Hippocampus Nº46

J70 European Championship
5 questions to…
Vasco Serpa
J70 European Champion 2023
On the third and final day of the championship,
the first three from the previous days were
joined by the Nyländska Jaktklubben crew, led
by Martin Estlander, and everyone was treated
to magnificent conditions for the final: north-
-westerly wind with an intensity of 8 knots,
and the beach and the emblematic Santa Marta
lighthouse as the background. Two consecutive
wins were enough for the CNC team to secure
first place in the final, with the Finnish team
helmed by Martin Estlander taking second place,
with Lourenço Mateus, Sebastião Ramirez and
Gonçalo Castro Nunes completing the podium
with the GKSS team.
1How do you feel as the new European J70 Champion?
Very happy. It took me 52 years to win my first significant international title.
I sailed a lot in the 90s. I went to the 1996 Olympics, tried again in 2000 while
working, but missed the selections. Then I disconnected from the sport for 16 years
due to professional reasons. Now, coming back after the work done with SailCascais
was very rewarding, especially because it was also achieved with a completely
Portuguese crew.
2How important was the crew that accompanied you in the championship
for winning this title?
Essential. This is our third season in the class. After the second season, we identified
our deficiencies and the people who could help us overcome them. All Portuguese. We
invited Hugo Rocha, undoubtedly the Portuguese sailor with the most achievements,
who works with North Sails, to put us at the top in terms of speed and plan the
tactics. We brought Paulo Manso, who had extensive experience in the boat and is
an excellent jib trimmer, coming from a 4th place in the last World Championship.
Both accepted the invitation, joining me and Diogo Machado Pinto, bringing not
only a strong technical and experienced background but also a winning attitude.
As a team, it was incredible. As a whole, we went beyond the sum of the parts, and
that’s what allowed us to reach the European title.
3What repercussions do you foresee this achievement may have for the future
of the class, both at CNC and in the country?
The J70 class is the largest keelboat monotype class in the world, with nearly two
thousand boats around the world. In Portugal, only top sailors were sailing in this
category outside Portugal and scattered among teams from other countries. This
title will help develop the class at a national level and its activity, with many foreign
teams joining the local fleet, which is already in strong development. At the moment,
we have already held two events in Cascais, and we have the first National
Championship on the second weekend of December. The start has been incredible,
and we already have 16 boats racing in Cascais waters, both local and foreign teams.
4T o what extent will the races that CNC will carry out in the class until the
World Championship be important for its preparation?
Extremely important. The races in Cascais will allow a developing National fleet
to learn the boat by competing with a very strong international fleet that is very
curious about sailing in Cascais and very interested in the 2026 World Championship.
It will be a very busy two and a half years in Cascais for the J70s, and
that will be good for the national and international class, national sailing, and for
Clube Naval de Cascais.
5What are your expectations for the World Championship to be held in
Cascais in 2026, both personally and regarding the event itself?
Personal goals are set and are clear. After the European title, we want to fight for
the World Championship title. We always try, we always do!
For the event, we want it to be one of the biggest events of the class ever, with a high
competitive level, good worldwide representation, and for Cascais to deliver what it
is known for in terms of wind and waves. We hope that both national sailing and
Cascais can benefit as much as possible from this event.
Clube Naval de CASCAIS 35