Every wave on the planet has a group of locals who will tell you how great their spot can be “on its best day.” Pinpoint that day, when conditions are about to align, and run a contest to show the place in all its glory and you have the inspiration behind Portugal’s Capítulo Perfeito, or Perfect Chapter — a single-day event that highlights some of surfing’s best tube riders at Carcavelos, a wave in Cascais with world-class barrels. Contest organizers have been eyeing a swell brewing in the North Atlantic for about a week now, with rumblings that the event would run. On Wednesday morning they gave the 8th edition of The Perfect Chapter the green light for Saturday, February 19.
“The wave is really good when it works,” Nic von Rupp told The Inertia in 2020. “It’s twenty minutes from Lisbon. There’s local support from Lisbon, and the Perfect Chapter is all about great waves. Carcavelos has that — on its day, it’s fucking insane. You have to be on it in terms of forecasting, though. It’s a tough one. It’s an amazing beach break, but it’s not an everyday thing.”
“Broken boards were not a rare sight; I counted eight, and I wasn’t even keeping track,” The Inertia’s Alex Haro says after attending The Perfect Chapter in 2020. “I stopped counting after that, but there were more.”
“We have a forecast of a swell above four meters, with a high period, and wind from the north. The sandbars are well defined, so we expect a great surfing day,” says Miguel Fortes, event director of the Perfect Chapter powered by Billabong.
This year’s field of competitors includes a mix of Portuguese and international surfers who have been on call for the 72-hour green light notice. The roster is set through online voting, with fans determining who will represent the national field, international invitees, and Perfect Chapter’s New Generation category. Anthony Walsh, the 2020 champion, received an automatic invite this year, and some familiar (and intriguing) names like Adriano de Souza, Adrian “Ace” Buchan, Clay Marzo, Russel Bierke, and more will be joining Nic von Rupp, Miguel Blanco, Pedro Boonman, and others in Cascais Saturday.
“We have the best tube riders in the world on the way to Cascais, and a powerful swell accompanied by offshore wind forecast for Saturday, so the ingredients are all ready for another true Perfect Chapter of surfing in Portugal,” said contest organizer, Rui Costa, who pointed out that this year’s event is the first time the Perfect Chapter has fallen on a weekend. This has event organizers optimistic that there’ll be a good turnout of fans on the beach.
Editor’s Note: The Perfect Chapter will be broadcast live on the contest website, at Capituloperfeito.com. Watch highlights from 2020’s Perfect Chapter here.
