The world’s biggest regatta was the topic of a talk by Rodrigo Rato and Francisco Azevedo on the afternoon of 20 February, the first day of the 12th Naval Engineering Conference, held in Abreu Faro Amphitheatre, at Técnico – Alameda campus.
The two speakers have been involved – in different ways – in various editions of the Volvo Ocean Race, which takes place every three years and has occasionally included a stopover in Portugal. One of the objectives of the Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering Students’ Organisation (NAEN), the event organisers, was ‘to introduce all students to different aspects of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering.
Rodrigo Rato, organiser of international sporting events who has collaborated on the last three editions of the Volvo Ocean Race (among other nautical competitions), shared the challenges of participating in regattas. Francisco Azevedo, a marine engineer with experience in designing high-performance boats currently collaborating with the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team, showcased animations of the simulations created by the software he uses.
Raquel Aguiar, a first-year undergraduate student in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, says she ‘enjoys the design aspect the most’ and found the topics discussed in the lecture to be ‘quite interesting’. Additionally, she mentioned that she has ‘a passion for competitions and seeks to understand the factors that influence boats’. ‘The operation [of a boat] is crucial, since most supplies are transported by sea’, she recalled, also pointing out that ’boat and cruise ship in the industry are very different.’ Ricardo Rodrigues, a first-year master’s student in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, considers it ‘useful to explore the various branches available within this engineering field’.
A round table session took place on the second day, where students were able to talk informally with professionals from various companies in the Naval Engineering field.
