The next chapter of the SSL Emerging Nations Programme has begun in Dubai, with Team Angola joining the training camp and taking its first steps into the world of SSL sailing.
For Coelho Domingas, a member of SSL Team Angola, the experience is a completely new challenge. It is his first time in Dubai and also his first time sailing as part of an SSL team.
“Before coming here, I had never sailed this type of boat or experienced this kind of sailing. It has been a great opportunity for me and my team to learn, grow and discover a completely new side of the sport.”
The difference between the sailing Domingas knows and the SSL 47 is significant. While he normally sails the two-person dinghy, the SSL 47 brings ten sailors together on one boat, requiring a completely different approach to communication, coordination and teamwork.
“Boat SSL is different. I sail in 470, which is a boat for two people, and the SSL boat is for ten people. It is very big, very different, and very great. I like it so much.”
For Team Angola, the change is much more than simply stepping onto a bigger boat. It means learning a completely new way of communicating, working together and sailing as one team.
The Angola team brings a variety of sailing backgrounds to the programme. Alongside 470 sailors, team members have experience in ILCA 6, ILCA 7 and other classes, with some also having competed internationally, including at World Championships and regattas abroad.
Their first day on the water in Dubai provided an immediate introduction to the challenges of sailing the SSL 47. The team had to adapt to the size of the boat and, most importantly, learn how to work together as a larger crew.
“The first time, we saw that the boat was very big. We do not have this in Angola. When we started sailing, there were some complications because there are so many people on one boat. But after the coach showed us where everyone should stay, with time we started sailing very well.”
For Domingas, learning from experienced coaches is one of the key opportunities offered by the programme.
“Yesterday was very productive. The coach is very experienced and shared the learning with us very well. It was difficult at first, but we are here to learn.”
For Angola, the programme is also about more than learning a new boat. Sailing is still developing in the country, and the SSL Emerging Nations Programme provides an opportunity to introduce a new format of sailing to a new generation while giving Angolan sailors the chance to connect with athletes and coaches from around the world.
“In Angola, SSL is new. It is new for the people and for young sailors. For us, it is a great opportunity.”
The team is already looking beyond this training camp, with ambitions to compete in more international events, including the African Championship next year.
For now, however, the focus is firmly on the week ahead in Dubai: learning the SSL 47, developing teamwork and returning to Angola with new skills and experience to share with other sailors.
“We want to learn more about the boat and SSL. We want to go back to Angola with more experience to share with other people.”
And there is one bigger dream that captures the ambition of this new generation of sailors: to compete internationally as a nation.
“We have a dream to compete for our country. I think this dream can come true with SSL.”
The training in Dubai is another step in that journey and for Team Angola, the first week on the SSL 47 is only the beginning.
