São Vicente: Abraão Vicente asks the private sector to take “greater advantage” of the Ocean Race

The Minister of the Sea today exhorted private sector operators to take “greater advantage” from the stay of the world's biggest regatta, in Mindelo, and do “exceptional business” with the opening of the Ocean Race Village.

Abraão Vicente made the appeal, in Mindelo, when asked by the press about the preparations for the arrival of the Ocean Race sailboats, expected in Mindelo from this Friday, the 20th, until the 25th.

The event, according to the official, will boost the economy of the island of São Vicente, but, he advocated, it is necessary that local operators, namely restaurants, bars, artisans, shops and others, know how to take advantage.

“This is a job that the State cannot do”, he warned, pointing to the example of a few days ago with the passage of a cruise ship with hundreds of passengers visiting a “stopped city”.

"Here the private sector has to realize that the State does not work miracles if you don't want to pay employees overtime to keep businesses open", he said, with the idea that Mindelo has to learn to be "more available on a commercial level" for those arriving on the island.

“These are exceptional moments, when exceptional business is done, then the city can sleep”, launched Abraão Vicente.

The Minister of the Sea also assured that the facilities for Ocean Village, in Porto Grande, are practically all set up and the Ocean Summit is also ready, which will count on the participation of the Prime Minister, Ulisses Correia e Silva, the Secretary General of Nations, António Guterres, and the Prime Minister of Portugal, António Costa.

“Right now there is great expectation, hotels in Mindelo are all sold out and we are resorting to houses and villas for rent”, explained the same source, referring to a “quite vigorous economic dynamic” for a month of January.

The arrival of the Ocean Race will mark, he added, a “new phase” for water sports and leisure in Cape Verde, so much so that the port company, Enapor, has already decided to transfer the entire infrastructure in the future, costing around 80 thousand escudos, including the pontoons and other equipment on Pier II, in Porto Grande, next to the Cabnave shipyards, an area previously defined to receive the Ocean Race.

“We, unfortunately, were not able to fulfill the promise that with the arrival of the Ocean Race the tanquinho and all the way from Laginha were rehabilitated, for financial reasons, but also for some delay of the group that was left to make a more concrete contribution ”, admitted Abraão Vicente.

Even so, he reiterated, the event will have an “undeniable impact” on the island and São Vicente, which will have international projection, as well as Cape Verde, which now, every two years, will be one of the stops of the race, being a “center of water sports, with the epicenter in Mindelo”.

The Ocean Race 2023 regatta will have five sailboats in the IMOCA class and six in the VO65 class, all capable of covering more than 600 miles in 24 hours and expect to arrive in Mindelo later this week.

To give more details on the subject, the organization team and the coordinators of the various logistical operations have scheduled a press conference for this Wednesday, 18th, to take stock of the situation regarding the competition and possible forecast of the arrival of the fleet. .