The sails that perpetuate whaling tradition and culture

Neuza Azevedo, 36, was born in Lajes do Pico, studied Fashion Design at the University of Beira Interior, and is currently the president of the Azorean Whaling Boat Class Association (ACBBA).Whaling culture runs in her veins. Her great-grandfather, known as João das Vinhas, father of João Baptista, was a whaler and boat master. Her maternal great-grandfather, João Tavares, was an officer and whaling manager in Santa Cruz das Ribeiras. "João Tavares was self-taught in the confection of whaling boat sails and taught my grandfather João Baptista. My family was very connected to whaling, my great-grandfather started making them, passed them on to my grandfather, and then I started”, says Neuza Azevedo, in an interview to Açoriano Oriental.The process, which involved the family, was done at home or, sometimes, depending on the tasks, in the hall of the parish’s philharmonic band. Her grandfather was mainly responsible for the sails, but her grandmother took care of the sewing, and her mother and uncle also helped when necessary. Neuza, from the age of 15, was also involved in the family chores.A tragedy in the family eventually culminated in the need for someone to take over the work. Neuza was in her second year of college, in 2008, when her grandfather, João Baptista, suddenly passed away. So she ended up taking on the responsibility. "I started with the help of my mother, a bit on a trial basis. We didn't know if it would go well or not. The first job I did went well and from then on I kept going," she explains.Despite having continued the family legacy, Neuza never thought she would be the one to make the sails. "I thought it would be my mother or my uncle. But since they didn't want to, I felt I had a duty to at least try, because I think it's important to maintain the tradition of whaling regattas. Tradition is important and the affective part – as it is linked to my family –made me want to continue," she says. According to Neuza Azevedo, there was a company in the mainland that also did this work, but it was an industrialized company. Thus, the young “picarota” is the only person in the Azores who makes sails. "Usually sailing clubs work with me. In the Azores, almost all the islands have sailing clubs and, in America, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, they've also asked me for sails, both for the museum and for regattas, as they also have a tradition of whaling regattas,” Azevedo explains.These regattas are not unknown to her, who started rowing at the age of 15, at the Santa Cruz sailing club. "In Pico practically every Saturday there are regattas," she says.Neuza has been living on the island of São Miguel for about five years. As a result, she lives in a different reality to the one she experiences on Pico and Faial, islands that she considers to have a "much more pronounced experience of whaling culture. In São Miguel, whaling is very much forgotten. All the factories, everything, that belonged to whaling culture was sold or destroyed," she stresses.Therefore, when Neuza Azevedo was asked if she wanted to take on ACBBA’s presidency, the opportunity caught her interest. "The association was small and very dedicated to sailing; the same people had been in the association for a long time and they were tired. I understand why: trying to bring back the memories of whaling and whaling culture is very complicated, we find obstacles everywhere. We are not getting the money and support that we need. But, since I'm from Pico and I make sails, I accepted the invitation. I'm available and I’m proud to see myself involved in whaling culture. I've been doing my best," she concludes.