Senegal, Madagascar, Tanzania, Libya and Angola join SSL’s Emerging Nations Programme.
SSL Gold Cup © Karolina Soltaniuk
Sailing talent exists everywhere. Access to high-level sailing does not. The Star Sailors League (SSL) created its Emerging Nations Programme to close that gap, and it is now expanding the programme across Africa.
The idea is simple. The programme brings sailors from developing sailing nations together with experienced coaches, suitable boats and international teams, so they can learn skills that are hard to gain at home.
Intensive training in the Seychelles
The programme recently moved its training centre to the Seychelles, where teams from Senegal, Madagascar, Tanzania and Libya went through an intensive training block. For some of the sailors, it was the first time they had sailed as part of a large crew and felt what team sailing demands.
One sailor described the experience: “For us, this is much more than just learning how to sail a boat. We are building a team and creating something that can continue to grow when we return home.”
Different starting points
The teams arrived at very different stages. Madagascar is opening a new chapter for sailing in the country, while Tanzania and Libya are taking some of their first steps towards national teams.
Willfrida, selected for the Tanzanian team, said: “I’m really excited to be here, and it’s my greatest pleasure to be selected for the Tanzania team. We’re all happy, and we’re looking forward to learning a lot.”
Another key goal of the programme is to build a community among emerging sailing nations. Training together lets sailors share experience, build relationships and prepare the ground for regional competition. In SSL’s words: “The goal is not simply to put a new team on the water. It is to create the foundations for sustainable sailing development in each country.”
Angola joins in Dubai
In the next stage of the programme, SSL Team Angola joined the training camp in Dubai. The Angolan sailors come from different dinghy backgrounds and are now learning to sail together as a ten-person crew and to race in the SSL format.
Two boats, two roles
SSL runs the development programme on Fareast 28R boats, which the organisers consider ideal for learning and development. The SSL47 fleet is kept out of the programme and reserved for the SSL Gold Cup.
The target: the Gold Cup
SSL’s long-term aim is to give African sailors a realistic path from their first team sailing experience to international competition, leading to the SSL Gold Cup through the African continental qualifiers. Madagascar has already set its sights on earning a Gold Cup place that way.
SSL sums up its approach: “Every team has to start somewhere. For some, this is their first time on this type of boat; for others, it is the first step towards representing their country internationally. Our role is to give them the opportunity to take that step.”
SSL Gold Cup © Karolina Soltaniuk
