The new board of directors of the Nautico de Vigo, with Justo González Ballesta de Presidente (Photo Faro de Vigo).

And it seems that it was yesterday that the most important nautical institution in Galicia enjoyed an enviable financial health with the historical Martín Barreiro in front of the ship of the Royal Nautical Club of Vigo... they ran the 1960s and the "Nautical" He had in his ranks nothing more and nothing less than two large Spanish snipes: Cholo Marina and Fernando Massó... had a splendid water polo team... had some real luxury remers like Franco Cobas and José Luis Méndez who together with three other Club athletes had represented Spain at the Rome Olympics... the Club breathed quality, sport and prestige for its pores... and also in box there were pesetas of those of then, in quantity.

But at the end of the decade, thanks to the efforts of the Nautico partners, who had the support of the then national sport leader, who years later would be the very President of the IOC: Juan Antonio Samaranch; the Club is embarking on building an excellent indoor and heated pool in Avenida plenas attached to the social building, with all the advances of the time... The attractive and modern infrastructure was concluded without problems, and it began to function, after a fabulous opening... but the increase in the energy costs of the fateful year 1973 led the Club to an unprecedented economic effort, in order to cover maintenance costs, and fossil fuel!... economic problems started little by little.

In 1978 he took the reins of the Nautical, Fernando Alonso Amat who had been Honorable Secretary of the Mount Real Yacht Club of Baiona, and with him is brought to Ramón Ameneirowho was the Treasurer on the same Board of Directors of the Villa de la Pinta Club. Both begin an unprecedented modernization of the Nautical... Alonso Amat which is Delegate of the Vigo Free Zone and a progressive man linked to the PCE staff, decides to open the Club to the City: his first measure is to cancel the entry fee, so the Nautical at least doubles its social mass. That causes two things: the first the increase and the second that there are not few partners who leave the Entity... among them many of the great "social prestige".

But the great project of Alonso Amat, with the support of the Engineer Antonio Gabriel García is that of the construction of the Sports Port, in front of the Club in the very center of Vigo. In the middle of the economic crisis, the Club is not treated with the generosity due by the institutions, and the financial support it receives is almost zero!. The one that does take responsibility for being next to the Nautical, is the Vigo Municipal Savings Fund which brings several hundred million for the play. The initial development of the pharaonic work cannot be more unfortunate... an error in the calculations, makes it repose the filling by increasing the work in many millions.

Manuel Frade, one of the best presidents of the Nautico in his history. He ruled the Club in the period 1996- 2004.

With the Club very indebted and on the brink of bankruptcy is appointed president another great vineyard and with many positive qualities, Carlos Espinosa Feijóo, which bet because the Nautical absorbs the Society of the Abets, with modern facilities in the municipality of Nigrán... very in the style of a country club. They enter several hundred partners, but they bring with them more debt, for the mortgage that weighs on their land and facilities. The debt is triggered, as well as the expenses by having two distant social headquarters 15 km between them... With all the fish sold, José María Massó is named as a new regator, which only makes the financial situation worse, with a frankly grey management.

It happens to him in the presidential poltrone, a man well known in Vigo and who had been President of the Royal Celtic Club: Rodrigo Arboneswhich in turn is replaced by one of the Club's best presidents: Manuel Frade. It gets a considerable increase in the social mass, and balances the accounts... that is forced to close the pool because of the important break that causes the Nautico, and in view of the unfortunate state of it... the pool is simply obsolete and does not hold the slightest review and security control by the authorities.

Franco Cobas clearly imposed on Felipe Regojo in the second elections in 2008 (Photo Faro de Vigo)

And the elections that are won by Franco Cobas that are imposed on two rival candidates clearly come. The entrance of the Olympic has as its first premise, to recover the pool and to modernize the facilities in Nigrán de los Abetos. To this end, a business company is created, which collects about three million euros in shares... Its management achieves its objectives, and also reduces the Club's historical debt. At the end of his term of office, there is a necessary investment of more than a million euros, in order to start the works of the renovation of the new Sports Port... the Club's debt is again set at the five million euros.

With a lot of tension, Viviana Rodríguez, an economist born in Argentina and who already matures her residence in Vigo, appears on the scene. It is surprising to win the elections to Cobas, and it starts a crusade to save the Club... the worst of its performance is that it faces a large part of the partners and while it says that it reduces the debt by about a million euros (?), achieving better agreements with the Harbour Authority of Vigo and certainly favored by the great decrease of the bank interest rates... it leaves the Nautico in an internal conflict of difficult exit... The social mass is down from 6,000 partners to 2,500!. He is forced to resign before the end of his term of office after a controversial management that has been at least, globally dark... His place has occupied him without electoral struggle, the doctor in Viguese medicineJust González Ballestaformer partner and athlete of the Club, with a past closely linked to the People's Party in the province of Pontevedra. Hard ballot has "Tito Ballesta" who has surrounded a group of prestigious partners, case of his right hand and vice president José Antonio Portela, which was already part of Manuel Frade of the Board of Directors. The new agent has decided to apply. Pre- Contest of Creditors in the face of the alarming debt that far exceeds the four million euros... I wish you success, and save for the Galician and Spanish nautical, one of your most historic clubs!