The Road to Rio and the countdown to SSL Gold Cup Brasil 2026 continues over the next two weeks in the stunning surroundings of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland with two sets of Qualifiers.
Teams have been training for the past week in the magnificent fleet of SSL47 yachts, resplendent in their gold wraps, adapting to the local conditions and are ready for racing.
First up is the Africa and Oceania Qualifier, taking place between 2nd and 4th June. Teams which have already qualified through their national ranking are South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Three days to decide two of the places amongst the 40 nations from five continents at the SSL Gold Cup Brasil 2026 this November and December in Rio.
The teams set to battle it out for a coveted place in the Rio finals are newcomers Mozambique, Morocco and Seychelles who will have to take on Tahiti, led by captain Teva Plichart, the awesome team which became a fan favourite and upset many of the more established nations during the SSL Gold Cup 2023.
After a week of sunshine, the forecast for Tuesday is looking interesting, with the possibility of rain, scattered thunderstorms and a south westerly breeze which is set to build throughout the day. Being surrounded by the Alps, sailors will have to rely on eyes scanning the horizon on Lake Neuchâtel as much as the forecast for their strategies. Those teams which combine slick teamwork with mastery of the wind will be in the ascendancy.
Six races are scheduled over the next three days, with the first race scheduled for 11:00 CET each day.
Marouane Hasni, Mainsheet Trimmer for SSL Team Morocco spoke of the excitement of racing for the first points on Tuesday: “We’re excited to start the competition tomorrow and we’re preparing ourselves for the Opening Ceremony. I think we will have our chance to qualify, we’ve worked hard during training here, and have done a lot of physical training before travelling here. We are very proud to represent Morocco.”
SSL Team Mozambique’s Trimmer Carlos Lino says the team is feeling good going into the racing, “We feel a bit of pressure, but now we are more confident as a team because we’ve had three days of rest after the training, and are confident that we can handle the racing very well.”
It has been a steep learning curve to learn the manoeuvres on board the SSL47 yachts, but SSL Team Mozambique Captain Deizy Nhaquile says they will keep things calm and simple to avoid errors, “We will try not to do a lot of tacks and gybes, and will focus on our speed, making sure the moves we do are sharp and quick.”
SSL Team Tahiti’s Bow, Yann Rigal, looked happy and confident on the eve of racing, reflecting the general mood in the team, “We feel good and we can’t wait for the competition to begin! We’re going to stay calm, with no pressure, having fun on board as friends sailing together.”
On the strategy, SSL Team Tahiti Captain Teva Plichart added, “We are not afraid as we have a very good tactician. Our experience will help every time you sail this kind of boat you learn a little more, but we are against very good teams in The Seychelles, Mozambique and Morocco, so nothing is done yet. We have to prove that we can do it.”
SSL Team Morocco’s Tactician Hakim Hasni reflected on the excitement within the team, “We are focused for tomorrow and are looking forward to a little more wind than today. We are excited to start qualification. We have a good team here, mostly from the Navy with good sailing experience, so we will do our best. We will fight with the same spirit that our Moroccan team had in the Football World Cup in Qatar!”
Regatta Director Paul Hutton-Ashkenny summed up the momentum building around the SSL Gold Cup by saying:
“Four years ago, I was here in Grandson, offering a similar welcome to competitors in the qualifiers for the first edition of the SSL Gold Cup 2022. Then, there were 56 competing countries. Today, the SSL Gold Cup 2026 family is an astonishing 66 nations. Five new countries competed in the Asian qualifiers held in Thailand in December. Three more additional countries are represented here today, and will be competing in Grandson for the first time. The SSL Gold Cup is truly living up to its promise to expand the reach of competitive sailing throughout emerging countries and to shine the spotlight on the athletes proudly representing their country.”
Things remain busy in Grandson with the European Qualifiers between 8th and 11th June with two full groups racing. Group D consists of Austria, Slovenia and Estonia while Group E is made up of Norway, Belgium, Lithuania, Serbia. It’s an intense and exciting time at SSL HQ in Grandson, Switzerland!
