Antigua and Barbuda won the opening race of the SSL Gold Cup 2026 Pan-American Qualifiers in Rio de Janeiro after two penalties dropped Uruguay from the lead on the final downwind leg.
Racing on Guanabara Bay began after a short delay for the wind to settle. Uruguay, steered by 49er Olympian Hernán Umpierre, led Group H around the final windward mark by 16 seconds. The umpires then penalised the team for deploying its spinnaker pole early. Uruguay fouled Antigua and Barbuda while taking its turn and was penalised again. Puerto Rico passed for second, with Uruguay third and Venezuela fourth.
Photo: SSL Gold Cup / Martina Orsin
Uruguay answered by winning the second race, finishing ahead of Puerto Rico. Antigua and Barbuda fell to fourth behind Venezuela after a knotted retrieval line spoiled a gybe set.
“So a 1,4 day, but it’s still all to play for,” Antigua and Barbuda captain Shannon Falcone said.
Uruguay and Puerto Rico share the Group H lead on six points. Antigua and Barbuda has five and Venezuela three.
In Group I, Mexico won the first race ahead of Bermuda, Cuba and El Salvador. Newcomer El Salvador led the second race until a penalty for a bowsprit infringement dropped it to third. Cuba took the win, with Mexico second.
Mexico leads the group on seven points, one ahead of Cuba. Bermuda has four and El Salvador three.
“It’s a tight race. We are one point ahead of Cuba, and it’s only race two out of five,” Mexico captain Yanic Gentry said.
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