing competition teams, are
the priority of the club, which has managed
to achieve leadership in Portugal. But the
work is constant, and must be permanently
maintained and developed.
On the other hand, the proliferation and
success of water sports activities that do not
require facilities, such as surfing, windsurfing,
kite surfing, stand up paddle, etc.,
particularly in a country like Portugal,
with so many beaches, pose challenges to
the “traditional water sports clubs”, which
have to reinvent themselves in order to
continue to develop their activity, cope
with these developments and be attractive
to young people.
The CNC has been developing the offer
of these “new” activities not only at the
level of introduction and training, but also
by creating spaces to accommodate these
practitioners and their material. The same
applies to the diving activity, in which the
CNC already has a relevant position, after
only a few years of its introduction.
Finally, sailing is a sport that has strong
intergenerational, family and social relationship
characteristics. It is therefore
fundamental that the CNC renews and expands
its facilities and offer, to facilitate and
foster this family and social conviviality.
What news story about the CNC
5 would you like to see in the media
tomorrow?
Any news, particularly of an international
nature, that highlights Cascais and the
CNC as one of the most important and
recognised “venues” for holding the largest
and most important and prestigious
international sailing events.
Clube Naval de CASCAIS 31