Surname bermudez de castro arouses as much admiration as respect in the sailing world. ‘Chuny’, who received his passion for the sea from his father, is undoubtedly one of the best Spanish ocean sailors. In addition to having participated in seven trips around the world, on his resume is the incredible victory aboard Abu Dhabi in the 2014-15 edition. His name appears in gold letters in the history books of The Ocean Race (Juan Vila and he are the only Spaniards to win this regatta) and he can rest easy because his saga continues. In the current edition He has sailed in two stages of the VO65 Sprint Cup with his son, Carlos, and he has shown, at just 18 years old, that he is ready to pick up the baton in a few years. “It has been a brutal experience and an honor to be able to sail together”, he commented.
Carlos, born in A Coruña like his father, is in the United States studying businessbut has obtained permission to carry out a ‘master’ on water. His father, Chuny, recruited him to go with him aboard the VO65 Viva México for the stage between Alicante and Cape Verde and later called him back to do the last one, from The Hague to Genoa, with the Mirpuri/Trifork Racing Team, which has Helly Hansen as one of its sponsors. “It is a luxury and an honor to be able to sail with my father. I am living everything that he told me and saw when I followed him as a child. It is fantastic and an opportunity that I try to make the most of”, says Carlos Bermúdez de Castro. The Spanish press traveled to Genoa to cover the last stage of The Ocean Race, including AS, met with him and his father at the Porto Antico in Genoa and from the beginning it was shown that they are like two peas in a pod. “My wife already tells me, that she answers the same as me,” Chuny warns about her son. Carlos has always shown a passion for the sea and it is that, at only 16 years old, he made his debut as an ocean sailor. He was in The Ocean Race Europe, and of course, also with his father. There is no better teacher and Carlos is trying to absorb it all: “I really enjoy it and the truth is that I feel very comfortable. Everyone treats me great. Sailing with my father is an honor.” Does the surname Bermúdez de Castro have weight? “I know my father has done very important things, but he doesn’t put pressure on me. It’s more of a source of pride. Also, I know that he is there for everything he needs. It’s amazing to be here with him.”
During the talk, ‘Chuny’ looks at his proud son. Of course, she is letting him harden and follow in her footsteps. Like when Carlos was the first to offer to climb the mast in the middle of the Atlantic. ‘Chuny’ did not hesitate to take a picture with his mobile phone and send it to his wife, his mother, and the response was instantaneous: “But are you crazy? How do you let the child get on there? ”, Chuny says while he and his son cannot stop smiling. Of course, once downstairs, he sent the following message: “All good, safe and sound.” The connection between the two is to praise and the question about whether he will take him around the world again in the future, Chuny ‘did not take long to come out: “He is the one who should take me anyway. The truth is that I am very happy with him. He is responsible and points out very good manners ”. Of course, first the studies. “You have to have a plan B because in this world you never know. So first you have to continue studying and get your degree in the United States. Later, the sea”, ‘Chuny’ added that he knows what he is talking about. Before his debut in the world tours with Galicia Pescanova, in 1993-94, Javier de la Gándara urged him to do the same, to study. And he hasn’t been bad at all. Carlos is at that same point now to make good that of such a stick, such a splinter.
They lived in first person the attack of the orcas in Gibraltar
One of the most intense moments of this edition of The Ocean Race was the orcas attack on two VO65s, Team JAJO and Mirpuri Trifork Racing. In the latter, ‘Chuny’ and his son Carlos were on board and they were more ‘lucky’ than the Dutch ship. This yes, was thanks to the strategy of ‘Chuny’. After sighting the group of orcas in the Atlantic Ocean west of Gibraltar, the Spanish skipper set out to sail fast and close to the coast. This prevented the orcas from getting too close to them. Team JAJO did not do the same, but stopped short and that is why the scare could end in tragedy. The killer whales hit the rudders, and came to bite them, but fortunately there were no injuries or material damage. “It’s something you have to be very careful with. In Galicia the same thing happens to us with orcas. A solution must be found because there may be a very big problem. We must all row in the same direction”, added a ‘Chuny’ who, like the biologists, does not know the reason for the behavior of these orcas, which have been involved in a large number of incidents with boats in recent months.