Stopover in Sète 2024: “Sailing is in my DNA”, meeting with the young sailors of the “Santa Maria Manuela”
Le navire portugais le “Santa Maria Manuela” et la foule amassée autour du quai d’Alger. Midi Libre – Jafar Boumoussa/DTS Drone Thau Services
Travel is in their blood. The young sailors of the "Santa Maria Manuela", the Portuguese training boat, live their job intensely.
"You can't imagine how comfortable it is on the open sea." Seeing Aleksander Medvedyev's radiant smile when he talks about life at sea, we can still get a little idea of it. At 27 years old, the young man has been the second officer on the Portuguese ship Santa Maria Manuela for a little over a year. quot;A childhood dream" for this son of a fisherman who claims to have always wanted to do this job. & ;quot;Nsailing, it’s in my DNA", he says from the captain's cabin where he is doing his shift
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Aleksander Medvedyev, second officer on the Santa Maria Manuela. Free Midi – DORIAN CAYUELA
"I dream of becoming a captain one day"
"I work half the year, the other half I take the opportunity to see my loved ones: it’s quite a good deal ", he explains, while conceding "that it is sometimes difficult to be far from your loved ones< /em>". Discipline on board ? "Not a problem, I got used to it : it’s normal for me", says the one who aspires to one day become a captain. Ricardo Oliveira also hopes to climb the ladder. But in his field: engineering. Currently a cadet on the Santa Maria Manuela, he aspires to become chief engineer.
Ricardo Oliveira, cadet engineer on the Santa Maria Manuela Free Midi – DORIAN CAYUELA
"What I enjoy most about my job is traveling and meeting people, he said, it’s wonderful to arrive in a new port each time!" Unlike Aleksander, Ricardo does not suffer from the distance from his loved ones and his family. "I don don't mind being away from my family, plus my friends can be counted on the fingers of one hand."& nbsp;The 27-year-old young man derives satisfaction from his work that goes beyond the professional framework. "I'm proud to work on this ship and my family is proud of me: that's priceless!"
Tania Silva, passenger manager on the Santa Maria Manuela. Free Midi – DORIAN CAYUELA
"I’always wanted to travel"
A training ship but also a cruise ship, the Santa Maria Manuela welcomes more passengers than cabin crew. Tania Silva, 32, takes care of the entire hotel and catering aspect, which is very important on the boat. "As long as I can remember, I have always wanted to travel", she confides.
Tania has been sailing on the Portuguese ship for two years. "Two extraordinary years in permanent contact with the sea and the’ocean." The young woman dreams of one day becoming self-employed in the tourism sector. In the meantime, "it's already a dream to sail on this sailboat".
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