Vigo, Sir Francis and the Olive Tree

By Louise Parkes

The city of Vigo will not be taken by surprise when the international show jumping community descends upon it for the eleventh leg of the 2007/2008 Rolex FEI World Cup™ series this weekend.

The Spanish seaport has been invaded so many times during its long and fascinating history that it just takes it all in its stride, and today it is a popular stopping-off point for cruise ships so it is always full of visitors. Later this year it will be bursting with excitement as it hosts the finish of the Superyacht Cup Transatlantic Challenge which also visits Antigua and The Azores en route to its final destination.

On the Atlantic coastline in the south-west of the country, Vigo is the largest city in Galicia and is located in the province of Pontevedra. It has a population of 300,000 and spills down a hillside and into a wide "ria" that forms its fishing port. It is a place where you will find a big welcome - unless, that is, your name just happens to be Drake.....

Sir Francis Drake was considered a super-hero, explorer and adventurer in his home country of England but in Spain there was a very different view of the man they called "El Draque" (The Dragon). He was the scourge of the Spanish treasure fleets during the 1500's, and although he gained high office after many thrilling exploits at sea during the Elizabethan era he was considered little more than a pirate by his Spanish counterparts.

In 1585 and 1589 Drake raided Vigo and temporarily occupied it, burning many buildings to the ground. He was on the crest of a wave that had seen him make three successive voyages to the West Indies and sail his famous ship, The Golden Hind, to the South Seas - returning home, against huge odds, laden with spices and Spanish treasure plundered along the way. He had further enhanced his reputation when he "singed the king's beard" - sailing his fleet into Cadiz in 1587 and attacking the Spanish fleet, an act that subsequently delayed the departure of The Armada for more than a year. Drake's most famous association is with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 even though the role he played was not a major one.

As if they had not had enough excitement already, the people of Vigo witnessed another great maritime clash when an Anglo-Dutch fleet, humiliated following a heavy defeat in Cadiz in September 1702, raided one of the richest Spanish treasure fleets ever assembled which just happened to be resting in nearby Vigo harbour. The English and Dutch secured a resounding victory and treasure hunters, to this day, believe that many beautiful and valuable items still lie undiscovered at the bottom of the bay.

For all this war-mongering and opportunism however Vigo is known as "The City of the Olive Tree", as this is its emblem - the symbol of peace. In the 14th century the religious warrior order of the Knights-Templar seized the cathedral of Santa Maria, which is no longer in existence, and in its atrium planted an olive tree. In the 19th century the old church was pulled down and the olive tree disappeared but the story goes that Manuel Angel Pereyra had taken a cutting and his descendants planted it in the Paseo de Alfonso XII where it stands today. On its bronze plaque there is an inscription expressing the promise of the people of Vigo to give "love, loyalty and self-sacrifice" to their city. The olive tree is included on the heraldic emblem of Vigo, along with a castle and the Atlantic Ocean.

The link between Vigo and the sea is timeless as a walk along the old port at Barrio del Berbes will confirm, but its dynamic fishing industry and shipyards and its vibrant cultural and social life inject great energy into its atmosphere. It is home to the world's largest fishing company, Pescanova, and has been chosen as headquarters for the European Fisheries Agency and aptly standing at its heart is a tall sculpture named Sireno. Half-man, half-sea creature he overlooks the Porta do Sol, representing the spirit of a people who know that time and tide bring all things full circle......