SSL Gold Cup - 1/16 Finals - Day 2

Sailing has its own World Cup, finally! Like football in 1930 and rugby in 1987, the SSL Gold Cup is designed to crown the best sailing nation of all! The World Top 56 countries, selected on their SSL Nation ranking, will battle their way through to raise the coveted and only Sailing World Cup trophy.

Another beautiful day in sunny Gran Canaria. Well, not just any day – it was Day 1 of 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.

Will the teams with a few races under their belt be more at home on the water?

Let’s find out…

As we saw last week at the start of the 1/32 Finals, 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!

One thing is for sure: the level of competition is only intensifying as we progress through the Final Series of the SSL Gold Cup!