Horta Bay, on the island of Faial in the Azores, was once again the center of attention during Sea Week, with a program full of nautical events. In the dynamic apnea with fins competition, Eliara Hazeboek stood out among the children with 26 meters. In comparison, Fruzsi Nemes won the women’s event with 110 meters and Guy Powiecki won the men’s event with 145 meters. The whaling boat regattas mobilized crews from the three islands of the Triangle.

In the RTP Açores Staff House whaling boat sailing competition, victory went to Boavista, from the Santa Cruz das Ribeiras Nautical Club, with Gaspar Batista as officer. In the women’s whale boat rowing race, Casa do Pessoal da RTP Açores, DR/CMH Canoagem – Prova de Esperanças de Mat AA 45+ won in 2h29m11s, and Maria Armas won the women’s race in 2h43m48s. Rui Tejo (1969) was the oldest athlete in the competition, and Isabel Rosa (2010) was the youngest. The Senhora da Guia boat, from the Feteira Parish Council, with Rute Matos as officer, was the fastest. In contrast, in the men’s rowing competition, the Casa do Pessoal da RTP Açores whaling boats triumphed with the São Joaquim boat, from the Clube Náutico de Santa Cruz das Ribeiras, with Paulo Alves as officer. Emma Melo, from Clube Naval de São Roque do Pico, won the Esperanças de Mar race. In sea canoeing, Alexandra Peixoto, from Clube Naval da Horta, secured first place.

The traditional Prova dos Clássicos was won by Ana Pinto and Nuno Fraião. In the mini sailboats, Neri Goulart was the winner. In the Faial–Pico Channel Crossing (Carlos Silva e Filho Lda), Diogo Vieira, in the men’s AA 16–44 category, completed the race in 2h49m03s. In the Long Dock Crossing, Gustavo Hachmeister, in the men’s category, reached the finish line after 8m36s66.

In the Short Dock Crossing, the winners were Tomás Tejo, in the men’s under-15 category, with a time of 4m25s34, and Beatriz Silva, in the women’s under-15 category. Other winners included Diogo Vieira in the men’s under-25 category with a time of 3:53:05, Isabel Rosa in the women’s under-25 category with a time of 4:30:80, Gustavo Caraça in the men’s master category with a time of 3:48:00, and Aurora Nunes in the women’s master category with a time of 5:14:51. In cruising sailing, Luís Morais, on Boreas, won the Regata dos Solitários as well as the Regata do Canal 7 7 (NHC class).

Jolly Jumper won the Horta Zim Garoupa Trophy (ORC) with a time of 1h05m52s and also the Regata das Sereias (NHC class), with Ana Gonçalves at the helm. In the Cidade da Horta Trophy for light sailing, Tomás Santos, from the Clube Naval de Ponta Delgada, won in Optimist, Bernardo Moura, from the Clube Naval de Ponta Delgada, in ILCA 4, and Jorge Pires, from the Clube Naval da Horta, in ILCA 6.

The traditional Regata dos Velhotes was won by Fernando Decq Mota. Sea Week also featured windsurfing competitions, sport fishing, and workshops, in what is the largest nautical event in the Azores. Of particular note was the nautical performance workshop with national sea canoeing champion Bernardo Pereira.

In Tribuna das Ilhas, Carolina Maciel, journalist, and Susana Garcia, director. Photos from Tribuna das Ilhas and the Municipality of Horta.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.