The magazine “Entre olas” from Baleària interviews Tenerife captain Manuel Delgado Padilla, a paradigm of professional success

The latest issue of the magazine “Entre olas” from Baleària features an interview with captain Manuel Delgado Padilla (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1983), who is currently the captain of the catamaran “Volcán de Tagoro”. This ship, along with its twin “Volcán de Taidía” and the brand new “Mercedes Pinto”, enables the daily “maritime bridge” between capitals, “from center to center and without detours” and also “the three in line”, which connects Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and Morro Jable, Fuerteventura, without disembarking.

Manuel Delgado Padilla is the son of journalist Manuel Delgado González, whom we knew, a man of great activity and coherence, who passed away at a young age, and Álida Padilla Castilla, who found her vital role as a court procurator and continues to practice her profession.

In two pages, we find several interesting aspects and something we already knew, such as his passion and mastery of sailing since he was a child, when he lived in Radazul and his parents enrolled him in a sailing course, thus beginning his indestructible bond with the sea. The sport of sailing, which started as a hobby, became a fundamental part of his life and profession starting in 1999, when he developed his career as a trainer for Olympic classes, which led him to travel around the world. This deep knowledge of sailing has helped him in his profession as a merchant mariner on more than one occasion.

Manuel Delgado Padilla was 30 years old when he decided to change his life and began working as a mooring operator at the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. He started from the bottom, at the dock, doing a job that allowed him to understand the port from another perspective, realizing that behind every ship that enters or leaves, there are people whose work is essential.

He then worked as a sailor, first on the port service boats and later on merchant ships, and when he was 34, he decided to enter the Higher School of Nautical Studies in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, from which he graduated while balancing studies with periods of embarkation. He later became an officer and on July 16, 2023, the feast day of Our Lady of Carmen, he fulfilled his dream and took on the high responsibility of captain for the first time.

A paradigm of a serious, responsible man, honest, humble, and very competent, captain Manuel Delgado Padilla acknowledges that the arrival of Baleària Canarias “I am experiencing with great excitement. I believe that we Canarians are very fortunate that a company like Baleària has bet on the connectivity of such a fragmented territory as the Canary Islands. We depend on ships to move between islands, visit our families, attend medical appointments, work, or simply enjoy and support local tourism. The improvement in standards of efficiency, punctuality, and passenger service is spectacular, and I feel very proud to be part of this new stage.”

His sense of a cohesive team is evident in his response to another question: “Above all, I like to feel part of the crew, as a member of the team, while proudly assuming the responsibility and leadership that corresponds to me. I also enjoy the simple act of sailing, observing the wind, the clouds, the waves, and feeling the sea as a means of progress in every sense. After so many years, I still have the same feeling when I am sailing.”

In another part of the interview, he acknowledges that “ships are made by people, and when the team becomes a family around a job that you are passionate about, passengers perceive it, and the travel experience also improves.” We know, from what his professional colleagues tell us, that captain Manuel Delgado Padilla strives to keep the bridge open to all his crew, whom he listens to. And it is that, among others, each in their role, they make it possible for the ship to set sail.

Manuel Delgado Padilla acknowledges that “this profession is very tough, especially in the beginning. Throughout my life, I have navigated in different parts of the world, and there is nothing comparable to putting a foot on solid ground after several weeks at sea. Nowadays, the distances between the Canary Islands allow us to be close to land quite frequently, and that makes us enjoy a privileged situation. But above all, I am lucky that my job allows me to sail the same waters that have been part of my life since I was a child. For me, the Canary Islands are not just where I work: they are my home. And perhaps that is one of the reasons why I live this profession with such passion.”

In the interview, he is asked what he does in his free time. He responds: “Although it may seem strange, in my free time, I am still connected to the sea. I continue to practice sailing regularly, but now I do it with my family. One of my great passions is sailing along the coast of Anaga, in Tenerife, and ending up anchored at Antequera beach, watching how my children —currently 9 and 7 years old— learn to fish. These are moments that remind me why I feel so much affection for these islands. And while I watch them enjoy the sea, I continue dreaming of one day being able to sail around the world, which is one of my great dreams.”

Photos: provided