(Cape Town, South Africa) 10 November, 2016: After a voyage of more than 3500 nautical miles, Mussulo 40 – the only Angolan entry into the Cape2Rio race – has arrived in the Mother City. The boat will be captained by Dr José Guilherme Caldas, an Angolan who is an interventional neuroradiologist (working half of the year in Brazil), together with Leonardo Chicourel, a sailor from Salvador, Brazil.
The 19-day trip to transport Mussulo 40 from Guarujá in the Brazil to Cape Town was skippered by Chicourel and fellow Brazilian Gustavo Peixoto, an experienced sailor from Pernambuco.
Preparations for Cape2Rio Race
When it departs Cape Town on January 1, 2017, Mussulo 40 will be the only two Double-Handed (two-person crew) boat competing in the race. During its time in Cape Town, the yacht will change sails, update its mast and have all of its electrical and navigation equipment checked at the V&A Waterfront.
“The boat did well on the Atlantic crossing from Brazil to South Africa, and we are looking forward to competing at a high level during Cape2Rio,” added Dr Caldas, who will arrive in Cape Town on December 10. Describing sailing as a “hobby” he picked up while learning to sail on the Angolan Island of Mussulo, Dr Caldas has sailed across the Atlantic Ocean seven times, including one solo voyage.
Two yachts sponsored by Angola Cables
Mussulo 40 is sponsored by Angola Cables, in addition to the company’s existing yacht, Mussulo III, which is based in Ilhabela, Brazil. According to António Nunes, CEO of Angola Cables: “As part of launching Angola Cables in Brazil, we have expanded our investment in sailing to include Mussulo 40, a boat that we expect to do well in the race.”
“Intercontinental sailing aligns well with our business which involves crossing oceans to digitally connect continents via submarine fibre optic cables,” observed Nunes.
Angola Cables supports nautical sports
In Angola, among other activities, the company supports two sailors from the Luanda Sailing Club, who recently participated in the African Sailing Championship in Luanda, competing in the Optimist category. The relationship between Angola Cables and sailing started by chance when a group of Angolan sailors asked for support to participate in the 2014 Cape2Rio regatta.
About Angola Cables
Angola Cables is an Angolan telecommunications company founded in 2009, which operates in the wholesale market and whose core business is the commercialisation of capacity in international circuits for voice and data through Submarine Cable Systems throughout the South Atlantic and Africa. Angola Cables is responsible for the management and development of WACS (West Africa Cable System) providing carrier-level services to operators in Angola and in the Sub-Saharan region of Africa; fast becoming one of the leading capacity providers on the continent. It also operates Angonix (Angolan IXP) in its data centre in Luanda, and is building a world-class data centre and interconnection facility in Fortaleza, Brazil. Africa is today the fastest growing region of Internet penetration in the world. Angola Cables’ goal is to transform Angola into one of the telecommunication hubs in Africa. For more information visit www.angolacables.co.ao. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.