I met Josep Cusí at the Real Club Náutico through the sailing regattas of the Trofeo Conde de Godó, which my father, Carlos, started fifty-three years ago, and I can say that I have always been fortunate to have his esteem and advice. His relationship with Juan Carlos de Borbón was very close, as I saw from the first day. Both shared a passion for the sea, but above all a friendship fostered by the commitment to ask nothing in return. That is why I think the word loyalty best defines what one expects from a friend, which implies respect, integrity, discretion, and trust. And even more so when it comes to the king of Spain.
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It has often been written that the King cannot have friends, because many of the people who approach the Monarch try to influence the institution he embodies. I understand the spirit of the concept, but I do not share it. Every human being needs a friend to trust, to whom they can express their concerns. The problem lies in knowing how to choose well, which requires prudence and intuition. I know that the emeritus king had people he trusted who disappointed him, surely because he could have chosen better or because not everyone understands the boundaries of friendship. But that is not the case with Cusí, who never tried to take advantage of his closeness to Juan Carlos de Borbón. That is probably why this relationship has always worked, without interruptions, with generosity. Therefore, one of the people most affected by this death is the one who has been king for four decades. Every Sunday he has called his wife Inés punctually to find out how Josep was doing in recent times.
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Cusí was a cultured man, a sound businessman, and a unique sailor. Being the captain of a boat is no trivial matter: it requires a steady hand and a clear head. But equally, it requires moral authority and knowing how to read the sea. And those were unquestionable virtues in him. Moreover, I know that he taught Don Juan Carlos to understand Catalonia, where he often traveled to see his friend, who opened the doors of a country house he had at the foot of the Montserrat mountain. We have lost a good and wise man. And one who never gave bad advice to the man who was his friend, the king.
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