Portuguese Seas and Beaches

The Portuguese explorers sailed the seven seas.  Five hundred years later, sailing is still an important part of the Portuguese identity.

Men Training for the championships at Cascais

Cascais is hosting the Olympic class world sailing championships between June 28 and July 13, 2007.  Cascais was considered an obvious candidate and choice due to the natural conditions making it an ideal starting point for regattas and nautical sports in general.  This particular competition has set high goals.  The championship aims to ensure 75% of the qualifying participants for the upcoming Olympic Games in Peking 2008.  Approximately 1,700 sailors from 70 countries are participating.

Fishing, Busy Port and Summer Resort
Cascais had its first heyday in the 14th century, when the harbour town was a major stopping off point for boats on their way to Lisbon.  Therefore the former traditional fishing village was soon converted into a major busy port.  Cascais’ second period of glory was in the 1870s.  Also this time the town’s popularity was closely related to the ocean, this time linked to sea bathing.  Cascais was converted into a fashionable summer resort led on by King Dom Luis I, who chose to have the monarchy’s residence in Cascais.  This of course quickly spurred nobilities and wannabes to build palaces and villas in the town so they could spend their summers on the beach and in the water close to the royal family.  Today, Cascais is a cosmopolitan town that has retained some of its former aristocratic feel.

Besides official competitions such as the current world sailing championship and the upcoming first centenary of the International Sailing Federation in Estoril from July 11-13, 2007, the area is famed for its surfing conditions made even more tantalizing by the steep cliffs and caves.  After a day at the beach or on the sea, there’s shellfish freshly caught in the Atlantic Ocean for dinner.