The purpose of this initiative is to honor the national football team and raise the name of Portugal high up in what will be the world's greatest event - the 2014 World Cup - that will be staged in Brazil, a Portuguese-speaking country while, at the same time, tightening cultural and economic ties between both countries, thus highlighting what Portugal does best, particularly as regards the performance of major Portuguese companies.
Ricardo Diniz' pretty solid knowledge of cork's properties and potential, added to his passion for this material has triggered his move to contact Corticeira Amorim.
As Ricardo Diniz notes: "The presence of cork will comfort me during my single-handed sailing travel. Touching and smelling natural cork will help me to take some "flavour" of my home and my country with me."
Different types of cork were used in various areas of the sailing boat, primarily with a view to increasing the comfort of the limited space available, considering that it is highly probable that Ricardo Diniz will have to face a raging sea, at least in some moments.
High-density cork tiles were installed on the cabin's floor and on some sides to ensure the required comfort and safety during the voyage in such a confined space.
The dashboard was coated in cork-leather, thus providing Ricardo Diniz' work surface with a natural look.
Therefore, the welcoming and comfortable ambience in the cabin provided by cork will also help to keep the connection to Portugal alive which, in the sailor's view, is critical to help him bear the loneliness of his 45-day trip.
The deck floor was covered with agglomerated cork rolls with a recycled rubber base, specially designed for that purpose and providing greater levels of safety and comfort. As cork is almost not affected by changes in temperature - even when exposed to direct sunlight - it will have a crucial role in the wellbeing of Ricardo Diniz by preventing him from being subject to high temperatures. This aspect is even more important when considering that the sailor will spend the most time of his voyage in that space. In addition, cork rolls offer good adhesion to the substrate thus enabling him to stand up in a more stable and safer position.
Carlos de Jesus, Corticeira Amorim's head of Marketing & Communication said: " Corticeira Amorim is proud to associate with Ricardo Diniz in this venture, whose main motto is to take the best of what is made in Portugal and take it to the world" and he added that "the increasing use of cork in a variety of watersports activities is becoming significantly more relevant to the cork industry; in addition, this is also a way of making known a new range of high-performing products combining lightness, durability and resilience."
