And we are in August 1989 in the unparalleled bay of Cadiz, in the Port of Santa Maria. The crews of the ships participating in the Omega Dos Bahia Regata (Palma de Mallorca- Puerto Sherry) they are in a hurry to get ready; because multiple failures on the one hand, together with the delay in arrival on the other, cause the expected Grand Prix of Vela Baileys to suffer a 24-hour delay.

I knew the good of Nicholas Terry was a little superstitious.... but what I lived was beyond the imaginable. On the night that it was decided to delay the beginning of the Baileys, we went to dinner with José Luis Suevos, Pedro Pablo Parrado and José María Tió (who was the marketing director of Cepsa) to the phenomenal Hotel Monastery and the waiter who served Coly, he did it with his left hand turning the bottle and filling his cup... in the face of the general surprise... Coly jumped like a frog and threw conjures at the same time as he threw salt on his back... to avoid the "Waiter's malage"... I'm like "grace" I threw an open salter on the table... and The one who set me up, Coly.... From that one, the truth is, we go through it with the easy joke... what patience Terry showed!

The Baileys was a total success, and ended with the victory of the "Larios" of Gonzalo de Córdoba, the Duke of Arion.... after her turn for Osborne Nautical Week, the "Sherry" with no less than 80 high-level ships in competition... that started with "escaped" from a ship in measurements and with a tantrum in the offices of Puerto Sherry...

The measurements were so as not to forget in life... I prefer to ignore the name of the shipowner of the half-ton in question: the IOR Suso Tornero Meter enters the race office... goes to Coly and says: "there are problems with a ship... lead looks like a wood painted with silver purpurine."... and there Nicholas left, to whom traps do no gracewith a sharp object to check it out... and what is the surprise of both, when they see the pure blood fleeing from "Port Sherry" raudo and fast, to every machine...What came out of the Cory's mouth!with all the reason and more...

Pedro Campos was very angry at starring in a tantrum with Perico Sardina... the reason is that the magnificent journalist, who wrote in Marca, published a column that day that he prayed as a headline "Captain Spider."... in reference to the Galician pattern... why?, because simply Peter made the exit of the Omega Dos Bahia in Palma to the cane of his ship, and within a few miles, he discreetly landed, leaving his crew to cover the test for the port: Luckily the blood did not reach the river, andeverything was summarized to a strong discussion without greater significance, of the witnesses Julio González Babé (who was in the Sherry as the owner of the "Conservas Miau"), Coly and I.

In the Nautical Week, Pedro Campos defeated his "Bobadilla 103," with the second being the "Cepsa" armed by Suevos and Galnares as the patron... and the third the "Aifos" with Don Felipe de Borbón on the pole... To give an idea of the enormous equality in the last and decisive test,Pedro Campos was imposing on the Milmi ship for six seconds!...

What a piece of race the Sherry was!with an excellent playful part... the visit to the Osborne Bodegas, the party in Valdelagrana, the capeas, the marine dinners with Coly of host, the exquisite kindness of Joselito Escribano and Angel Ruiz, the excellent work of Claire Fillol and José Antonio Osborne... and above all I cannot forget the Horrible brat of the megaphony of the Royal Nautical Club of the Port of Santa Maria... Don Norberto Jimene calls him a phone... Don Norberto Jiméne calls him a phone!... like this all afternoon...

Suevos no longer saw Campos as a distant rival... his boat already had a chance to beat him. The award ceremony, in Valdelagrana, was apotheosic and correct by all, despite the enormous tension experienced. The anecdotal note was given by a very special shipowner: Nacho Jáuregui, of the First 51 "Zorongo," who had Alvaro Basterra as captain who achieved the gold catavin of the cruise class (and that would also win the Prince of Asturias in Baiona).

The Basque shipowner of the Maritime of Abra, when he collected his prize... he tied himself to the micro and let us off when thousands of dinner attendees a speech like that "Fidel,"of those eternal... very well it was not understood... But what was clear is that he self proclaimed himself as, hero. amateur The curious thing is that in his new "Zorongo," Jáuregui would become part of the group of cruises who accepted commercial support, to which he put a lot of reed on that beautiful night in Valdelagrana.

At the end of the main ships they went up to Baiona, where they were waiting for the Trophy Prince of Asturias, which in 1989 battered all the records: about 90 ships of which 45 were level class IOR!.

I remember that many Portuguese ships, from Porto and Lisbon, had been registered on Mount Real. One of them was the three-room design by Tony Castro"Feitiço" by Antonio Serodio... whose family is one of the great wine producers of Porto. Serodius was the ethnologist of one of the top brands of this designation of wine origin.

I introduced him to Suevos at the Yacht Club bar, and he said: "Enchanted Antonio, I really wanted to meet you, because I've been told a lot about you... I'd be interested in buying you wine to sell in Spain... right now I can commit to order you a million bottles."... Serodius was surprised and answered "If we don't sell them in our best market, in England, a year..." And there was the whole bluff... the Portuguese every time we agreed, it reminds me of it, laughing.

Back in the race, the level was amazing. José Luis presented two one ton: one the "Cepsa" and the other the "Cortalseldex"... with a full female crew with Pitita Vilariño, Marta Reboreda... with many of those who had been part of the "Hello" in the turn to Spain. The departure from Marin Military Naval School was spectacular, with a wind of the "east" that made the fleet go out in search of the beacon of dismantling to Pontevedra... we were very lucky that nothing happened... For the boat to the "girls" went out of prayer on the turn of the beacon due to the strong wind and the sea... the tragedy was masked.

The sponsor of the Prince's Trophy was the missing Caixa Galicia... and The curious thing was the warning of his then public relations and communication team.who transmitted to his Director General that he should go to Lisbon (I don't know what act), because Don Felipe would not attend the closing ceremony on Mount Real and if the Lisbon event... the theme was discussed with them... in private we said: "you are wrong, not public please, but the Prince is confirmed with absolute security"... erre que erre, and José Luis Méndez (the Fund's mandate) He was going to Lisbon.

The best thing is that when we met at the lunch and had finished the delivery... I would tell the "ready from your cabinet"... I would like to see Mendez's face tomorrow when I call you to his office to explain that the Prince was not in Lisbon... He's gonna fuck you up....

By the way, one of the sponsors was Citroen. Well, its commercial general director was a good friend: Emilio Arteaga... on the starting line with Galicia Television in false direct, placed next to the exit beacon a large motor yacht, full of stewardess dressed in corporate clothes from his company and when the start horn rang, the girls opened a red and white parasols. "all at once"with Citroen's chevrons... it was spectacular.The idea had been of Gama Strategies, the agency contracted by Arteaga, whose director was an intimate friend of José Luis Suevos, who apparently proposed the successful advertising action.

On the ground, in the main hall of Mount Real, Citroen installed a "cyclotron" (a large screen composed of 12 30 ″ 4 × 3 televisions) and in it were projected reports of the race of the day and especially live every night at nine, the summary of the day of the autonomous TV... well before the images the Rolex offer appeared: "Rolex offers you the best images of the Prince of Asturias Trophy"... and then there were three advertising spots that were the ones that supported the broadcast economically: they were a Citroen spot and two that had got me the Milmi that always gave me a hand to cover the emission costs... one of the ONCE and another of RENFE!... the one in which a caravan of cars go in the Holy Week plan at the turn of the purrum purrum purrum And pass a train to full milk... It was a spot that car firms hated!...

I remember Luis Porro, who was one of Citroen's leaders, addressed me and the very angry Milmi and said: Who put this spot in!And we both blamed it on some TV technician, who we didn't know about, "Some of us got it on TV, what do you want me to say... I have no idea... I'll complain!"

Pedro Campos again won the Prince of Asturias Trophy, which by the way had as a leader in the first day the "Bombay Gin" of Javier Gandara who had already won the Rías Baixas Regata in Vigo in summer and was no other ship than the "Meridian" 1 / 4 Ton world champion in Falmouth, with the Italian Pompeo Busnello to the cane. The "Cepsa" fought the unspeakable but failed to defeat Cuntis.

And another season for history... and we are at the gates of the 1989 Barcelona Nautical Hall... on the horizon the Offshore of Puerto Portals and especially the World Cup of Quarter Ton... but that remains for the seventh installment that we will hang on Sunday at 10: 00... eye to the anecdota of the Milmi in the presentation held in Madrid of the World Motonautica of Mallorca... for me the most friendly, of which has starred this very peculiar asturian...

will continue