Star Sailors League: Estonia, Ireland, Antigua & Barbuda and Tahiti qualify for the Final Series

SSL Team Antigua & Barbuda’s “Rum Runners,” SSL Team Estonia’s “Icebreakers”, SSL Team Ireland’s “Green Armada” and SSL Team Tahiti’s “Black Pearls” are the first teams of SSL Gold Cup’s History to qualify to the Final Series.

In Race 4, all teams from Group 1 were on the move to start, but apparently, SSL Team Bermuda “Privateers” did not get the information and were way outside the racecourse and eventually got a false start. Everything went very smoothly for The Balck Pearls of Tahiti, who took the best options on the water to cruise all along the racecourse in Lake Neuchâtel until the finish line. Tahiti was followed by SSL Team Antigua & Barbuda, who topped the provisional ranking before Race 5. SSL Team Puerto Rico and SSL Team Bermuda closed the race leaving no room for mistakes.

Bermuda’s victory was not enough

In Race 5, with all teams still in contention to reach the Finals, tension was running high at the start. A scuffle at the Committee Boat between Tahiti, Puerto Rico and Antigua left Bermuda alone and, in the end, just Tahiti got penalised. It took all the courage and strength for the Black Pearls to control Los Boricuas of Puerto Rico, their only way to get the second spot in Group 1.

In the end, Bermuda claimed their second victory of their Qualifying Series, but that was not enough to overtake Antigua & Barbuda and Tahiti in the General Ranking. The two teams are the first two teams in SSL Gold Cup’s history to qualify for the Finals.

Estonia just too strong

After their third win in SSL Gold Cup 2022 Qualifying Series in Race 4, SSL Team Estonia “Icebreakers” punched their ticket to the Final Series before  Race 5. Second in the group, SSL Team Ireland “Green Armada”, also go through to the Finals.

Before Race 5,  SSL Team Serbia “Eagles” were still alive in this Group 2 thanks to their solid secomd place in Race 4. SSL Team Ireland did not perform as maybe they expected and were in an uncomfortable position before the start of the final showdown.

So in Race 5, it was Ireland vs. Serbia. The more experienced Irish team did not leave anything to chance by attacking the Eagles right at the start, pushing them behind the Committee Boat. It was then all about leaving them behind. But suddenly, the wind died and the Race Committee decided to stop the race, confirming the second Qualification ticket went to Ireland.