António Pedro da Cruz
- Desporto
António Pedro da Cruz, known as Topad in Cape Verde and Tonio in Antibes where he lives, is the only professional skipper from an African country.
Born in Mindelo on 7 August 1966, he soon became more interested in the sea than in school; in contact with Europeans who came to take advantage of the peaceful anchorage in the bay of Porto Grande, he learned geography and foreign languages.
At 14, he decides to embark on a French sailboat that will take him to the Antilles. It was his first crossing of the Atlantic and, in these French islands, he learns several small trades, never too far away from sailing boats. Later, he went to France with his adopted family, which allowed him to continue his passion for sailing boats.
He was a sailor, boatman and finally captain and skipper. In the 90s, luck put him on the route of Franc Ténot (founder of the Hachette-Filipacchi editions), who, enthusiastically, became his sponsor and allowed him to participate in his first mini-transat.
On 24 September 2008, Topad achieved his first victory on the Solitaire Fígaro circuit by winning the second stage of the Cap Istanbul race in Sardinia-Sicily.
Topad returns regularly to Mindelo where his athletic silhouette does not go unnoticed: everyone knows him, everyone greets him, he has a frank smile for everyone and he does not forget anyone, neither those in the centre of Mindelo nor those in the Bela Vista district.
António Pedro da Cruz, known as Topad in Cape Verde and Tonio in Antibes where he lives, is the only professional skipper from an African country.
On 24 September 2008, Topad signs his first victory at the Solitaire Fígaro circuit by winning the second stage of the Cap Istanbul race in Sardinia-Sicília.
