Circuito Netuno de Travessias — Etapa 6 (São Vicente)

Praia dos Milionários wedges five narrow pockets of pale sand directly beneath the sheer headland of Ilha Porchat, opening into the protected bowl of the Baía de São Vicente. This sheltered maritime cove hosts the Circuito Netuno de Travessias — Etapa 6, an open water swimming race held in the coastal waters of São Vicente in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Swimmers gather on the shoreline under the steep coastal cliffs to take on the saltwater courses framed by the headland. The event offers courses over three distinct distances of 750 meters, 1,500 meters, and 3,000 meters, allowing participants to choose between an accessible sprint and a demanding endurance circuit inside the bay.

Staged in December at the beginning of the southern hemisphere's summer, the race brings warm seasonal ocean conditions into the sheltered waters. Organized by Yps Promoções e Eventos, the competition gathers athletes from across the region along the water's edge. Swimmers push off into the waves to feel the raw energy of the sea, navigating around sighting buoys while channeling the focus and emotion required to overcome open water challenges.

Netuno circuit scoring: stage weights, bonus points and timing

In the circuit ranking the opening stage of the year is weighted 1 1/4, the middle stages 1 and the final stage 1.5. The final stage is held on 24 January 2027, again at Praia dos Milionários in São Vicente. Overall winners, men and women alike, earn bonus points: 30 for first place, 25 for second and 20 for third. In a tie, the athlete with the most overall wins is declared the winner. Cronotime times each swimmer with an electronic chip fixed to the ankle for the whole race and returned after the finish. The Best of the Year 2026 awards are presented on the day of the first stage of the 2027 circuit.

Ilha Porchat: the granite sentinel of the bay

The course is dominated by Ilha Porchat, a dramatic rocky headland that rises nearly 70 meters straight above the starting beach. The promontory functions as a tidal island that historically separated from the main island of São Vicente only during high tide, standing as a primary navigation landmark at the entrance of the bay. In earlier centuries, thick tropical Atlantic forest carpeted the entire slope down to the waterline. Navigators in the late eighteenth century knew this rocky outpost as Ilha das Cobras, but by the early nineteenth century the island was renamed Ilha das Cabras as domestic goats were brought in to graze across its pastures. From the summit monument on the headland, you can look directly down over the race waters, taking in the full sweeping curve of the bay and the neighboring coastline before stepping into the sea.

The waters of São Vicente: galleons, straits, and colonial harbors

The race unfolds against a coastline rich with maritime history, set along the western shore of São Vicente Island, a 57-square-kilometer landmass bordered by open ocean on one side and freshwater rivers on the other. European sailors anchored in front of Praia do Góis in December 1531, when Martim Afonso de Sousa led his expedition. The following year, in 1532, Portuguese colonizers established a permanent settlement at a harbor anchorage previously designated as the Port of the Slaves. To protect the strategic sea approaches and channel entrances, colonial forces erected a small fort on the beach. These surrounding straits soon became the backdrop for naval warfare. On February 3, 1583, three English warships engaged three Spanish galleons in a pitched naval battle directly off the coast of São Vicente, culminating in the sinking of one of the Spanish galleons in these coastal waters.

Xixová-Japuí: the wild Atlantic forest coast beyond the bridge

The modern coastline gives way to the protected wilderness of Xixová-Japuí State Park, a 901-hectare coastal conservation reserve established in 1993. Right where the bay flows out toward the open sea near the historic Suspension Bridge sits Praia de Paranapuã, also known as Praia das Vacas, sheltered along the forested slopes of the park. Tucked away beneath Xixová Hill and Itaipu Peak lies Praia de Itaquitanduva, an untouched 300-meter strand of sand. A natural spring of drinkable freshwater flows straight down from the forested granite slopes onto the beach. Because of its undisturbed maritime ecosystem, this secluded cove serves as a scientific research ground for monitoring local wildlife, coastal vegetation, and migratory bird species that rest along the headlands.

Praia dos Milionários seafront: boat ramps, promenades, and brewery taps

The beach earned its evocative name either from the upscale apartment towers lining the shore or from the historic habit of wealthy boat owners dropping anchor in the cove for a leisurely swim. The shoreline remains deeply connected to everyday boating culture, featuring active launch ramps used by artisanal fishermen as well as paddlers in ocean canoes, motorboats, and regatta sailors. An elevated concrete promenade hugs the base of the residential buildings, providing a walking path with sweeping panoramas of the bay and the distant Ponte Pênsil. After finishing the swim, athletes can walk up from the sand to the end of Rua Messias Assú, where the local Burgman craft brewery operates an outdoor kiosk serving cold draft beer right by the water. It is an ideal spot to celebrate the crossing.