Star Sailors League: Newcomers face early challenges in the 1/16 Finals of the SSL Gold Cup

In the previous round, elite teams from Bulgaria, Peru, Cuba, Ukraine, Czech Republic and Oman were sent home. In their place are Austria, Finland, Hungary, Croatia, Canada and Japan, all ready to make their mark on the competition. While these newcomers may technically be ranked higher, their lack of recent experience in the SSL47 could be a handicap, levelling the playing field.

Fleet 1 – Race 1

Following their last win in the 1/32 Finals, the Malaysian ‘Monsoon’ kept up the pressure, delivering a masterclass in timing and coordination.

After a perfect start, Team Malaysia went on to gain an easy 300+ metre lead for the second half of the race. It was a cheery atmosphere onboard as Malaysia passed the finish line, a minute and a half before ‘Lucky Losers’ Chile in second place.

For newcomers the ‘Austrian Eagles’, it was an eventful start to the competition. After an early lead, the Austrian team experienced problems with their jib, rendering it unusable for a part of Leg 2 and relegating them to the back of the fleet. It went from bad to worse after the final windward mark, with their spinnaker in the water bringing the boat to a complete stop. The Austrians managed to complete the race, but more than five minutes after Team Malaysia.

Fleet 2 – Race 1

Bermuda’s ‘Privateers’ got off to a strong start and held first position for the majority of the race, but they couldn’t hold it together in the face of the ‘Black Pearls’ from Tahiti.

By the second upwind leg, it was essentially a match race between Bermuda and Tahiti. As they battled it out towards the windward mark, it was all still to play for, with just 8 seconds separating them. But Team Tahiti broke away on the final leg, crossing the finish line 67 seconds ahead of Bermuda.

Now with five consecutive wins, the ‘Black Pearls’ seem to be unstoppable.

Fleet 3 – Race 1

Breaking the trend seen in earlier races, Fleet 3 proved that prior experience in the SSL47 is not critical for success.

Croatia’s first race in the competition was a triumph, outpacing their more-experienced competitors in the SSL47, and finishing a clear two minutes before any other team.

It was a relaxed second-place finish for South African ‘Team Ubuntu’, who maintained a 500-metre lead over Portugal’s ‘Navigators’ in the race’s final stretch.

After some complications with a knotted winch – much the same as Cuba in the previous round – Antigua & Barbuda dropped to the back of the fleet, a position from which they couldn’t recover.

Fleet 4 – Race 1

Japan and Canada hit the ground running, leading the pack in the early stages of the race. Towards the first gate, Team Canada attempted some of the most aggressive moves we’ve seen in the competition so far. Risky, but it paid off for them, overtaking Japan and securing a lead for the next 2 legs.

Despite a 300-metre lead at one point in the race, Canada played it safe down the middle of Leg 3, paving the way for an impressive comeback from Lithuania. Down from third place, ‘The Ambers’ managed to gain the lead for a decisive victory in Race 1 of the 1/16 Finals.

After the Japanese team encountered an issue with their gennaker during a key moment at the bottom mark, the crew resolved the problem quickly, but in the end finished third, followed by a surprise last-place from Team Slovenia.

It can be a steep learning curve to get to grips with the SSL47. With the staggered introduction of teams, new competitors faced the challenge of catching up with teams who’d already accumulated four days of experience in the previous round. Although as was the case with Croatia, it is possible to hit the ground running!

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Text and images courtesy of Star Sailors League. For more information and to read the full release, please visit starsailors.com.