Project 2020 The biggest offshore sailing event ever organized worldwide. A target number of 100 blue water sailing yachts will depart from the ports of Portugal and Spain (the home countries of Magalhaes flotilla captains), grouping in the Canaries by October 2018 and sail south to Brazil - Argentina and beyond. There are already very well organized events for non-professional crews and blue water sailing yachts (e.g., ARC´s World Cruising www.worldcruising.com), however we aim at a very different type of event and organization. We want to commemorate this historical event of global impact. We will associate several sponsors to the flotilla and produce an electronic real-time web based broadcast of each yacht experiences and location. We will impact different target audiences, from school children to scientific societies world wide. We want to show the World we are one people, living together in one planet. We want to get people around the World about how beautiful but also fragile our planet and the challenges we face this century to make our blue planet liveable. For now we don´t want to disclose more on our concept, but we´ll do so in the near future. We will post more info and open registrations as we need to get ready well ahead of schedule.

NORTON is owned by 4SEA. She is a cutter rigged Hans Christian 43T (Traditional) designed for long ocean passage making. At 52ft 4ins (15.95 m) overall with a beam of 13ft 10ins (4.20 m) and a draft of 6ft 9ins (2.1m), she weighs 19 ton with a full keel, thus giving her a `sea kindly nature’. Built to exceedingly high standards in 1984 and commissioned in the US, she was bought by a Portuguese in the early 90’s and has been in Portugal ever since. We have spent the last three years restoring her to the highest standards and re-equipped her with state of the art navigation, radio and weather electronics. Below decks she is luxurious: fitted out in hand rubbed light Burma teak. All her portholes, galley and heads taps are heavy bronze castings. The seating and berth cushions are pleated and buttoned velvet. She is equipped with 2 heads, shower, cabin heaters, shore power and a hi-fi system. The galley has a large 2-burner stove with griddle, grill and spacious oven plus an 8cu ft fridge freezer, so you won´t want for comfort or good food.

Project 2020 The biggest offshore sailing event ever organized worldwide. A target number of 100 blue water sailing yachts will depart from the ports of Portugal and Spain (the home countries of Magalhaes flotilla captains), grouping in the Canaries by October 2018 and sail south to Brazil - Argentina and beyond. There are already very well organized events for non-professional crews and blue water sailing yachts (e.g., ARC´s World Cruising www.worldcruising.com), however we aim at a very different type of event and organization. We want to commemorate this historical event of global impact. We will associate several sponsors to the flotilla and produce an electronic real-time web based broadcast of each yacht experiences and location. We will impact different target audiences, from school children to scientific societies world wide. We want to show the World we are one people, living together in one planet. We want to get people around the World about how beautiful but also fragile our planet and the challenges we face this century to make our blue planet liveable. For now we don´t want to disclose more on our concept, but we´ll do so in the near future. We will post more info and open registrations as we need to get ready well ahead of schedule.

Cmdt. MANUEL P.M. MENDES NORTON (1875-1967) One of the most decorated Officers of the Portuguese War Navy in the first half of the XX century. Brief Biographical Account (extract from Dr Luis Miguel Pulido Garcia Cardoso de Menezes, MSc Thesis (History) by Lisbon University, 2007 - in Portuguese). Capitão de Mar-e-Guerra (16-IX-1930). Comandante-Chefe das Forças Navais estacionadas no Tejo durante a revolução de 28-V-1926. Comandante Interino da Divisão Naval do Atlântico Sul e da Corveta Afonso de Albuquerque (1906-1907), Presidente do Tribunal Militar da Marinha (1931). Comandante da Escola de Artilharia Naval e da fragata D. Fernando (1934-1935). Comandante dos Serviços Auxiliares da Marinha (1930-1934). Presidente e Vogal da Comissão Central de Pescarias (1930-1934). Presidente do Aquário Vasco da Gama (1919-1921). Director da Direcção de Faróis (1918-1929). Membro do “Comité des Ports et Navigation Maritime” da Sociedade das Nações, por eleição unânime (1930). Grande Oficial, Comendador, Oficial por serviços distintos e Cavaleiro da Ordem Militar de São Bento de Avis (por decretos de 1-X-1932, de 6-III-1919, de 1-I-1909 e de 1-VII-1904), Medalha Militar de Ouro e de Prata da classe de comportamento exemplar (por decreto de 25-I-1921 e de 23-XII-1905), Medalha de Prata da Rainha D. Amélia, comemorativa da expedição a Moçambique, tendo a legenda «Expedição a Moçambique 1894-1895», Medalha de salvação de Cobre do Instituto de Socorros a Náufragos (a 19-XII-1914), com seis louvores em portarias e decretos, por serviços humanitários, militares e técnicos distintos (por portaria de 2-VIII-1906, portaria de 3-III-1913, ordem n.º 19 de 24-I-1913, ordem ministerial de 23-III-1914, portaria de 27-XII-1930 e portaria de 19-V-1932). Como dissidente político e opositor ao regime de Oliveira Salazar foi acusado de ser o chefe operacional e um dos cérebros do movimento revolucionário falhado de 10-IX-1935. Foi preso, julgado e condenado a 7 anos de prisão na Iha do Sal (Cabo Verde). Foi libertado e parcialmente reabilitado (sem vencimento até ao final da sua vida), em plena 2ª Guerra Mundial, por intervenção do Governo Britânico, após conhecimento por um navio da Royal Navy em escala na Ilha do Sal, que um oficial superior de ascendência Inglesa, da Marinha de Guerra Portuguesa, estava preso e dessa pessoa ser o comandante do navio-patrulha «Bérrio» que em 1913 salvou 102 náufragos do vapor Inglês «Veronese» a afundar-se ao largo de Leixões. Durante a direcção de Mendes Norton (1918-1929) na Direcção de Faróis, são construídos e inaugurados 8 faróis: o da Ribeirinha, na ilha do Faial, Açores (em 1919); o da ponta de Alfanzina, então cabo Carvoeiro, Lagoa (em 1920); o da ponta do Pargo, na ilha da Madeira (em 1922); o de Vila Real de Santo António, na margem direita do rio Guadiana (em 1923); o do Albarnaz, na ilha das Flores, Açores (em 1924); o da ponta do Topo em São Jorge, Açores (em 1927); o da ponta do Castelo ou Gonçalo Velho em Santa Maria, Açores (em 1927); e o de Leça, na Boa Nova, próximo da povoação de Leça da Palmeira, cerca de uma milha e ¼ ao norte do porto de Leixões (em 1927), o último farol a ser construído no continente português. O esforço de Mendes Norton, manteve-se também na construção e inauguração de 15 farolins (com alcance luminoso inferior a 15 milhas) e no melhoramento em 6 faróis e 32 farolins em Portugal continental e insular.