4th SSL Finals – 25 Teams, 50 top sailors, 17 countries

The Star Sailors League Finals 2016 will take place in Nassau, Bahamas from November 28th to December 4th. For the fourth edition of the event, the top 12 Star teams of the SSL Ranking 2016, and 13 VIPs from the world of sailing, will race in the clear blue water in front of Nassau Yacht Club. 50 of the world’s best will be battling to win the SSL Trophy and the biggest share of the $200,000 prize pot.

The list of competitors is astounding and SSL is proud to finally announce it. Among them are three of the six most medalled sailors of all time; a total of 16 Olympic medallists with six Olympic championstwo America’s Cup winnerstwo Volvo Ocean Race Winnerstwo Louis Vuitton Cup winners and one match race world champion. The complete Rio 2016 Laser Men podium will race together along with four other medallists from Rio.

25 teams representing 17 countries will battle it out for five days in the stunning location of Nassau, Bahamas. Star Sailors League developed in cooperation with some of the most experienced sailors of the world a new racing format; the main goal of the format is to build the tension and excitement of the racing fans. The athletes truly believe that the SSL racing format completely fulfils this objective, without spoiling the nature of sailing as a sport. The introduction of a knockout system inspired by the “play-offs” helps to increase the pressure and ends in the ultimate climax, a “winner-takes-all” final day.

1 George Szabo USA Edoardo Natucci ITA
2 Diego Negri ITA Sergio Lambertenghi ITA
3 Xavier Rohart FRA Pierre-Alexis Ponsot FRA
4 Augie Diaz USA Arnis Baltins USA
5 Mateusz Kusznierewicz POL Dominik Zycki POL
6 Johannes Polgar GER Markus Koy GER
7 Torben Grael BRA Guilherme de Almeida BRA
8 Robert Stanjek GER Frithjof Kleen GER
9 Hubert Merkelbach GER Claus Olesen DEN
10 Paul Cayard USA Josh Revkin USA
11 Jochen Schümann GER Ingo Borkowski GER
12 Caleb Paine USA Ian Coleman USA
13 Vasilij Zbogar SLO Zsombor Bercez HUN
14 Sime Fantela CRO Antonio Arapovic CRO
15 Tonci Stipanovic CRO Ante Sitic CRO
16 Tom Burton AUS Andrew Palfrey AUS
17 Jonas Høgh-Christensen DEN Steve Milne GBR
18 Sam Meech NZL Craig Monk NZL
19 Robert Scheidt BRA Henry Boening BRA
20 Mark Mendelblatt USA Brian Fatih USA
21 Eric Monnin SUI Pascal Rambeau FRA
22 Facundo Olezza ARG Frederico Melo POR
23 Jorge Zarif BRA Bruno Prada BRA
24 Nick Thompson GBR Steve Mitchell GBR
25 Taylor Canfield ISV Mark Strube USA

 
The regatta will start with the Opening Ceremony held at the Government House of Bahamas on Monday November 28th and on Tuesday morning the 25 teams will leave the docks of Nassau Yacht Club and head out to the racecourse for the Qualifying Series.
 
SSL QUALIFYING SERIES
 
25 teams will take part in multiple races over four days with only the Top 10 will make the SSL Final Day and no points are carried through but the winner and runner up get a just reward. For the SSL Final Day, the winner of the Qualifying Series gets a double byethe runner-up in the Qualifying Series gets a single bye.
 
SSL FINAL DAY
 
SSL Quarter Final – Teams ranked 3rd -10th from the Qualifying Series contest a single race. Only the top 5 survive.
 
SSL Semi Final – The remaining 5 survivors are joined by the runner up from the Qualifying Series to contest a single race. Only the top 3 survive.
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The SSL Final – The remaining 3 survivors are joined by the winner from the Qualifying Series to contest a single race. The first to correctly cross the line is the winner.
(See the diagram below)
 
The winner will be crowned as winner of the 2016 SSL Finals, together with the biggest share of the prize fund.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
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Since our audience is present in all parts of the globe, Internet will be our stadium. From November 29th to December 4th, regattas will be streamed live and free on http://d40hnzgvx.preview.infomaniak.website. A complete live video stream of the races as well as additional insights provided by the state-of-the-art tracking system developed by Virtual Eyewill allow people from over the world to follow their favourites and cheer for them. Many prestigious sailing websites around the globe will also share our live broadcast on their homepage.
 
Armchair sailors can also race the course with Virtual Regatta.
 
WHAT’S NEW
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For the first time the SSL Finals will have 25 teams instead of 20On Sunday, December 4th, the day after the final day and the SSL Official Prize Giving Ceremony on Saturday evening at Nassau Yacht Club, some SSL sailors will join the local sailors in their annual Sloop regatta in Montagu Bay, for a never seen before challenge.

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