Eight Bells: Gabriel Laiseca

Yesterday Gabriel Laiseca, who was Snipe world champion in 1957 in Cascais with Juan Manuel Alonso-Allende, passed away.

Gabriel Laiseca, a sailor with the Real Club Marítimo del Abra-Real Sporting Club, became interested in sailing at a young age. He started with a boat his uncle Juan Manuel owned, a small boat made at the Udondo shipyard. He would let him sail around the Abra at the ages of 13 and 14. The Aznar family had one moored and would let him use it too. Later, they started taking him as a crew member on the Snipe, especially the Count of Zubiría, who participated in almost every race.

Laiseca went unexpectedly to that World Championship because Juan Manuel Alonso-Allende was usually racing at the time with Miguel Real de Asúa, who was studying engineering. Since he failed the course that year, his father told him he had to study more to pass the classes. And Juan Manuel, who had previously won the Spanish Championship and was eligible to compete in the World Championship, asked Laiseca to crew for him. They started with local regattas, some in Santander and some in the Abra, until they went to the World Championship and then to the Rome Olympic Games three years later.

The following year, the World Championship was held in Brazil, and he sailed on the Flying Dutchman during 1958 and 1959. With that, they competed in races in Naples and other European locations, winning several races. The European Championship was held in Barcelona in 1959, and they also won. They reached the Olympics in their own right and finished 11th out of 23 countries. Laiseca sailed on two Fasnets, and in the second one he finished second in his class. Later, with Jorge Churruca and Juanito Olábarri, on the ‘Machichaco’, he was an official crew member. They finished among the top 10 out of 200 boats in the Fasnet. He also competed in the Plymouth-La Rochelle. Later, Gabriel Laiseca moved on to longer offshore racing. He crossed the Atlantic in 1992 with Álvaro Basterra, when they sailed from Cádiz to Santo Domingo. And then he enjoyed the Ay Madre, “the most fun boat I’ve ever sailed on,” he repeated. They won the Prince of Asturias Cup in Arcachon and at a Nautical Week in Santander. One of the great Biscayan sailors has passed away.