Sailing is moving deeper into its “world championship” phase, modelled on the idea of a football World Cup. With 197 days left until the Grand Final of the second SSL Gold Cup, and just 27 days until racing begins in Switzerland, things are clearly entering the final stretch.
SSL 47 fleet ready to go
After a busy winter of preparation, the SSL team returned to Europe following the opening qualifying stage in Pattaya, Thailand, where the first battles for a place in the Gold Cup took place.
Back at the base, everything shifted straight into race-readiness mode. Every SSL 47 yacht went through a full technical check: maintenance work, hull cleaning and polishing, rig adjustments, equipment upgrades, and performance testing. Only then did the boats return to Lake Neuchâtel, where the next qualification stage is about to begin.
Last details before racing
May is shaping up to be a very busy month. Teams are spending long hours on the water, fine-tuning manoeuvres and building consistency. This is also when final crew line-ups will be confirmed. National teams will soon announce the sailors who made the cut, which always adds extra tension and anticipation around the event.
And underneath it all sits the big question: which teams will secure their next step towards Rio de Janeiro?
Who will race in Switzerland?
The first races (2–4 June) will feature teams from Africa and Oceania: Tahiti, Mozambique, Seychelles, and Morocco. Two gold tickets are up for grabs.
Seychelles, Morocco, and Mozambique already have some experience on Lake Neuchâtel, having trained there during earlier SSL sessions. For all three, this will be their official debut on the SSL starting line.
Tahiti returns with a bit of history behind them. “The Black Pearls”, led by Teva Plichart, were one of the standout stories of the first SSL Gold Cup in Gran Canaria, reaching the Round of 16 and surprising many with their performance.
European teams join next
After that, European teams will take to the water, including Austria, Slovenia, Estonia, Norway, Belgium, Lithuania, and Serbia. Switzerland will also host a strong mix of sailors from across the international sailing scene: Olympians, offshore specialists, world champions, and national stars.
Who gets a ticket to the SSL Gold Cup? From Europeans group, only one nation qualifies for Brazil.
And what is that for?
The SSL Gold Cup is often described as the Football World Cup of Sailing, the most prestigious international sailing competition. From November 18 to December 13 in Rio, Brazil, 40 of the world’s best national teams, selected from 66 countries, will compete for the ultimate prize: the World Champion title.
As the countdown continues, the atmosphere keeps building. The fleet is ready, the teams are close to final form, and the next chapter of the SSL Gold Cup is just about to begin.
