Star Sailors League: Two European teams united on the Road to Rio!

Wednesday saw up to 25 knots at times, but from multiple directions and far too unstable to set a course. Thursday tantalised, with 5 knot breezes coming in fits and starts, but soon fading out. It was frustrating for the sailors, the spectators, and the race committee who gave the breeze every chance, right up until the last allowed start time of 4pm where they were forced to race AP over A and cancel racing.

So the results stand after three races with the Estonian Icebreakers qualifying from Group D on 8 points ahead of the Austrian Eagles on 6 and the Slovenian Krpani 1860 on 4.

In Group E the Lithuanian Ambers qualified on 11 points, with the Norwegian Norstream finishing on 9, the Belgian Sea Devils on 6 and the Serbian Eagles on 4 points.

It is a bitter pill to swallow for the teams who miss out, but sport can be cruel sometimes, and the performance of both the Estonian Icebreakers and Lithuanian Ambers was exemplary in the three sailed races, sealing their place at the SSL Gold Final Brasil 2026, the second Football World Cup… in Sailing.

The teams all gathered at the main stage for the prize–giving ceremony, with the Lithuanian and Estonian teams celebrating as one. The champagne was sprayed, the national anthems played, and the party got started. The rivalry between the two nations could fire up in Rio, but for now they were both equally happy to progress in the competition.

The next SSL Gold Cup European Qualifiers are taking place at Lake Neuchâtel between the 14th and 17th July, but for now it’s celebration time on the Road to Rio!

Text and images courtesy of Star Sailors League. Read more here.