SSL Gold Cup, Qualifying Series Round 3: all about South America

At the SSL Gold Cup 2022 Qualifying Series Round 3, Group 4 is all about South America, with SSL Team Chile, SSL Team Peru, SSL Team Uruguay and SSL Team Venezuela set to battle for the right to compete at the Final Series in Bahrain (October-November).

In Group 5, four teams from Southern and Eastern Europe will also fight for one of two available Finals' tickets: SSL Team Bulgaria, SSL Team Czech Republic, SSL Team Portugal and SSL Team Turkiye.

The SSL Gold Cup 2022 started on May 19th with the Qualifying Series in Grandson, Lake Neuchatel (Switzerland). All teams ranked from Top 25 to 56 in the SSL Nations Ranking (based on January 2022 standings) will meet in eight groups of four teams each. Five stages, or rounds, will be organized until July 17th.

Only the top two teams of each group will go through to the Final Series that will take place from October 28th to November 20th, 2022 in Bahrain, Middle East.

Group 4: Chile vs. Peru vs. Uruguay vs. Venezuela

SSL Team Chile (SSL World n°28)
Team Nickname: Finis Terrae Sailors
Captain: Pablo Lorca
Motto: Sons of the Southern Winds

The feared Cape Horn, the cold Chiloé fjords,  the swell and strong winds of the central coast, and the calm of the North Sea are the schools that have forged Chileans' mettle, strong and resilient Sailors. From the end of the world, they come to surprise and compete as equals against the greatest nations of sailors and inscribe their names in foreign waters. 

The Chilean team is made up of varied personalities that, when complementing each other, transform it into an unbeatable team. With years of experience, eager youngsters, International championships, individual and team sailing, triumphs, and defeats, the Chilean team is better prepared to show off on the water. 

Squad: Felipe Echenique, Rodrigo Amunátegui, Felipe Robles, Ignacio Moraga, Rodrigo Robles, Andrés Ducasse, Andrés Guevara, Tomas Middleton, Pablo Herman, Luis Felipe Herman, Benjamin Grez, Rodrigo Ducasse, Juan Esteban Sanchez, Alberto Gonzalez Jr, Carlos Vergara, Nicolas Robertson, Santiago Lorca A.

SSL Team Peru (SSL World n°43)
Team Nickname: Paracas Warriors
Captain: Stefano Peschiera
Motto: Arriba Peru!

Proud of its long high seas heritage, SSL Team Peru is looking to leave a mark in modern sailing and set a standard for generations to come. Since 100 BCE, when their ancestors started the sport to travel longer distances to conquer more areas and fish. They would build rafts that would range from 6 to 11 meters long, could carry a load between 10-30 tons, and could travel at speeds of 4-5 knots. It has been asserted that Peruvian indigenous people were even able to reach the coasts of Mexico and even Polynesia to do trade. Today, there is a famous regatta called "The Great Regatta of The Century", which is done in the town of Cabo Blanco, in the North of Lima, also known for its great surfing waves and fishing records. The regatta consists of a gathering of about 30 traditional fishing sailing boats from around the zone and setting up a long-distance course that local fishermen, together with Peruvian sailors, sail through and compete for the cup. Winning it is an honor for the fishermen and their crews. 

Our team is a mix of experienced sailors with young spirits and competitive young sailors motivated to learn and adapt to the Gold Cup boat, the SSL 47. The team counts several world titles and Olympic participation under its belt, giving us the right mindset and level to challenge any other team for the cup. 

We have demonstrated that we become stronger and tough to beat when Peruvians get together to achieve a goal. We are extremely excited to take this challenge and to be part of the qualified nations to fight for the cup. 

Squad: Joaquín Razetto, Augusto Nicolini, Alonso Collantes, Renzo Sanguineti, Luis Olcese, Javier Arribas Harten, Cristina Salinas, Christian Sas, Jean Paul de Trazegnies, Eduardo Cano, Pachin Arribas, Daniel Mendoza, Diego Figueroa, Florencia Chiarella, Ismael Muelle, Esteban Montalbetti, Jorge Castro.

SSL Team Uruguay (SSL World n°36)
Team Nickname: La Celeste
Captain: Ricardo Fabini
Motto: Blood of Champions

With a vast sporting tradition, Uruguay is known worldwide for its four football World titles (2 Olympics, 2 World Cups). Sporting glory in other disciplines has been left behind in time, and, in the last decades, not many athletes have succeeded on the main stages. 

Nevertheless, Uruguayan Sailing has proved it's worth projecting sailors to international contests and titles. This small country has managed to qualify Sailors for every edition of the Olympics since 1984 and has obtained medals in each of the last five editions of the Panam Games, being more successful than any other sport for the country. Additionally, Uruguayans have conquered Senior and Junior World Titles in Snipe, Laser, and ORC.  

Now it is time for La Celeste - the traditional color and name of the national shirt - to take the stage in the SSL Gold Cup and allow again this little country to dream with the ultimate glory.  

Squad: Diego Stefani, Federico Caballero, Dolores Moreira, Pablo Defazio Abella, Roberto Fabini, Hernán Umpierre, Fernando Díz, Dominique Knupell.

SSL Team Venezuela (SSL World n°64)
Team Nickname: Los Caciques
Captain: Andres Lage
Motto: Vela y Federacion!

Venezuela is situated in the north of the south American Continent, it has a shore line that gives it access to the Caribbean sea as well as the Atlantic Ocean. Being one of the most populated countries of south America Venezuala has had plenty of sailors to choose from.  Historically being a safe land for pirates in the 18th century the Venezuelan attachment to sea is strong.

Squad: José Ruiz, Johny Bilbao, Yamil Saba, José Gutiérrez, Jose Bilbao, Andrea Saba, Gonzalo Cendra, Ricardo Martos, Martin Nespereira, Rodrigo Favela, Chiquinquira  Gonzalez, Aldo Salvadori.

SSL Team Bulgaria (SSL World n°59)
Team Nickname: THE LIONS
Captain: Yavor Kolev
Motto: The World will hear us roar!
Lions by heart and sailors by soul, this Bulgarian team was raised on the waters of the Black Sea, a sea named after its harsh temper. Hardened by the elements and  blended together as a team, they want  to prevail in the SSL Gold Cup where raw sailing skills and instinct win races. Small nations can deliver big surprises in sports. Bulgaria did it before. And they want to  make sure to  do it in sailing too. 

SSL Team Bulgaria includes top athletes competing in international Sailing events.  Some of them as first-timers, some other are 22-time winner of the oldest regatta in Bulgaria.

Squad: Boris Minkov, Ina Ilieva, Ivan Gueorguiev, Radoslav Gavrailov, Maria Alexandrova, Mariela Nikolova, Ivailo Angelov, Lyuben Tenekedzhiev, David Binev, Ivo Todorov, Yoan Kolev,  Radoslav Gavrailov, Aleksandar Dimitriev.

SSL Team Czech Republic (SSL World n°29)

Team Nickname: The Czechs!
Captain: Ondrej Teply
Motto: Nation of great beer and big hearts.

Despite being a landlocked country, the Czech Republic has a long Sailing history and many top-level sailors. The goal of the team captain and manager is to use the talent of young Czech sailors, combined with the experience of older members, and put a great team together. It's an honor for every Czech to represent their country, and that is what drives them to succeed in the SSL Gold cup!

Squad: Petr Fiala, Martin Trcka, Jakub Dobry, Ondrej Teply, David Kovarik, Viktor Teply  Sara Tkadlecova, Vojtech Lambl, Michaela Pavlisova, Honza Daněk, Pavel Bobek, Jiri Halouzka, Stepan Novotny, Michaela Mertlova, Kristof Spurny, Vaclav Korytar, Tomas Vika.

SSL Team Portugal (SSL World n°31)
Team Nickname: Navigators
Captain: Joao Rodrigues
Motto: On the path of our history

Although the team's core has sailed for many years together on TP52 Team Bigamist, the younger members will bring along a lot of talent and irreverence. The entire afterguard of the team is very experienced and can sail almost with their eyes closed due to the number of hours at sea they had. It will be fun to witness their internal competition with the new sailors, used to navigating with the knife in their teeth.

SSL Team Portugal has the singularity of having a captain that is a non-crew member, more focused on putting all the pieces together and oiling the elements well to get the most out of each one. Over the last few years, there have been no projects with more than 2 or 3 Portuguese on the same team while competing under our flag, that's why the Star Sailors League Gold Cup is so special to them. The team has ample experience, from campaigns and Olympic medals to Europe and the World titles, participation in the Volvo Ocean Race, and in the main monotype circuits.

Squad: Mariana Lobato, Hugo Rocha, Mafalda Pires de Lima, Diogo Costa, Afonso Domingos, Jorge Lima, Pedro Costa, Nuno Barreto, Filipe Silva, Frederico Melo, Paulo Manso, Pedro Andrade,  Diogo Cayolla, Jose Luis Costa, Eduardo Marques, Bernardo Freitas, Gilberto Conde.

SSL Team Turkyie (SSL World n°33)
Team Nickname: YOUNG TURKS
Captain: Alican Kaynar
Motto: New Generation of Turkish Sailors

Turkey may not have won an Olympic medal yet but has been a strong member of the international sailing community. The first participation in the Olympics dates back to 1936 and the tradition has continued since. In addition to the Olympics, Turkish sailors and sailing teams took part in TP52 and other offshore races, thus widening the horizons of the young generation of Turkish sailors. 

In the past three decades, the Turkish Olympic sailing team has proven to be a worthy competitor, claiming a number of titles in European and World Championships. Since then, every new generation comes with its flare and adds up to the already established strength of the Olympic sailing tradition. The SSL Gold Cup will provide a new opportunity for this young generation to show their talent and dedication to the Sailing Sport, thus enabling them to ever integrate with the larger community of Sailors and events.  

Squad: Ecem Güzel, Deniz Çınar, Yiğit Yalçın Çıtak, Kıvanç Sevinç, Onur Bilgen.