Madeirense completed the crossing between Porto Santo and Madeira in just over 11 hours and 40 minutes.
Tomás Lacerda lived one of the best days of his life today, not only as an athlete, but also as a man.
The young Madeiran became the first person to complete the crossing between Porto Santo and Madeira ‘on top’ of a Stand Up Paddle board.
On a route between the port of Porto Santo and Praia Formosa, which started at 7 am, over a distance of 44 nautical miles (81 km), Tomás Lacerda completed his personal challenge in 11 hours and 46 minutes.
Upon arrival at Praia Formosa, and already on land, surrounded by friends, family, sponsors and entities linked to the Government, Funchal City Council, Captaincy of the Port of Funchal and Sanas, Tomás Lacerda did not hide the enormous joy of fulfilling the dream of making this crossing.
“This day was unforgettable, and for a few moments it crossed my mind that I might not make it, mostly due to some fatigue, but the truth is that I managed to finish it and even more so I had the privilege of having the company of good friends in this final stretch crossing,” he added.
Speaking a little about his ‘adventure’ Tomás Lacerda admitted that there were two very difficult moments on the crossing.
“There were two moments when it was difficult to pass, namely the passage through Ponta de São Lourenço and then the passage through the Porto Novo area where I had a headwind, almost to Garajau. I’m very happy, I feel accomplished and who knows, maybe in a few years I’ll break a record.”
In the end, and not forgetting that one of the main purposes of this initiative was to support a charitable cause, namely the Regional Nucleus of the Portuguese League Against Cancer, and which came to have 400 euros in support, the Madeiran made a point of stressing that “this crossing was a dream I had with my father and this is also a tribute to him who fought against cancer and who always had a lot of support from the Liga Contra o Cancro”.
“If there are people who fight against cancer, why not fight until the end. And so it was. And this is also for those who have lost someone who has battled cancer and for those who are battling cancer.