A confident dominance of the Brazilian team ended the finale of the Star Sailors League2018 – perhaps the star of the regatta in the world. Elena Tekina:
© Elena Tekina
The brightest stars of the world of sailing five days competed in class boats “Star” in Nassau, the Bahamas, and if, in the emerald waters of the Gulf of Montague.
However, last Saturday the sea was not so emerald green, the weather was offshore rather than the beach – tightly closed by the overcast sky, high tide and an East wind with gusts up to 20 knots. Fortunately the race finals were moved to the inner part of the Bay, where there was more shelter from wind and waves.
All three participating Brazilian teams ranked in the top 10 and got the opportunity to race in the finals, and two of them eventually took the top step of the podium. All of a sudden the winner was not the crew of the legendary Robert SATA, and very young athletes – Jorge Zarif and Pedro the Trush, who received 40 thousand dollars from a total prize Fund of 200 thousand undisputed leader of the qualifying races, in the qualifying round of the nearest competitor by 22 points, is the winner of two gold, two silver and one bronze Olympic medals Robert Sheidt and Shkotovo Henry boning could become only the second.
For the first time in six years the SSL finals won as young crew — helmsman Georges only 26 years old, and his Shkotovo Pedro 27. Jorge hits for the fourth time in the League final and, despite his young age, is already a world champion in a class “Finn” and the current holder of the world title in the class “Star”. The team has brilliantly won all the races of the finals — the first was in the lead among the 8 participants in the quarterfinals, and then by a wide margin won the semi-final, disposing of contenders for the title of season second place winners in qualifying American the deuce mark Mendelblatt – Brian Faty, and finally was in the lead all the way to the final race. Amazing, this victory is the fact that you guys competed together for the first time, although, of course, have long known each other.
According to the steering, for it was a particular honour to win the crew of Robert Seidt. “They were my idols. I grew up watching their performances at the Olympic games. To be here to win Robert is unbelievable, I supercustom!!! Yesterday we reconfigured the boat because he was dissatisfied with its speed. Bruno Prada and Auggie Diaz know all about “Zvezdniy” they helped us with the settings, and it worked really well. We had excellent speed and tacking and full courses. We weren’t the best in the qualifications, but were the best in the final and it is amazing! We were extremely tired today especially hard otkryvali and spent a lot of energy to “pump”. And it worked!”.
According to Robert Seidt, the crew Zarif more than worthy of winning, and he’s really happy for the guys. “They’ve won three races with excellent speed and great starts. We had a chance in the first toe at the first traverse began, but we decided to turn on the Italians, and opened the opportunity for Georges to go around us to the left. Since then, he was ahead of my time. We did everything we could, trying to catch up with him, but he fully deserved his victory. Played a role and that we had to wait for their turn (as the winner Robert went directly to the finals) and just watch the races. It’s not the same feeling compared to when you’re involved. To be the race is always better, it makes you smarter in the next race, it gives you another look at things. If you just look for others and set up the boat, it’s not the same as the competition itself. But what’s done is done. We are pleased that raced in the finals, second place is a great place, we won the qualification with a wide margin, it was a good week. You can’t win”, – added titulovannaya Brazilian.
Another legendary Brazilian racing driver Lars Grael, who became 9th in overall, admitted he is very proud of Jorginho, so warmly call his senior colleagues. “I know him since childhood. His father was a great sailor, and the son showed great talent and perseverance – and now, of course, fully deserved this amazing victory.”
Third place was won by the crew of the three-time Olympic medalist Italian Diego Negri with the German Fridtjof Wedge on the sheets. In addition, Negri, and last year topped the rating of the SSL season is 2018.
After such a magnificent performance in the final, Brazil could claim to be the best sailing nation in the world. Ro to battle for this high title was more honest and more exciting, SSL recently officially announced its new global project. Even two of the project.
First, the SSL team has ambitions to create a global ranking of all yachtsmen of the world on the basis of their performances in all existing 8300-x class yachts. Of course, the credit primarily goes to the merits in the Olympic classes, then all those classes, which hold the world Championships, and only in the third place – in all the others. This is a huge amount of work, but SSL are confident that, over time, will be able to do it.
Secondly, this new regatta Nations Gold Cup, which will be held every two years. The SSL slogan reads: “Created by yachtsmen for yachtsmen”. And the same principle in the new project. The main thing — is to promote not just sailing in General, and the promotion of the yachtsmen themselves, turning them into national heroes, popular with the mass audience is not worse than the football stars. The national team will compete for the title of the best sailing nation in the world, competing in large – 45-47-foot sport boats. In this case SSL is taking the lead in organizing and promoting the future of the Cup and its participants.
Overwhelmed by the splendor of this final SSL, the level of the participating stars (50 participants this year from 19 countries 8 titles of Olympic Champions and 24 Olympic medals and 56 victories at the world Championships) and the passion that you rarely see on other sailing competitions, I never cease to wonder how all this managed to bring in such a relatively short time. Six years ago, after the Star class was eliminated from the Olympics, the Swiss businessman, athlete and yachtsman Michel Niklaus with Robert Saddam and Paul Ciardo started this project. Somehow Michel has managed to create a unique atmosphere of universal brotherhood on the shore and uncompromising struggle on the water, to reconcile, to reconcile and unite the previously disparate and in-depth in their personal tasks outstanding, but very different athletes.
More and more young stars are willing to get to the beginning of December to the Bahamas, more famous racers strive to improve your rating to be selected to participate in the final SSL. I think, not least in the merit of the unique places where the regatta is held. Colorful gingerbread houses Nassau, where he starred in many famous Bond, vintage hospitable yacht club, white beaches, azure sea, colourful local music and a permanent holiday atmosphere in combination with the brightest stars in the yacht class “Star” and a large prize Fund — all the ingredients of a stunning cocktail called SSL. Shaken, not stirred.
Final results:
1. Jorge Zarif (BRA), Pedro Trouche (BRA);
2. Robert Scheidt (BRA), Henry Boening (BRA);
3. Diego Negri (ITA), Frithjof Kleen (GER);
4. Eivind Melleby (NOR), Joshua Revkin (USA);
5. Mark Mendelblatt (USA) and Brian Fatih (USA);
6. Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL), Dominik Zycki (POL);
7. Xavier Rohart (FRA), Pierre-Alexis Ponsot (FRA);
8. Paul Cayard (USA), Arthur Lopes (BRA);
9. Lars Grael (BRA), Samuel Gonçalves (BRA);
10. Fredrik Loof (SWE), Edoardo Natucci (ITA).
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