During the final European Qualifiers on Lake Neuchâtel, we’ve been blessed with fantastic wind conditions, high temperatures, and one of the most stunning backdrops in sailing.

The stakes couldn’t have been higher on Golden Friday with the coveted slots at the SSL Gold Cup Finals Brasil 2026 on the line and double points on offer for the final race.

Group G Race 6

Going into the final Group G race, all three teams were still able to book their ticket to Rio. Portugal held the best cards, sitting on 12 points, while Türkiye on 9 and Bulgaria on 8 were relying on the Portuguese Navigators slipping up to overhaul them.

At just after midday, the teams lined up on starboard, but at one minute to go the race committee raised the AP flag due to a large windshift to the right. With so much on the line, providing the fairest race course is essential, and in no time the course was reset and the starting sequence was back underway.

The Portuguese Navigators controlled the start beautifully, squeezing out the Young Turks and covering the Bulgarian Lions. Tactician Hugo Rocha has shown exceptional situational awareness all week, and once again was on fire.

All three teams tacked onto port with the Navigators initially orchestrating proceedings, but the fast-improving Bulgarian Lions managed to sneak out of their cover and clawed their way into the lead at the windward mark, while the Young Turks were right on the Navigators’ tail.

A slight kink in the Lions’ spinnaker drop line let the Navigators close the gap as the Young Turks took a deeper line downwind to move into second. As it stood, Bulgaria were going to rise from last to first in the group and book their Rio ticket. A huge upset was on the cards.

The Lions sorted their kite issue on the gybe, while a superb manoeuvre by the Navigators, pushing out the Young Turks, saw them move back into second at the leeward gate, as the race team reduced the course length for the second lap as the breeze dropped to 5 knots.

Bulgaria knew that just winning the race wasn’t enough, so on the second upwind leg they tried to cover Portugal, but would this let Türkiye slip past both of them? As the yachts converged on the windward mark every spectator was on the edge of their seat, and the Navigators threaded past the Young Turks and then pounced on the Lions who had misjudged their layline to the windward mark by the finest of margins.

Portuguese trimmer Tomas Barreto worked the spinnaker beautifully as helm Afonso Domingos gave the wheel the lightest of touches on the final downwind leg to glide the Navigators across the finish line and seal their place in Brasil. Heartbreak for the Lions and the Young Turks who so nearly caused a major upset in this incredible race.

Hugo Rocha’s beaming smile said it all as he was interviewed after the race: “It was a fantastic race. We had a good start, but we struggled on the first downwind leg, before having a great upwind leg. The crew did a fantastic job and we’re really happy!”

Group F Race 6

After a delay as the wind changed, the final European Qualifiers race started. Realistically, only Ukraine’s United and Finland’s Northern Magic teams could qualify, with both tied on 12 points, so a match race was on the cards. Greece could theoretically go through if both teams were disqualified, but the chances of that happening were infinitesimally small.

Both teams have strong match racers in their line-up, and Finland went on the offensive with two minutes to go, tailing Ukraine in the pre-start before hooking them before the start and forcing the United team into a tack. Finland’s Northern Magic team then got caught up with the Greeks at the pin end, allowing Ukraine to power over the top thanks to a pair of beautiful tacks.

Finland then tacked, only just clearing Ukraine’s stern, leading to a short tacking duel which pushed Northern Magic further behind, before the United team broke off to the right hand side of the course, seeing better breeze. The best fleet and match racing tactics are needed in the unique SSL format, and the experience of helm Rodion Luka, together with tactician Oskar Madonich, was proving decisive for the Ukrainian team.

The Finnish team performed a ‘sambuca’ gybe-set at the windward mark to try and get back in the game, much to the pleasure of commentator Yann Dorset who is a huge fan of the manoeuvre, but the United team were making no mistake, staying between their opponents and the next mark.

Ukraine’s lead was huge over Finland, but they weren’t taking any risks, covering the Finnish team from afar upwind, with even the helm hiking as they surged on, yellow jerseys shining brightly aboard the golden yachts.

Despite a bird’s nest forming in the starboard spinnaker sheet, the United team’s final spinnaker hoist set them on course for victory, sealing their ticket to Rio.

Ukrainian Captain Rodion Luka smiled as Karolina spoke to him on the water after the race: “I will learn how to dance the Samba now! It was an easier race than I was expecting to be honest. I thought in the pre-start we had a problem, but then it was easy to control when we tacked. I’m very good under pressure, and when you have confidence in your team you can do whatever you want.”

We’ve had an exceptional week in Grandson, with some fantastic racing and the SSL family gathering in the evenings for the Football World Cup Semi Finals shown on the giant screen beside the marina.

Next up we’ll see the SSL 47 fleet in Rio for the Pan American Qualifiers in early November, and then the main event: the SSL Gold Cup Brasil 2026, the ‘Football World Cup in Sailing’.