Conde Martins, the Kid who Won the 1953 Worlds

In 1953, more than 70 years ago, in Monaco, Antonio Jose Conde Martins won the Snipe World Championship on his boat “Garrancho” #9294. He was 17 years. Now he lives in Parede, near Cascais.

In this nice article/interview (in Portuguese) published on the website Mediotejio.net you can look at many photos taken in Monaco and read some interesting anecdote about the 1953 Snipe Worlds and his life.

Here is a small excerpt of this article:

“This result [the victory of an international regatta in Spain] led the Portuguese Sailing Federation to choose António José Conde Martins to represent Portugal in the World Championship, which took place in Monaco, in September 1953.

The choice for the crew was Fernando Lima Bello, from the ‘sharpies’ class, “with extensive experience”, including having been to Monaco the previous year on the occasion of the Easter Regatta, and therefore knowing the waters where they would sail well.

The Portuguese duo performed in a competition with fifteen countries, with teams of “great value” and with better technical conditions, namely the world champion, representing Argentina, the North American champion Tom Froster, the representative of Denmark, European champion and “the very strong” sailors from Italy, France, Switzerland and Cuba.

It happened that the North American team, which should have won, was disqualified in one of the races. “He hit a mark that needed to be circled. And at that time being disqualified in a race meant last place. So the advance I made in points, with care, was enough to win the World Championship”, he says, in his modesty.

Regardless of luck or bad luck, especially because the winds were light, which was not the most favorable for the Portuguese team, maintaining regularity throughout the five regattas sailed, they obtained first place in the final classification, becoming world champions in their class.

However, until the victory in Monaco, the journey that led to the participation of the three Portuguese sailors (Conde Martins, Lima Bello and as a substitute Antunes Fernandes) was an adventure.

The Portuguese Sailing Federation did not have a budget for the competition, but due to the commitment of the coordinator of the Sailing Center, João da Costa Barata, a “great driver” of the team’s trip to the Championship, the trip there also took place thanks to the father of the substitute sailor , owner of a fleet of taxis, who provided a taxi “disguised” with a trailer, taking the team by road for two thousand kilometers.”

Read more

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Read also:

1953 Snipe Worlds in Monaco

Monaco

Eight Bells: Fernando Lima Bello

Le 1er Tournoi international de Snipes (1952)

#7082 “Snowball”

#9294 “Garrancho”

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