This weekend, 04/17/2023, we were in Combarro, in the last winter race where 51 boats took to the water again with perfect conditions for racing, 10 knots, West quadrant and the wind entering Ria de Pontevedra. The championship, which consists of 6 qualifying stages, where we have to travel to the North of Spain, and sail in the Pontevedra estuary, had our last race with a bitter second place in ORC3.

The race committee set up the field next to Marim and we left towards the sea, with an average intensity of 10 knots they did a long race of 8 miles, where the wind at the exit of the estuary grew to 15/18 and allowed a good recovery by JAVITUDO, having in real placed 1st, followed by "Espita" and "Quen vai". With a small failure of the Regatas Commission in the times it did not allow that the classification had guaranteed the first place in corrected and in turn final championship.

The fleet is to be congratulated for its participation and organization for the championship in general. The award ceremony took place at Liceo Casino de Pontevedra and the podiums ended with Orion leading in class 1, Froiz, RONautica Marinas in class 2 Abanca, Quen Vai ended up being awarded first place and our boat Javitudo in second in Class 3, North Sails, five Albariño islands in Class 4 Murimar Segus, Secolite in solitary class and two "IASI" in classics.

Next year, the organization returns with the 10th edition and again counts with most of the sailors.

Jaime Baptista and João Gil were present at the Spring Tournament, at Alfeite. CNOCA, Clube Naval dos Oficiais e Cadetes da Armada, annually organizes this trophy and invited the crew to travel to Alfeite to participate in another race over the weekend. The test, of the Snipe class, had a total of 14 crews. Divided into Saturday and Sunday, the race, held at the mar da Palha regatta field, had on the first day winds from the north that rose progressively from 10 to 15 knots. The crew had an OCS (they started early) to start the championship and they had good feelings on the tack, but in the sterns they had difficulties in adapting to the boat. Making 12th and 8th place, the crew was unable to walk in front and overlap the other sailors this time. Already on the second day, there was a substantial increase in the intensity of the wind, which led the crew to measure the consequences of venturing to a racing field with a lot of wind. The duo Jaime Baptista (CNAFF) - João Gil (Mentor) secured the 13th place in the general classification, but above all another participation in the snipe championships.

This weekend we were in Sanxenxo, in the winter regatta where 50 boats took to the water again but this time we didn't manage to make a single start. The championship, which is made up of 6 qualifying stages where we have to travel to the North of Spain, this time did not allow the boats to compete due to the lack of wind.

The race committee tried and the fleet waited patiently in the Pontevedra estuary, until finally the organization made the decision to end the day without having been able to complete the race. As Jano Martín said: "We had some hope, but we see that conditions have not improved at half past four in the afternoon when we made the decision". Not even in Baiona, where the J80 class also had a championship, it remained afloat, with no regattas taking place.

Thus, the fleet will meet again on March 11th in Belusos, where the fourth stage of the circuit will take place. The podiums continued with Orion leading in class 1, Froiz, Balea Dous in class 2 Abanca, our boat Javitudo in Class 3, Velas North , five Albariño islands in Class 4 Murimar Segus, Secolite in solitary class and two "optics Campelo" and "Cassandra" in classics.

With the race not held, the existence of a discard is no longer a possibility, and there is a much tighter and more competitive fight until the end, with no boat being able to make a slip that would allow it to be overtaken in the ranking.

MENTOR reached a podium again, this time in a "at home" championship MAKAI led the regatta winning in real and corrected in the carnival regatta. In the local championship that brought together the main vessels in the region organized by CNAFF, only one race was held.

The crew participated in this championship in light wind conditions, with a sharp decrease towards the end of the first race, which led the race committee to shorten the race calendar. The wind was blowing from the East with 5 knots of intensity and with a sea wave influencing the options of the crews. The crew with Miguel Fonseca at the helm led MAKAI to victory. Having newbies on board who competed for the first time aboard a sailboat allowed them to understand some concepts of sailing in a fleet. The team led the race managing to finish within the target time.

After a long wait, the race committee decided that there were no conditions to continue the championship and sent the fleet to Porto and the prize giving party.

MENTOR participated in the carnival tournament, but the winds are not always right. The championship, which is one of the main national events, once again had a large turnout, with 24 snipe crews participating, 31 ILCA 4 and 31 ILCA 6, 31 crews of 420 and 102 optimists, the waters of Vilamoura were once again filled with so much see her.

The crew, Vitor Fernandes and João Gil participated in this championship with several constraints that translate into many stories to tell, unfortunately with more incidents on the road than at sea. The team was only present in the water on two occasions and neither were they happy. They were unable to participate on the first day, on the second day, they completed the first race and João ended up having to come ashore to be assisted and on the last day they had a breakdown (this time on the boat) and did not finish the first race of the day.

What counts is the good mood and the contests of "who wants to be a snipista" about the date on which the snipe was drawn? Sailing is also overcoming and joining several events that may or may not lead to an excellent result. In any case, the crew is confident and remains resilent for the next races. Now it remains to correct the bad luck, repair the boat and continue competing.

The sailboat JAVITUDO, an ELAN 333, wins the ORC3 class in real and corrected in the international regatta of Ria Pontevedra. Championship that brings together more than 50 vessels is, according to the organization, the most participated winter championships in Spain for ORC cruises.

The crew participated in this championship with mild wind conditions, with a lot of instability that caused the cancellation of several starts, until it was possible, already with the West quadrant, to start a race with 7 knots of wind. The fleet of 49 boats set off for what would become the only race of the day, with wind conditions ranging from 5 to 10 knots and which had a view of the fantastic Ria de Pontevedra with an enviable sunny day. The crew, with Miguel Fonseca at the helm, led JAVITUDO to win, moving to first place in the championship. "We are going to try the best regularity of the crew to create a great cohesion, the crew has several profiles that allow to potentiate the results in the term and that we are getting from early on". The invitation made to the skipper by JAVITUDO allows the team to regularly hold championships outside Portugal and gain experience in other regatta fields.

In this championship there will still be 4 more races until April, and there will certainly be several challenges to overcome to reach the last stage at the front, but the team is focused on taking all the advantages of the boat and making the most of this experience.

Sailors Nuno Duarte and Vasco Justino win the regatta Engº. António Duarte Silva in light sailing with a 420. Organized by CNAFF, the commemorative regatta that was not in the championship, quickly brought together several local sailors for this sailing party.

The race took place on the seafront of Figueira da Foz, during the weekend of the 28th of January. Challenging weather conditions with winds of 20 knots led sailors to defy the low temperatures and head out on the water. The sun was noticeable with a clear sky and helping to give a fresh summer touch to the day.

Despite the fact that some crews did not complete the two races, having to abandon due to very strong wind conditions, Nuno and Vasco managed to overcome their opponents, having won the light sail and disputed the first place in real with the cruises.

On cruises he won Fifty Five by Saúl Pereira, followed by Larimar by José Santos and Natura by António Vaz.

For championships of different classes, boats with different models, dimensions and sail plan, use a handicap system to be able to haggle in a more uniform way. Since they all have different speeds and if there is no monotypy class (all boats of the same model competing) there are different speeds in the racing fleet.

In a simplified way, with a competition open to all classes, a 20-foot sailboat competes against a 50-foot sailboat. Metaphorically, a Twingo against a Ferrari are different cars, but with a time correction they can compete with each other.

It is for this reason that ANC, ORC ratings, among others, were created to make the actual results more comparable between the various models of boats in competition. There are calculation formulas in the ratings with the measurements of the boats for a closer comparison of the crews.

It is also necessary in monotype tests that there is a technical commission to check the reality of the measurements of the boats. When the boat is modified, or when the participant has new sails the materials need to be measured. If there are rules for the class, all requirements must be met, so that you can compete correctly against other opponents.

In this way, MENTOR promoted the participation of members in the training program of the Portuguese Sailing Federation, allowing knowledge in the region to measure boats, improving the conditions for the possibility of having an accredited entity to assess the legality of the participant measures.

training program

Part 1 - Use of the equipment

Section A – During an event

Class Rules

Certificates

equipment position

Part 2 - Definitions

Section C – General Settings

Section D – Hull Definitions

Section E - Hull Appendices Definitions

Section F – Rigging Definitions

Section G – Definitions about sails

This time MENTOR at home wins the Christmas Cup in real time, organized by CNAFF. MENTOR, on a real summer day, managed to lead both races from start to finish. The race, which closed the calendar of the club with the presence of local sailors, with a total of 5 crews.

The race took place on the seafront of Figueira da Foz, during the weekend of December 17th. Counting only one day of regatta with light southwest wind with only 5 to 6 knots, allowing to finish only 2 races.

Miguel Fonseca, Edgar Faria, Vitor Fernandes, Pedro Horta e Vale and António Caseiro dominated the entire fleet, winning the first race in corrected time and finishing second after a shortened course.

At the end, there was a get-together at the Tapas Restaurant where the crews could share good times spent on the water and wish them a fantastic festive season. This fraternization serves incessantly so that new strategies can be defined for the following year, underlying the need to enhance the participation of all members of the various clubs in the region in organized competitions and where an attempt was made to establish a way of diversifying the participation of new athletes.

MENTOR went to Oporto to participate in the Engº Manuel Pessanha Trophy - Regional Snipe Championship in the North zone. This regatta was organized by the Clube de Vela Atlântico, which annually pays homage to Engº Manuel Pessanha and his family, who have maintained a connection with the sea and sailing for 3 generations. The race, simultaneously the North Regional Championship of the Snipe class, had a total of 13 crews from Porto, Lisbon and Figueira da Foz. This time it was up to the helmsman Miguel Fonseca to team up with the bow João Gil, a crew made up entirely of MENTOR sailors.

The race took place on the seafront of Matosinhos, during the weekend of the 5th and 6th of November, with a light southwest wind of just 5 to 6 knots on the first day, allowing only 2 races to be completed. Already on the second day, there was an increase in the wind and instability of the sea with the wind direction being maintained. Despite these difficult conditions, the fleet carried out 3 more races, fulfilling the championship program in full.

Pedro Roquette and Diogo Talone were overall and Master winners, followed by Luis Pessanha and Diogo Machado in second place and Miguel Leite and Nuno Coleta closing the podium. The duo that represented the Municipality and Porto of Figueira da Foz, Miguel Fonseca - João Gil, with two fourth places in the batch of results, secured the 6th place in the general classification.

These results are relevant to show that, despite the youth of the Snipe fleet at Figueira da Foz, the crews at the mouth of the Mondego are able to compete with the rest of the national fleets.

On the other hand, they show the importance of participating in competitions outside Figueira da Foz to compare experience, pace and pace with the best regional and national sailors, increasing the capacity and experience of sailors in the region.

Miguel Fonseca, president of MENTOR, shares that “It is with great desire that we would like to bring more people to the sport, teach sailing and take advantage of the experiences acquired to help cultivate sportsmanship, nautical culture and the teaching of this very complete sport. It is in this context and with these values always present, that the MENTOR Academy is developing specific training for adults in this sports area, with the aim of promoting the attraction of new members to this sport.”

The Snipe fleet from Figueira da Foz was present at the Conde Martins - Fernando Lima Bello Trophy, in Alfeite. CNOCA, Clube Naval dos Oficiais e Cadetes da Armada, annually organizes this trophy as a tribute to Commander Conde Martins and Fernando Lima Bello, the only Portuguese sailors to have won a world championship in Snipe. The race, simultaneously the National Masters Championship of the Snipe class, had a total of 23 crews from all over the country. Divided into Saturday and Sunday, the race, held at the mar da Palha regatta field, had winds from the North on the first day that hovered to the Northwest and progressively rose from 6 to 10 knots. Already on the second day, there was permanent instability in the direction of the wind, which, being very weak, greatly complicated the task of setting up the race field by the Race Committee (CR). Despite these difficult conditions, CR managed to hold 4 of the 6 scheduled races. The Figueira da Foz crews had a very remarkable performance in this race. The duo Jaime Baptista (CNAFF) - João Gil (Mentor) secured 5th place in the general classification and 2nd place in the Grand Master category (helmsmen aged 65 or over). The crew Antonio Baio Dias (CNAFF) - Catarina Sousa (ANM) achieved 12th place in the general classification and 4th place in the Master category. These results reward the work of the Snipe fleet in Figueira da Foz and whet the appetite for the Northern Region Regional Championship, to take place on the 5th and 6th of November in Leixões.

The Infante Regatta took place in Porto on the weekend of September 17th, the team that came from Baiona to Porto, to participate in this important sailing championship and festival, was in the spotlight having finished in 2nd place. Through exciting regattas, moments of conviviality between participants and Lusiadas employees and health lectures on topics such as food, sleep, among others, the focus was on promoting healthy lives.

As usual, this event included the Women On Water Portugal, an exclusive regatta for women's teams, and the XII Regata do Infante, which once again brought together a record number of 57 boats in the waters of the Atlantic front of Porto.

In addition to its sports component, this event has an important component for inclusion or, as we like to say, non-exclusion. For the second consecutive year, the S!M Somos Capazes project joined this party with coffee sales, musical shows and the “Yes, We Do Regatas!” well deserved, since, for the first time, they sailed the race from start to finish with good disposition, courage and nautical knowledge acquired throughout the year!

An excellent organization by BBDouro to which we would like to congratulate you again for the organization.

MENTOR opens its participation in the Príncipe de Asturias Championship, organized by the MRCYB, which took place from September 02 to 04, 2022. The Championship was the first highly competitive race in which this newly formed team participated. The Boat, an M34 designed for the return to France, was being prepared throughout the summer at the Figueira Iates shipyard to compete with the best boats on the Iberian peninsula, having participated in the ORC3 class.

The crew, led by Miguel Fonseca, is feeling the boat for the first time and is made up of members of the MENTOR team who made their debut in this regatta environment and others who have been competing for several years in other sailing classes and who find here a way to promote sport in the region. Despite the results not having reflected the work of the crew and the preparation of the boat, Miguel says "that they are positive, we won 3 of the 5 races in real and we didn't participate in a race due to a breakdown. superior to ours. The boat needs to be optimized to be able to truly compare speeds with bigger and faster boats. However, I feel that we have done a good job with the conditions we have at this stage and we have a way to go to get the best out of the boat."

Since 2010, MENTOR has been creating means for sport to develop in the region with the training and participation of athletes in relevant competitions. "We plan to participate in the Infante regatta, in Porto later this month and return to Figueira da Foz with more knowledge."