The SSL Global Ranking System is inspired by the ATP rankings in tennis, conceived and developed by a passionate group of Olympic and amateur sailors. It provides an at-a-glance view of where different sailors stand in the world, based on their results in the plethora of classes and events which happen in sailing.
It allows fans to follow their heroes, for athletes to build their profile in the world, and is used to select sailors for their national SSL Teams and Nation seedings for the SSL Gold Cup.
There is a Combined Global Individual Ranking, separate rankings for Men and Women, Helms and Crews, as well as Nations. You can also search by Nation or Class, making the powerful system truly comprehensive.
Being able to rank all events relies on categories being used so that major international events are worth more SSL ranking points than a local regatta. The beauty is that all sailors can be included on the system, down to those who compete in local club events. Here is how the points work:
- Category 1 (SSL 4000 point Major Events)
Olympic Games, America’s Cup, SSL Gold Cup
- Category 2 (SSL 2500 point World Events)
World Championships in Fleet and Match Racing, America’s Cup Challenger Selection Series, SSL Grand Slam Events, SailGP Season Grand Final
- Category 3 (SSL 1000 point Continental Events)
Continental Championships, World Cup Regattas with 200 boats or more, Match Racing Grade 1 Events
- Category 4 (SSL 500 point International Events)
Olympic and SSL Gold Cup Qualifiers, Regional Games with 4 to 9 nations, Regattas with 80 or more boats, Match Racing Grade 2 Events
- Category 5 (SSL 250 point National Events)
National Championship and Regional Events with less than 4 nations competing, Regattas with 30 or more boats, Match Racing Grade 3 Events
- Category 6 (SSL 100 point Regional Events)
Regional Regattas with 10 or more boats, Match Racing Grade 4 Events
- Category 7 (SSL 10 point Local Events)
Local Regattas with between 3 and 9 competitors, Match Racing Grade 5 Events
Points earned drop off the ranking over time, with results from the last year counting 100%, between one and two year old results count for 50%, while results over years ago don’t count.
Only the best 6 scores of each athlete over the past 2 years are counted in the ranking.
The Nations Ranking uses the Top 5 Skippers and Top 2 Crews rankings to give a points total. This is what is used to seed the Nations in the SSL Gold Cup Finals.
Full details can be found here.
Ranking Highlights (2 June 2026 Rankings)
Topping the helm ranking is Great Britain’s Nacra 17 helm John Gimson, who is consistently on the podium at major events with crew and partner Anna Burnet, who leads the crew ranking. After winning silver at Tokyo 2020, John and Anna had to settle for 4th at Paris 2024, but since then they won the 2025 Nacra 17 World and European Championships, and were third at the 2026 Worlds.
In fifth is the legendary Paul Cayard from the U.S.A., who at 67 years old is showing no signs of slowing down, winning the 2025 Star World Championship and the 2026 Etchells World Championship. He is a two-time Olympian, seven-time America’s Cup competitor, winning the Louis Vuitton Cup in 1992, and was the first American to win the Whitbread Round the World Race.
The top female helm is Spain’s 49er FX star Paula Barcelo Martin, who is in sixth in the ranking, having won the 2025 World Championship and finished 2nd in the 2026 World Championship.
Spain has the most skippers in the top ten of both the Helm and Crew rankings, with five sailors in total.
The sailor who has spent the most time as No.1 on the Global Skipper ranking is Brazilian legend and five-time Olympic medallist Robert Scheidt who topped the rankings for 125 weeks. That’s over two years!
Great Britain tops the Global Nations Ranking on 92 points, leading Australia by a massive 63 points with the United States third on 167 points.
Have a look yourself
Simply go to https://worldofsailors.com/ranking and find your sailing heroes, and maybe find yourself on the ranking as well!
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How to follow the SSL Gold Cup?
Social media: Instagram & Facebook, and TikTok
Broadcast LIVE from the racing: YouTube
