SSL Newsletter - December 2020

Dear <<First Name>>,

The SSL Team wishes you a happy holiday season and a smooth and exciting downind for 2021 - after all 2020 has been mostly hiking upwind.. It will a decisive year for us and the 56 teams that shape the SSL Gold Cup: many trainings are scheduled both in Switzerland at our headquarters and in the teams' home waters; two back-to-back test events; and hopefully a regular sailing season that includes the Olympic Games.

We are ready and can't wait to share all that is coming up with you, we are nothing without our community and the support of our fans, and for this we thank you immensely.

All the best,
SSL Team

1. TEMPORARY CHANGE OF RULES FOR SSL RANKING

The SSL Ranking has been adapted to the lack of international sailing occurred in 2020, due to the global situation. From December 15th, 2020, to the 31st December of 2022 the points claimed by a sailor in a regatta will be worth 100% for 24 months (instead of 12), then 50% for another 12 months before ceasing their value after that.

From January 1st 2023, the rules will go back to normal: the value of a regatta will be worth 100% for the first 12 months, then drop to 50% for the next 12 months and eventually lose their value after that.

2. SSL NATIONS RANKING - DECEMBER 2020

The December SSL Nations Ranking is out and Australia is still the leader with yet even more margin over the second, Great Britain, compared to November.
34 points to the Aussie and 104 for the Brits, more than a triple points margin, Australia is proving to be hard to fight! In third New Zealand, just like in November: the top three nations all have the Union Jack in their flag and were once part of the same empire, one that was built thanks to its great navy. In fourth and fifth two European countries, The Netherlands and Spain, both also claiming a very long yachting tradition in the old and modern era. France and Brazil, last month in the top five, are now respectively in sixth and ninth position, while USA is back in the top 10 sitting in seventh. The States are in while Italy is out of the best 10 nations of the world: being 12th at this stage is not crucial now, but it will be very important later on to determine the seedings of the SSL Gold Cup.

How are the points calculated for each nations? Every tenth of the month, we sum up the ranking positions of the best five skippers and two crews for every nations - not their points - and the country will the least points is the leader.

3. SSL GOLD CUP TEAM EMBLEMS

All of the 56 teams shaping up the SSL Gold Cup will have a game-name and an emblem representing the country’s tradition and in order to build recognition. Creating the names and, particularly, the emblems of the 56 teams has proven to be a an extensive, yet very rewarding task that brought us closed together with the teams' representatives. The work of art is taking shape and it highlights the many cultures that are the soul of the SSL Gold Cup 2022.

ABOUT THE SSL

The SSL (STAR SAILORS LEAGUE) is the global inshore sailing circuit launched by Olympic athletes in 2012, by sailors for sailors. Its main philosophy considers the athletes (not the boats) as the “Stars” and it aims to showcase the annual global sailing championship with its over 15’000 regattas; it determines and celebrates the world leaders in sailing promoting the inshore regattas to the global audience.

The three main components of the SSL Circuit are the SSL Ranking published every Tuesday, updating the position of over 100,000 leading athletes, thus highlighting the world’s top inshore sailors. The SSL Finals taking place every year around November-December, it’s the annual final of the SSL Circuit among the 20/25 best athletes of the ranking, to crown the champion of the season. And the SSL Gold Cup, the ‘ultimate’ championship of the circuit among the 56 first nations of the ranking, to crown the best sailing nation every other year.

In a mechanical sport where the race for technology sometimes gets in the way of the race for glory, the SSL aims for equal competition where the talent of the sailors is at the forefront and the champions become heroes that inspire new generations of sailors.

www.starsailors.com/