The Star Sailors League has officially presented their innovative global sailing event concept at the Yacht Racing Forum in Lorient – The event involving 140 countries with a final for 40 countries in one-design monohull 45 footers.
The Star Sailors League (SSL) through its spokesperson, Olympic champion, Mateusz Kusznierewicz, used the Yacht Racing Forum in Lorient to announce their SSL Nations Gold Cup concept.
The Star Sailors League is a Sailing Circuit launched in 2013 that organises four Star class Ranking, “Grand Slam“ events and one yearly Finals – loosely based on the ATP tennis Masters concept.
They have now announced an SSL Nations Gold Cup to provide a country against country championship like the football World Cup, that will take place for the first time in 2021: the Star Sailors League Nations Gold Cup.
The proposed competition will be open to 140 countries whose National Federations are recognized by World Sailing.
To select the 40 countries for the final phase of the Nations Gold Cup, all countries will be ranked according to rules established by the SSL. They will consider results obtained at Olympic Games, World Championships and Sailing World Cups.
Among the finalists, there will be a specific rule to ensure the presence of some of the ‘sailing emerging nations’.
The SSL will provide the boats for all participating teams. They will be one-design monohull 45 footers, for an 8 to 10 strong team.
The national teams will consist of 11 sailors and will be made up of the best in- and off-shore sailors from their respective countries. Somehow the top ranked athletes in the SSL Global Ranking will automatically be selected (?).
The Star Sailors League has a new headquarter located on the shores of a beautiful lake in Switzerland. This headquarter consists of a comfortable manor house, a private harbour and park, and it will be one of SSL’s main assets.
This venue will offer training sessions to every team that takes part to the SSL Nations Gold Cup, with a longer stay for emerging nations.
The first training and workshop sessions are already scheduled and they will take place in the spring of 2019. In March 2019 the first National Teams will be introduced and their captains presented.
This is just abrief outline of the proposal. There is a lot more detail available in the SSL Document available here (pdf)
If this really gets off the ground you have to wonder where all the professional sailors will come from . . . The racing sailing world circuits could be facing overload !
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