Hippocampus Nº46

Interview
TOGETHER
OWARDS THE FUTURE
Closing the year of celebrations of the 85th anniversary of Clube
Naval de Cascais, and on the verge of a decisive year for its future, as
2024 will be, an indispensable interview with Miguel Pinto Luz, Vice-
President of the Municipal Council of Cascais, an entity that will also
play a leading role in the CNC’s evolutionary process
Vice-President of the Municipal Council
of Cascais (CMC), Miguel Pinto
Luz is the honoured guest of the ultimate
edition of Hippocampus published in the
85th anniversary of Clube Naval de Cascais.
This choice is not by chance, as 2024
is a decisive year for the life of CNC, with
all the improvements that will be made
not only in the club itself but also in its
surrounding area.
To understand the perspective of CMC
and its Vice-President on this and other
topics, here is the record of the conversation
held, with the straightforwardness
and fearlessness that are well-known traits
of Miguel Pinto Luz, without evading the
questions asked or giving “half-answers.” In
the end, there is the certainty that the future
facing CNCascais promises to be bright,
capitalizing on the (arduous) work carried
out by its recent administrations, and that
the road will be paved together with one
of its longstanding partners.
Hippocampus – Let’s begin with the connection
between Clube Naval de Cascais
(CNC) and the Cascais Municipal Council
(CMC): for the general population of
Cascais and, in particular, for the club
members, there is a notion that CNC is
somewhat the ‘nautical arm’ of CMC. Is
this also your perspective, and that of the
council, or is it merely a presumption?”
Miguel Pinto Luz – It’s not presumption.
I think there is even some humility in this
perspective because I believe it is more than
just a nautical arm. The CNC is, in a way,
what I often say: a true mirror of what
Cascais is, in other words, a club of kings
and fishermen, supportive and tolerant of
absolutely iconic initiatives, such as adapted
sailing, top-level sport, our will to win,
our concern for sustainability. The club
somehow manages to mimic the different
dimensions of CMC’s political action and
day-to-day action. It is, in fact, a partner,
a right arm, and not just a nautical one, of
the municipality of Cascais. We are very
pleased with this partnership, because the
club today brings new citizens to Cascais,
internationals who are choosing Cascais to
live in. It brings high-quality sporting events
to Cascais, with an international dimension.
It brings initiatives, as I mentioned earlier,
such as adapted sailing, sustainability initiatives.
So, it’s effectively the municipality’s
right arm nowadays.
CNC - What about the renovations? How
do you see the work that will soon be
carried out at the CNC, and what impact
do you think the improvements will have
on the club’s future activity?
MPL – I think that the last works that the
CNC did to host the ISAF World Championships
were very important. But even so,
they were very focussed on this ISAF event,
and perhaps they were less concerned with
the members, with those who are part of
the club’s life. I think that, after all these
years, and after the club came of age, and
we’re here in front of this magnificent wall
with the pennants of all the corresponding
clubs, this international dimension that
the club has gained since then, now it was
almost an obligation for the CNC to carry
out these works, and adapt them more to
what the members need, and the members’
families need. When I first looked at the
project, I saw just that. I’m not a sailor, I
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Hippocampus