Facebook

Login

Support Sailonline

If you haven't already - join the SAILONLINE YACHT CLUB!

Please also consider making a donation - all amounts are greatly appreciated!

Board » In memoriam » RIP psail - Joao Malafaia

Page: 1 2 3 4 Next

Post annotated by RainbowChaser :
This thread was moved from the category General Discussion.



Words rarely fail me, but today I am lost. A whatsapp from my Sailonline buddy Joao Malafaia came in towards the end of the morning. Strangely, it was in Portuguese. It looked like it might be an invitation to a festive occasion in Lisboa or something. Perhaps my name had ended up on the mailing list. I wasn't going to be able to make that, but I thought I better run the message through Google Translate. There was a word that was bothering me: 'falecimento'. Had Joao gone broke? As I typed in the words and Google translated, horror gripped my heart. Joao, SOL navigator of psail, had died. The message was from his son, Miguel. There was a phone number and so I called Miguel.
Joao had suffered a heart attack. Miguel and Joao's father, who were there when it happened, were not able to help or get help in time. Out of the blue, blackest swan! Joao will never sail online or on the sea again. My great friend, who changed his password to 'Big Hug' (Grande Abraço), his standard email sign-off, so that it was easiest for me to remember it, if I was going to do a spell of boat-sitting for him. Joao, who I first met sailing on VR with sailonline.org boldly written along the side of his hull! Joao, SOL's greatest source of new and exciting polars, and creator of the ever so challenging 40ft Series. But also Joao, the precision geotechnical engineer, proprietor of Pertis Engenheiros Consultores Lda, and Joao, who sailed with me across the seas of the Mediterranean, and above all gentle, generous, adventurous, and sometimes grumpy, stubborn Joao. Fair winds, Joao. I am quietly heartbroken, and all of SOL will miss you.
Jan van der Puil / bonknhoot

_______

--- Last Edited by Jan van der Puil at 2019-04-08 21:11:32 ---
Clipping along
Attachments
Great player, great person. Sleep well mate, we'll meet again.
I am more sorry than I can say to read these words. You have painted a wonderful pen-portrait of the kindness that was Joao/psail. Knowing I am mostly housebound, he would often just email a photo of something he had seen - a tallship offshore Lisbon, a beautiful flower, an arrangement of vegetables.. nothing in particular. On occasion, after I started sailing quite badly, he would even send me hints (I told him "only hints, anything more and it would notfeel like me racing"). I have nothing but fond memories of a delightful person, who could, when he had the time to put his mind to it, sail supremely well on Sailonline, would often challenge certain aspects of the platform, but would always be around to assist with polar creation.

Eight bells and a drink in your honour - Grande Abraço.

___________


--- Last Edited by RainbowChaser at 2019-04-08 21:49:14 ---
I took me abut 15 minutes staring at my laptop before I was even capable of opening this window , may be just because feeling appropriate for me to say something.

Problem is that I have no clue of what to say ....I am really shocked .....

Under normal circumstances , when somebody leaves this world I say that "no words can mean anything....they are totally useless .....totally empty ....totally helpless " .....

This time I am so schocked that I do not even know how I will manage to go to sleep ...and it is midnight here already when this piece of bad news hits me .....

Caro Joao the only consolation I can find at this time is that I remember you always had a smile on your face ...very rare quality.

Sorry my friends .....I better go back to my philosopy when confronting with death ........" silence "

Ciao Joao !

I am in total disbelief ......

Piero

======================

09 apr pm

The sad news have spread amongst the members of the SOL Italian Team. They have expressed the desire that I add their grief to mine here.

So …..On behalf of all those who fly the Italian flag high on the mast of the SOL pinky boats …. A BIG HUG to Joao …..

You have always expressed friendship and respect for us …….it is now our time to pay total respect to you ….Thank you Joao !! …..

The “Padrão dos Descobrimentos” will steer with you on every sea and ocean !

Italians pay respect to Portuguese navigators (33 + 1)

Ciao


--- Last Edited by WIN at 2019-04-09 12:37:15 ---
I have no words. I always had the utmost respect when racing against psail. He will be missed more than I can express. Fair winds and following seas to a friend I never met. - Garagiste
I'll miss the positive energy and enthusiasm you spread, João. Let it remain spreading.

A Big Hug



--- Last Edited by kroppyer at 2019-04-08 23:12:57 ---
Attachments
I'm so sorry, very sad news.

--- Last Edited by Adriano (Batatabh) at 2019-04-13 20:30:50 ---
Joao was mainly a son. father and husband and to his family his early loss will be a great blow and my sincere condolences are offered. I met him as a respected sailor who was committed to yachting and who gave it his best. He will be greatly missed on our race course and in our hearts. May the winds be at your back and the sun on your face for ever more.
Devastated to say the least. When we last spoke on email Joao had extended an invitation to us to visit him at home as soon as I can get a yacht kitted and make the passage to Portugal... that was not that long ago. Was looking forward spending some time with him and his family and go sailing together... That will now have to wait for a while.

I for one will miss him a lot as we shared many a story on email and chatted quite a bit through the years...

Bugger... don't know what else to say really... Will write a more coherent post later. Day suddenly gone strangely dark here by us.

--- Last Edited by Vince Nel (WW) at 2019-04-09 07:45:13 ---
I like to talk a lot... sometimes I even make sense, mostly not...
I am here looking out at the moonlight on the water and thinking of so many hours SOLing with psail and email chatting with Joao. He has left us and now something is forever lost. Fair winds my friend.

Page: 1 2 3 4 Next

Please login to post a reply.

Races

Next Race: 00d 00h 00m


Current Races:

New Ice Age 2026 - Scott Base to Neumayer Station


To complete our DN circumnavigation of Antarctica and our 4-race ice-boat marathon series, we continue clockwise, now departing from Scott Base back to Neumayer Station. It’s about 3500nm back as well, which, as said if there’s wind at all, should, well-wrapped in your DN-cockpits, not take you much more than five days. And remember: charts down here are unreliable – what is land and what is ice?!
Race #1971
INFOby brainaid.de
DN PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: NIA - SYC
Race starts: Aug 27th 07:00 Registration will open soon
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Cross the Convergence 2026 - Tenerife to Fernando de Noronha


The sixth race of our series of ocean voyages across the World’s convergence zones takes us back up the Atlantic to Tenerife, from whence we will depart on a classic transatlantic passage to Brazil’s Fernando de Noronha. It’s 2150nm as the albatross flies, but you will undoubtedly have to take some and sometimes sudden detours to get your Volvo 70v4 through the doldrums stretching across your path from the Amazon to the Niger.
Race #1986
INFOby brainaid.de
Volvo 70v4PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: CCZ - SYC
Race starts: Aug 23rd 18:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Palk Bay TIMED Race 2026

This month’s TIMED race takes us to the shallow waters of Palk Bay located between India and Sri Lanka. Sail the impressive MC 38 around a roughly 140 nm course through two narrow channels before returning to the start/finish line in Jaffna.
This is a TIMEDrace so you may RE-REGISTER HEREto try again after finishing a run. You will have two weeks to test your skill and decision making after the race opens.
Race #2054
INFOby brainaid.de
PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
TRQ3 - TRCH - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Saturday,
29 August at 23:00 UTC
Race starts: Aug 16th 12:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

The British Isles Circumnavigation 2026


The British Isles Circumnavigation is here! Inviting skippers to take on an epic 1,720nm clockwise voyage around Britain and Ireland! Starting and finishing in Cowes, the course passes some of the most iconic landmarks in offshore sailing, including Fastnet Rock, Tearaght Lighthouse, Black Rock, St. Kilda and Muckle Flugga before the long run home. Racing in our fast and versatile TP52, this Super-Buddy Championship race will reward smart routing, changing weather strategy and sustained concentration over every mile. Good luck!
Race #2052
INFO by brainaid.de
TP-52 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SUPBUD - SYC
Race starts: Aug 09th 10:00 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Go to race archive

SYC Ranking

  1. Sailonline Yacht Club Member KaSToR
  2. Sailonline Yacht Club Member CriticalHippo
  3. Sailonline Yacht Club Member WRmirekd
  4. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rafa
  5. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Panpyc
  6. Sailonline Yacht Club Member cdhinman
  7. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rthinman
  8. Sailonline Yacht Club Member ms0689
  9. Sailonline Yacht Club Member BRENTGRAY
  10. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Sax747

View full list

Series

Mobile Client

SYC members have the benefit of access to our mobile/lightweight web client!

The mobile client