If my grandfather were alive and saw me, he would say "where is she going to get on a boat" and then explain to me how to mount a halyard or teach me how to fold a sail. Believe it or not, but in the cycle of life, whoever is from the sea always returns to the sea.
Those who have heard or read me once know that I am restless and in everything I like I put passion and most importantly I try. So one thing led to another and I ended up sailing in Latin sailing boats, also in teams from La Graciosa which makes everything even more special. That happy fear of jibing, tacking or winning a regatta. I confess that I was one of those who thought that Latin sailing, like Canarian wrestling, was a sport for men, nothing could be further from the truth, you just need to want to and have some old clothes to wear.
Coincidentally, the year that I have started practicing one of the traditional sports of our land, the Canary Islands barquillos championship is being held in La Graciosa. Imagine my face, those who have been my league teammates this year are playing at my house and we can finally give voice to the sailing tradition of La Graciosa.
I'm not telling you anything new if I tell you that when these events are organized, they start a year before at cruising speed and everyone is enthusiastic. This morning in the middle of preparations when there are barely 15 days left for the event and I was already hoisting the sail to go out, I received the super news that RTVC declines to broadcast the championship live.
Yes, if the television of all Canarians and the one in charge of spreading our culture cannot find any producer who wants to travel to the eighth island. That's right, after a tender of €30,000, no producer is able to come and broadcast live to La Graciosa, surely if it were to create a Dreamland there would be a queue but, for sailing it is impossible.
So we go back to the same old thing, as citizens of this autonomous community I have the right to pay taxes to maintain RTVC but not to cover the events that they do live. They had really made it clear to us that we are the poor little brothers of the 8 islands and that, in important things they go to the big islands or La Palma and La Gomera, but this already has a mocking tone.
Let me explain something, Latin sailing is an autochthonous sport and its first constructions are registered on the island of La Graciosa, it is practiced outdoors, it is resilient with the marine environment, it values as a basic instrument for its practice the material heritage of the riverside carpentry (which is unfortunately being lost in the Canary Islands), it disseminates the intangible heritage of being from the sea (knowing where the wind comes from, marrying a sheet, making a band... in short, feeling the saltpeter on the skin), camaraderie (historically between the boats they have lent the sails to be able to do a regatta or the crew without looking at who is in front), etc.
All this marine culture is supported by 4 federations where people work altruistically, I would like you to meet our colleague Santiago who with more than 80 years gives his all for all the barquillos and their crews giving us a new lesson every day. In addition to the experience in islands like La Graciosa and thanks to the efforts of an association, one of the most practiced sports by our children is sailing.
I want to highlight that after 32 years of championship it was finally La Graciosa's turn and for that simple reason it cannot be disseminated as it should, even if it is only once a year.
Congratulations to the people of Canarian Wrestling who have managed to be heard and that their fights are broadcast. Now it is everyone's regatta to fight for the dissemination as it corresponds to all the sports of the Canarian culture, because Latin sailing is not a second-class sport.