November 19, 2024
2 minutes reading time
Braassemermeer, The Netherlands is hosting the 2023 Allianz World Para Sailing Championships from 11th to 166th August 2023. With 70 sailors from 24 countries. Are racing across 4 Paralympic sailing disciplines. Paris 2024 Paralympic Sailing Competition places will be awarded as well as 4 World Championships Medals
16 August 2023
Sailor’s Insight: One step at a time for Pedro and Guilherme – next up, the top step
Pedro Câncio Reis and Guilherme Ribeiro from Portugal had known each other for six years before getting the chance to sail together. Now the pair are great friends and have made great progress in the RS Venture Connect and Hansa 303 classes, taking part and medaling in regattas around the world. Guilherme shares their story.
“Pedro and I have known each other now for about 12 years, each in our own sailing club.
We’ve become great friends and have shared many regatta courses around the world.
In 2018 we wanted to take part in the RS Venture Connect World Championship for the first time, but for various reasons we were unable to do so and postponed our wish until the 2022 World Championship in Oman.
We had never sailed together before, so this was our first time. Without a single day of training, without knowing the boat, our RS Venture Connect adventure began in Mussanah.
The reality of sailing the RS Venture Connect is totally different from the Hansa 303, and the challenge was huge.
We are fortunate to have an experienced coach who knows and has mastered everything involved in sailing. Together with him, we quickly learned how to sail the RS Venture Connect.
Our participation in the World Championships in Oman didn’t start off as we’d hoped, and we had to work hard to improve our performance.
The final result was a great surprise for us and a huge desire to continue meeting and sailing in RS Venture Connect. We finished in 3rd place and the feeling was iincredible. We were very happy, and we wanted more!
The following year, at the 2023 Allianz Sailing World Championships in The Hague, The Netherlands, expectations were high and all our friends were also saying we want more!
They were fantastic days with very close competition, and, in the end, we came second on the podium, runners-up in the World Championships. We were so happy!
Today, we continue to train for around eight to ten hours a month with Hansa 303, as we don’t have any RS Venture Connect regattas in Portugal.
Our focus at the moment is on getting the financial support to buy an RS Venture Connect of our own so that we can train more often together and, ultimately, make the step up to become World Champions.”
Pedro and Guilherme recently competed at the RS Venture Connect World Championships in Rutland, finishing third and claiming the bronze medal.