At 85 years old, sailing is still his weakness. And after several years in dry dock in Abu Dhabi, the ‘Boss’, as his fellow sailors call him, wants to go to sea whenever he can. His illusion, according to sources around him, is to defend the title of world sailing champion in the 6M class next September, which will be held on the Isle of Wight, in the United Kingdom. For this, he wants to train these days with the crew of the ‘Bribón’ and participate over the weekend in the competition of the tests valid for the Spanish Championship. “The Pontevedra estuary is the best for doing the sport that the monarch likes the most,” the mayor of Sanxenxo, Telmo Martín, recalled this Wednesday.
The Galician alderman did not know what the plans of Don Juan Carlos were, who has been very careful this time that his steps are broadcast. His inner circle is deathly silent and when asked about him, he kindly dismisses the media. The monarch feels at home in this town in Pontevedra that has always been devoted to him, which hosted his last hours in Spain in 2020 before leaving for Abu Dhabi and who named the marina after him. For his neighbours, Juan Carlos de Borbón “is one more” and they are, for the most part, delighted with the promotion he makes of Sanxenxo because, as Joaquín, the owner of one of the bars near the yacht club, explains, “it places us in the map”.
After a “very good” Easter, of those before the pandemic, the only bustle these days is that of the photographers and journalists who wander around looking for a place to stand guard in case Felipe VI’s father suddenly appears. . Unlike last year, in the height of the high season and with nearly 200 accredited media, the tranquility of this coastal town has hardly been disturbed. Nor because of the few groups of tourists, mostly retirees, who enjoy the weather, which it accompanies, and the gastronomy. “You can tell that Don Juan Carlos is well received here,” says Luis, a man from Malaga who has made a stop in Sanxenxo before heading to Santiago de Compostela.
“He has behaved a little badly”
There are those who do not understand that the man who was head of state for four decades cannot return to his country more often to enjoy his friends and the regattas. “He has been a great king and he has done a lot for us,” says Marcos, a delivery man in the area. For Santi, a waiter in a bar on the seafront, the monarch “has behaved a bit badly”, but he believes that if he apologized “he would be in style”. But it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. He already made it clear in May of last year to questions from a journalist. “Explanations for what?” The monarch replied with a laugh.
On this occasion, Juan Carlos I has taken care to face uncomfortable questions and takes shelter in his appearances behind the windows of Campos’ car. This Thursday he limited himself to waving from the co-pilot’s seat upon entering and leaving the yacht club after spending a few hours in the waters of the Pontevedra estuary before returning to his refuge in Nanín to rest for the rest of the day and reunite with friends. . A visit as Zarzuela wanted, discreet, without fuss and that allows him to ensure future trips.
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