Star Sailors League: SSL Gold Cup Final Series in Gran Canaria officially open!

There was a palpable sense of anticipation amongst the competitors as dignitaries delivered their welcome messages to the first 16 international teams who have travelled from around the globe to compete in Gran Canaria this month.

Regatta Director Paul Hutton-Ashkenny opened the ceremony with these words: “It was six years ago in The Bahamas that the concept of the SSL Gold Cup was presented, modelled on the Football World Cup, but in sailing. Nation against nation, with the legends of sailing competing for national pride in a big keelboat.

“Many avenues of life get talked about, few get actually launched, but the SSL Gold Cup was not to be such a project. In the six years that followed an astonishing 56 countries embraced the vision before a single race had been sailed.

“In this remarkable venue we have everything that is good about the sport of sailing, we could not have better partners. The sight of the SSL47 moored at the end of the dock is a joy, and it gives me great pleasure to thank our hosts; the wonderful island of Gran Canaria, the city of Las Palmas, and our highly professional and warm-hearted hosts at the Real Federación Canaria De Vela.

“We have 24 days of highly competitive sailing ahead of us before we will crown the World Champion sailing nation. But make no mistake, this will not be an end to the SSL Gold Cup story, but a new beginning. As we cheer the new World Champion we will equally be looking ahead to new horizons and new editions of the SSL Gold Cup. The story has only just begun.”

The night’s announcements ended with the draw to determine the Fleets for the 1/32 Finals of the SSL Gold Cup which starts tomorrow (Friday). Four Fleets – each with 4 Teams – were hand-picked by officials in a random draw. Lego figures, representing each country’s Captain, were chosen from the pots, which will no doubt inspire the next generation of sailing greats.

In the Football World Cup there is always one referred to as the ‘Group of Death’ and Stefano Peschiera feared his ‘Paracas Warriors’ from Peru were in it with his Fleet 1 adversaries.

In Fleet 2, Tonu Toniste thought that his ‘Icebreakers’ from Estonia faced a very strong challenge from Portugal, Chile and Cuba.

Fleet 3 has produced the ‘Battle of the Caribbean Islands’ with Shannon Falcone’s ‘Rum Runners’ from Antigua and Barbuda and Rockal Evans and his ‘Privateers’ from Bermuda set to take on Ukraine and Malaysia.

Ondra Teply’s Czech Republic team are in Fleet 4, together with Lithuania, South Africa and Oman and he was looking to the start of racing tomorrow.

Text and images courtesy of starsailors.com. Read the full release on the Star Sailors League website.