By Larry Clinton, Sausalito Historical Society
The recent Fado night at The Pines Mansion in the Sausalito hills marked the 10th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Sausalito and the picturesque waterfront town of Cascais, Portugal. The evening featured a spirited performance of Portuguese folk music and was a fundraiser for the sister cities’ Youth Sailing Program.
Ever since the first immigrants from the Azores came to Sausalito in the 1830s to work as mariners and dairymen, the Portuguese influence has been a major factor in our culture, as recently demonstrated during the annual “Holy Ghost” Festa parade held on Pentecost Sunday (May 28, this year).
To learn more about how this relationship came about, I spoke with Vasco Morais, a mainstay of the Portuguese IDESST Hall on Caledonia St. The Portuguese cultural center was established in 1888 — before Sausalito had even become a city — as a focal point for Portuguese culture and traditions in Marin County.
“In 2008,” Vasco told me. “I was President of the Hall and marching in the Festa parade with Mayor Herb Weiner when he suggested a sister city relationship with Portugal.”
First, the cities and towns of the 9 Azorean Island archipelago were explored. But with the vast number of Portuguese immigrants on the East and West Coasts from the Azores, each had already established multiple U.S. sister city relationships.
Eventually, Vasco suggested his hometown, Cascais on the Portuguese Riviera. Like Sausalito, Cascais had its beginnings as a fishing village, with a strong maritime tradition, and is now a commuter suburb of a much larger neighboring city, Lisbon.
Mayor Herb introduced Vasco to the Historical Society’s Mike Moyle, who was also active in Sausalito’s existing sister city programs. Mike came up with the structure of a sister cities umbrella organization, with individual councils for Vina del Mar, Cascais and Sakaide, Japan.
Vasco recalls, “I met with a councilmember in Cascais who was responsible for foreign relationships. He was about to sign an agreement with Pittsburgh, but he’d been to Sausalito and felt it was a better choice. At the local yacht club, Clube Naval, I presented a Sausalito Yacht Club burgee and brought back one of theirs, which still hangs at the Sausalito club today. That bond became the bedrock of the relationship between the two cities.”
In June 2012, a Sausalito delegation attended the International Meeting of Twinned Cities in Cascais. The following year Sausalito reciprocated, inviting a delegation from Cascais to formally establish the Sister City relationship, which was ratified at ceremonies held at Vina Del Mar Plaza.
A key element of the relationship is the Youth Sailing Exchange in which six boys and girls trade places every other year, sailing together and developing lasting friendships. This unique exchange program is fully funded by Fado at The Pines. Staying with host families, the students practice citizen diplomacy as they represent their clubs and cities as ambassadors — all while improving their sailing skills.
Along with the sailing programs, Sausalito has also introduced Portuguese wine, food, and music. Fado is a traditional form of urban folk music in Portugal, and Sausalito hosts fadistas and other musicians to further this relationship.
The May 20 event featured the Daniel Pereira Cristo Quartet performing Northwestern Portuguese contemporary roots music. This was the group’s first appearance in the U.S. An earlier booking had been cancelled during the pandemic.
Portuguese wines and port, petiscos appetizers and Presunto Cura Alentejano, ham cured Portuguese style and sliced at the table, were served and a 5-night stay at a 5-star hotel in Cascais was raffled off. The winner was Michael Lewis, who was also the official photographer for the event.
PHOTO BY MICHAEL LEWIS
Daniel Pereira Cristo charmed the audience at the Pines.