“It is the privilege of very few people”

Daughter of a lighthouse keeper and granddaughter of senior Navy officials, Elena Arévalo’s life should have been very twisted (Valencia, 1984) for not having ended up going to the sea. Today, this graduate in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences is also coordinator of the Sailing School of the Nautical Club of the Murcian city of Águilas, lover of sailing without conditions, speaker – she fascinates wherever she goes with her exploits and anecdotes in the sea – and marine with magnificent results.

She is in love with the sea. Above all and above all. She has always lived close, very close to it. The closest a person can live to the sea: in a lighthouse. Arévalo was born in Valencia, but When he was two years old, he moved with his family to Águilas. In this coastal town of Murcia, on the border with Almería, his father, Fernando Arévalo, was a lighthouse keeper for two decades, in addition to being responsible for the lighthouses of Cabo Tiñoso and Mazarrón, also in Murcia.Living in a lighthouse is one of the most beautiful things that has ever happened to me. It is an experience that few people get to have and I feel very privileged to have enjoyed it.“, assures Magas.

“Everyone knew where he lived and many of the town’s residents were able to visit the interior of the lighthouse thanks to our invitations,” she enthuses.My father was a maritime communications technician and he passed the opposition to become a lighthouse keeper.. But since it was a profession that had already disappeared, some were already automated,” he explains.

And he doesn’t hesitate when he looks back: “It’s an experience that few people can live. At the Águilas lighthouse, they welcomed us very well.” And about the aura of mystery that usually surrounds these impressive constructions, whether through literature, cinema or mythology, he recognizes that “many people think it is something very mysterious. But in the case of the Mediterranean coast, we are lucky that the lighthouses are very comfortable and accessible, not like those in Northern Europe. In the end, it is like a normal house, but with the difference that if you go out to eat, you are right under the lighthouse. It is wonderful to live in a place like this. They knew us as “the lighthouse guys”“.

In 2006, after her father’s death, Elena and her family left the lighthouse, which never had a resident again. Since then, he has lived in a “normal” house, “even though I am still very close to the sea.”he emphasizes. And during those years on the front line, Aquiline, a true personality of this city on the Costa Cálida, was forging what would still be its way of life today. The sea, of course.

From the lighthouse to the regattas

A graduate in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences from the Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM), she has spent half her life – and that’s literal – working as coordinator of the Sailing School of the Nautical Club of Águilas. She is a sailing instructor all year round. And for her, it is always summer in a town, Águilas, which boasts more than 320 days of sunshine a year..

Even though the heat, the sun, the wind and the sea itself are tiring like few others. “It would have been very difficult for me to devote myself to anything else, the sea has always been close to me. Sailing is a very hard sport, it’s true. And many women still think that you need a lot of strength or a lot of skills to dedicate yourself to it, but I think the main thing is to love it,” she says confidently.

And Arévalo is not only responsible for the sailing school of the aforementioned Nautical Club. He also practices a sport, sailing, in which men are still in the majority.. But there are exceptions, since four years ago the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation became one of those with the most women in its positions of responsibility, with 65% managed by women.

Another piece of news that shows a significant female incorporation is the recent edition of the Copa América de Vela, one of the most prestigious in the world and held in Barcelona last August. For the first time in its 173-year history, an all-women’s regatta is taking place, the Puig Women’s America’s Cup.

Regarding her beginnings in professional sailing, Elena Arévalo says that she started later than usual. “Normally, you start from a very young age, but before that, I was more dedicated to traveling and sailing as a hobby. I started racing about ten years ago on cruise ships. I participated in the Iberdrola Women’s Sailing League – winning the second event – ​​and I did regattas in Ibiza, Cartagena…“, she explains. And she also made two important journeys across the Atlantic and the Pacific, being the only woman from Murcia to achieve such feats.

“I can’t confirm it with precision,” he notes humbly. “But I think I’m the only Murcian to have crossed both oceans, the Atlantic and the Pacific. And the only Aquiline, that’s for sure,” she says with a laugh.

Regarding the Atlantic crossing, he says it was a competition, “an ARC regatta that takes place every year from the Canary Islands to Saint Lucia.” But along the way, it became more of a journey because we decided to do it without too much haste. “The Pacific one was free, it wasn’t a competition. They asked me to bring a boat from Tahiti to Panama.”he explains.

And he remembers his arrival in Spain: “After crossing the Pacific, the longest I have ever done – 40 days of sailing – I spent about ten days in shock. People asked me, but I still remember it like a cloud. It was difficult for me to assimilate.” And he assures that although it is, as we have already said, a predominantly male environment, “in sailing I have always felt well treated and respected. “Sailors are magnificent people.”

Woman in a man’s boat

It is still common to believe, especially among women, that professional sailing requires a lot of strength, but little by little they are being encouraged.There are more and more women sailing. Ten years ago, there were only one or two in a 50-person regatta.But in the last three years, I have seen more and more women coming on board as bosses, technicians or tacticians,” says Elena.

And he clarifies that “perhaps pulling the ropes requires greater force, but there are other tactical functions or holding the bar, for example, that can be perfectly performed by a woman. I’ve only been engaged to men and only to women, and I think diversity is important.“.

During the regatta in which he crossed the Atlantic in 2016, which lasted 16 or 17 days, Elena Arévalo was able to see for herself the risks that the sea sometimes threatens. “About halfway there we heard a Help (distress signal) and it was a ship that had sunk. It was a scene from a movie: at night, it was raining, us with the headlamps, the life raft, the flares and the food packages floating… When we arrived, fortunately, they had already picked up the crew. But It made me think that ships sink and you have to be vigilant and active at all times.. “You think things can happen,” he recalls, always with respect.

He insists, however, that the good it offers is greater than any fears that may arise. “The world of navigation is that of nature, the sensations of seeing a starry sky, humpback whales as seen in the Pacific at 15 meters, seeing insects jumping everywhere, swimming with sharks, seeing lunar eclipses… It’s all wonderful. And the camaraderie. Almost every moment is very good. What happens is that in some moments there is a certain relaxation and in others where you have to be 100%,” he adds.

“For me, the psychological effort is harder than the physical effort.. I have had colleagues who had difficulty because they “heated up” their heads too much on certain subjects. And the psychological affects the physical. It is important to know yourself and to be able to adapt a lot to your colleagues and your employer, your boss,” he acknowledges.

And explains that The boat is a place where you can feel very independent in being able to solve problems, but where you also have too much time to think.. “There’s too much going on in your head. We’re meant to count every minute of our lives, but when you spend so many hours without contact with friends or family, you tend to overthink your own life. And that doesn’t always help,” he confirms.