Image for the autumn history of 2002 in the Rosalía Castro: Arnau, José Angel, Recondo, Cholo and Paco Quiroga (Photo Salvador Sas)

Baiona Week was born on the initiative of the Baiona Yacht Club on the idea of the unforgettable Pepe Gandara... in one of the many terrulia to the socaire of the delicious fireplace of the main hall of the beautiful Monte Real, the Patriarch of the Gandara taught me as a novice that was in the world of the candle... we spoke of 1980, of October or November.

José was trying to convince me at a time when the child light candle was not well seen at the prestigious Club, at a time when his children had gone to compete for the Nautico de Vigo, as they offered them something they did not have: subsidies and support.

The situation changed, when the directive ordered me to recover some of its young stars... the first to fall was Javier, and it was also not difficult to bring José Jr... and later Angel and finally Andrés: four luxury sailors, and four registration boys.

As a result of this operation, two things happened: that my name began to sound in the candle and that with the help of Javier and Estanis Durán, who was the comandoro, we asked the following year for the Spanish Windsurfing Championship, and thanks to José Manuel Piñeiro I achieved my first great sponsor: Nivea Soler, as he was very friend of the delegate in Galicia.

Pepe's master lessons were many, but I remember some particular: we have to do equal boat races like the U.S. Congressional Cup (hence the match race races were born in 1982) and we have to do like Kiel, or La Rochelle or Hyeres... hence came the first precursor of Baiona Week, after Caixanova Week, and in the end of today's Abanca Week.

Many known at the historic round table (Photo Salvador Sas)

In Baiona we celebrated three successful editions of its Week... but the Mount Real Club of Yates suffered a great deal of stress, as it has splendid facilities for specific and limited events in volume... but to house one such as 1985: 60 snipes, 80 optimist, 80 TDV, 30 vaurien, 20 cadets, 25 First Class 8 and 45 IOR cruises... was simply crazy, magnificent... but crazy at the end.

When the opportunity was over, I went back to Pepe's idea, a week. And that happened in Vigo where for 11 years we had an agreement with the Nautico, an agreement that ended in 2012.

Well, in 2001 it was the first year we organized a Cultural Cycle and I personally requested support from Faro de Vigo, of course not!, and the good of Ceferino de Blas (q.e.p.d) supported the idea that he would participate that year CLUB FARO, as well as Fernando Navarrete who offered in the halls of the Royal Nautical Club a masterful conference on the Battle of Rande.

A round table was set up at the Rosalía Castro with the collaboration of Marisa Real, director of the Faro Club, which was not only historic... but unforgettable. It was attended by Caixanova Juan Díaz Arnau, the last three presidents of the Galician Federation of Vela then: Cholo Marina, Paco Quiroga and José Angel Rodríguez, and the editor-in-chief of sports of the dean of the Spanish press, in those distant years: Juan Carlos Recondo.

The atmosphere in the Rosalia Castro was distended and fun (Photo Salvador Sas)

But what happened earlier was the best. As the top representative of Caixanova Week, I went to pick up the three of them at their respective homes: first Paco Quiroga... then José Angel... and finally Cholo. I'd lie if I said everything was cordial... apparently yes... but the reality is that there was a bad thing... that's very polite... we talked about three gentlemen.

We arrived at the restaurant that Marisa Real had reserved for us. The place was a post restaurant... that of Toñi de Vicente in Teis... there were Juan Díaz Arnau (without a doubt one of the people who has worked most for Caixanova Week and the one who managed to make it first to Novagalicia Week Bank and then to Abanca Week) and the good of Ceferino waiting for us... amen de Marisa, of course.

The food was very nice and from there with all the more distended, we went to the one that is currently the Teatro Afundo... which was waiting for us with an exceptional atmosphere... full of friends... that we will try in this 2024 the same with the tribute that we have prepared to the great Fernando Navarrete... which will be next October 4 at 7: 00.

Manuel Pedro Seoane
Secretary General of the Weeks of Baiona, Caixanova, Novagalicia Banco and Abanca