Star Sailors League: Double or Quits at the SSL Gold Cup Final Series in Gran Canaria

For the national teams in Fleet 2, Chile, Portugal, Estonia and Cuba, it’s also a double race day, after they were unable to race yesterday when the wind died in the afternoon. They were the first out on the racecourse, greeted with a beautiful 10 knots from the north.

With so many points on offer, today is double the pressure, double the intensity, with the reward being progress to the 1/16 Finals for the top two teams from each Fleet.

Fleet 2 – Race 3

At the start of the race it was double or nothing for Cuba, who took the left hand side of the course while all other teams picked the right. The roll of the dice paid off for the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, who managed to maintain their lead for most of the second leg.

However, all was not well for the Pirates, with an override on the starboard winch causing them trouble, meaning they were unable to drop their spinnaker until well beyond the leeward gate. They managed to sort the problem, but by this point they were a kilometre behind the pack.

By the windward mark, Portugal had returned to the front of the fleet, ahead of Estonia by only 2 seconds, followed by Chile 10 seconds behind. The teams maintained this order for Leg 3, right up until the finish line, with only 15 seconds between the three teams.

Fleet 4 – Race 4

In the first of today’s double-points races, SSL Team Oman held a comfortable lead in leg 1, with the Czech Republic trailing them by 21 seconds at the windward mark, followed by Lithuania a further 8 seconds back, and then South Africa 9 seconds later at the back of the fleet.

Mirroring Cuba’s performance in the previous race, Oman led the pack until the end of the downwind leg, when a slow spinnaker drop led to them relinquishing the lead, and ‘The Czechs!’ surged to the front.

The wind was up, so the Race Committee increased the course length for the second lap. With the blue skies and glittering Canarian waters, the golden hulls of the SSL 47 yachts were sparkling, and the racing was electric.

South Africa’s never-give-up attitude was on show again as they surged up the fleet on the second upwind leg, rounding the windward mark just 8 seconds behind Lithuania with ‘The Czechs!’ just behind.

Positions stayed the same on the downwind, meaning the Lithuanian ‘Ambers’ and South Africa’s ‘Team Ubuntu’ are the first two teams to qualify for the 1/16 Round!

Fleet 1 – Race 4

Tahiti, with their flawless track record, made it look easy and established an early dominance in the race. Bulgaria trailed closely in their wind shadow, until Slovenia came up to jostle for first place nearing the windward mark.

Despite a torn spinnaker on the final downwind leg for the Slovenian team, the race went to form with the top two teams going into the race, ‘The Black Pearls’ from Tahiti and ‘KRPANI1860’ from Slovenia taking the top two places, and their spots in the 1/16 Finals.

The Black Pearls have rapidly become a fan favourite, and could well be the dark horses of the SSL Gold Cup.

Fleet 2 – Race 4

The second race of the day for Fleet 2, and the first leg was incredibly close. Portugal edged ahead at Mark 1, but the rest of the fleet was right behind, with a mere 21-second difference among them. By Leg 3 it was all still to play for, with the projected results showing just a 1 point difference between all four teams.

Despite Chile’s confident lead after the first race this morning, the double points scoring combined with their last-place finish dropped them to 3rd in the ranking, cutting the ‘Finis Terrae Sailors’ journey short.

Fleet 3 – Race 4

The last race of the day was high-stakes, with three of the four teams on identical points, and Bermuda only two points behind, setting the stage for an unpredictable finish.

There was drama from the off with Team Ukraine having to rapidly take their sails down after a fitting on the spreader failed, cruelly putting them out of the race.

Approaching the end of the first leg, it was a head-to-head showdown between Antigua & Barbuda and Malaysia, rounding the Mark 1 with just 7 seconds separating them. But after a penalty called by Malaysia, Antigua & Barbuda were forced to perform a 360-degree turn. This setback knocked ‘The Rum Runners’ from the lead down to second place, and then eventually third behind Bermuda.

As we reached the end of Mark 3, the race dynamics shifted dramatically. Bermuda, in a stunning manoeuvre, overtook Malaysia, with Antigua & Barbuda trailing behind by 400 metres. However, Bermuda lost their position to Malaysia on the final stretch. For Team Malaysia, this was a crucial and momentous first win in the fleet, and came at just the right time.

The Malaysian ‘Monsoon’ certainly pulled it together today, forging a double legacy that reflects the triumphs of the athletes as well as their nation.

Bermuda had to wait to confirm their place in the 1/16 Finals as the tie-break system was clarified. ‘The Privateers’ second place in the double point Race 4 gave it to them due to the 6 points they were awarded.

At the podium ceremony in the evening, runners-up on points Chile and Antigua & Barbuda were awarded ‘Lucky Loser’ places, keeping them in the game for another round.

The action resumes on Thursday 16 November as the 1/16 Finals of the SSL Gold Cup gets underway.

Text and images courtesy of Star Sailors League. To read the full release, click here.