A three month expedition in the replica of a C16th vessel will take in four ports in a journey of an estimated 170 nautical miles.
The caravel set sail yesterday from Lagos heading to Seville to promote the Algarve to the Spanish in a three month maritime expedition.
This symbol of the days of the Portuguese discoveries will dock for a fortnight at the Delícias jetty in Seville and will serve as a stage for a cooking show for the local media and officials who will be invited to sample Algarve cataplanas prepared by a team from the Algarve’s Tertulia restaurant.
Then the caravel will set off across the bay to Cadiz and on to Malaga and Almeria where it will remain as a tourist attraction with onboard promotional materials and merchandise from the Algarve.
The September return to the Algarve after 89 days on tour along the Andalusian coast will conclude the trip organised by the Algarve Tourism Board with the support of Fundación Nao Victoria.
"This promotional activity is very appealing. Instead of the Algarve being shown in traditional media, we are showing our connection to the sea and its food, all in a boat 23.8 metres long," said Silva.
"We expect to welcome thousands of people aboard during these months, so we are confident that the name and the tourist offer of the Algarve region will be widely disseminated among residents of Andalusia, and also among its tourists who are on vacation in a Spanish region which has about 39 million tourist overnight stays per year, 20 million of which are by foreigners," commented Silva.
The caravel was developed in about 1450, based on existing Moorish fishing boats, under the sponsorship of Prince Henry the Navigator and soon became the preferred vessel for Portuguese explorers.
Being smaller and having a shallow keel, the caravel could sail upriver in shallow coastal waters. With the lateen sails attached, it was highly maneuverable and could sail much nearer the wind, while with the square Atlantic-type sails attached, it was very fast. The caravel's economy, speed, agility, and power made it the best sailing vessel of its time.
The limited capacity for cargo and crew were their main drawbacks, but did not hinder its success and was widely used in the profitable spice trade.
Since the Boa Esperança's launch in 1990, it has sailed to northern European and Mediterranean ports, and has a regular programme of engagement with local schools. In 2008 the caravel made it as far as Cannes in southern France in time for the International Film Festival.
In 2012 the then president of the Algarve Tourism Board, António Pina said the caravel must be sold due to budget cuts, “There is no money," explained Pina recalling that the caravel was acquired in 2000 as part of an application from Sagres to be listed as a UNESCO heritage site.
The acquisition of the caravel by the tourist board in 2000 for €75,000 was of course subsidised by EU funds but Pina said in 2012 that "maintenance costs around €100,000 - €150,000 per year."
An offer by a businessman of €60,000 in 2012 was rejected but there has been help from Lagos council to keep the caravel afloat with a surprisingly generous contract over four years ending in 2012 costing local Lagos ratepayers €100,000 a year - half this sum from then on.
With the current tourist board chief cutting traditional press advertising there now may a budget to keep this replica caravel afloat and promoting the Algarve region as was first planned, and then mishandled.
