Bromby Slips to Seventh at Star Worlds Championships
IslandStats.com
Two-time Star World Champion Diego Negri and crew Sergio Lambertenghi moved to the top of the overall leaderboard on day four of the 2026 Star World Championship on Biscayne Bay, as Bermuda's Peter Bromby dropped to seventh place.
With four races now completed across four days of demanding conditions, the title race experienced another major shake-up on Thursday. Argentina's Leandro and Lucas Altolaguirre delivered a masterful display in light air to secure their second race victory of the regatta, while Italy's Negri and Lambertenghi capitalised on the shifting standings to take control heading into the final two races.
For veteran Bermudian Olympian Bromby and his Bahamian crew Myles Pritchard, day four proved a stern test. A 33rd-place finish in Race 4 saw the pair surrender ground in the upper tier of the fleet, slipping to seventh overall as the competition enters its decisive closing stages.
Getting under way on schedule at noon under hazy skies, Race 4 unfolded in a delicate southerly breeze of just six to seven knots. In contrast to the steadier conditions seen earlier in the week, variable pressure zones stretched across the Biscayne Bay course, placing a heavy premium on tactical positioning.
While the left side of the course continued to offer a slight edge on the opening upwind leg, erratic wind shifts punished any miscalculation, leaving little margin for error across the fleet.
With just two races remaining to decide the 2026 championship, Negri and Lambertenghi hold the advantage at the summit, though the tight margins ensure plenty remains at stake over the final two days on the water.
Thursday, November 12, 2026
Mexico Lead in Group I as Bermuda sit third in SSL Gold Cup
IslandStats.com
Mexico established a narrow one-point lead at the top of Group I on the opening day of the SSL Gold Cup 2026 Pan-American Qualifiers in Rio de Janeiro, while Bermuda's Privateers ended Day 1 in third place.
Following a brief delay on Guanabara Bay to allow the breeze to settle beneath the iconic backdrop of Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer, racing got under way with two fiercely contested encounters between Mexico, Cuba, Bermuda, and SSL newcomers El Salvador.
Race 1: Mexico dominate from the front
A razor-thin start saw Bermuda take the early initiative by covering Cuba, while Mexico pinned El Salvador at the committee boat end to spark a high-intensity drag race to the left side of the course.
With crews hiking to the limit, Mexico's Las Catrinas—helmed by Captain Yanic Gentry—found the speed to break clear, leaving the Bermudian boat trapped just beneath them. Rounding the top mark with a commanding advantage, Mexico maintained control through the leeward gate despite a messy spinnaker drop that briefly caught on the jib.
Behind them, Bermuda's experienced Captain Rockal Evans and his Privateers fought off sustained upwind pressure from Cuba's Pirates of the Caribbean to hold onto second at the final windward mark. Gentry then unleashed hot downwind angles to power Mexico across the finish line first, with Bermuda taking second, Cuba third, and El Salvador's Torogoz fourth.
Race 2: Cuba capitalise on El Salvador penalty
A shifting tide ahead of the day's final race caught all four crews off guard on the approach to the start line, with Mexico and Cuba duelling for the pin end while Bermuda and El Salvador trailed slightly behind.
Cuba immediately applied pressure above Mexico, raising their mainsheet traveller to sail a high mode that forced the Mexicans to tack away. Carrying on to the left proved decisive as the breeze clocked right around Sugarloaf Mountain, allowing Cuba to round the first mark 15 seconds clear of El Salvador, with Mexico nearly a minute adrift and Bermuda back in fourth.
El Salvador drew on their lake-sailing instincts in the shifty late-afternoon wind to reel in Cuba downwind, rolling the leaders into the leeward gate and executing a slick drop-gybe to snatch first place heading back upwind.
However, disaster struck for the newcomers when umpires penalised El Salvador for a bowsprit infringement. The resulting penalty turn dropped them from first to third, handing the lead back to Cuba and lifting Mexico into second. Positions held firm on the final lap as Cuba claimed the race win ahead of Mexico, El Salvador, and Bermuda—leaving Mexico atop the Group I standings on seven points heading into Day 2.
Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Team Bermuda parade at SSL Gold Cup Opening Ceremony
IslandStats.com
The 2026 Pan-American Qualifiers are officially underway, and SSL Team Bermuda was right at the heart of the action, joining rival nations for a spectacular Opening Ceremony.
Bermuda will now compete against Mexico, Cuba and El Salvador. 1st place will advance, with 2nd & 3rd place competing against 2nd & 3rd place of the other group (Uruguay, Puerto Rico, Venezuela & Antigua) with the winner of this race advancing through.
The crowd gathered in anticipation as Bermuda’s elite sailing squad marched alongside their continental competitors, marking the official commencement of the high-stakes qualifying tournament.
Clad in the national colours and proudly flying the Bermuda flag, the team’s entrance was a special moment for the island's maritime community, signifying the start of what promises to be a gruelling yet historic campaign.
The challenge is now officially set. With a coveted place in the SSL Gold Cup Finals on the line, the competition is about to reach fever pitch on the water.
Bermuda's sailors have spent years preparing for this very stage, and they are ready to give it their all in the race to secure their spot among the world's best. With a fiercely competitive field of nations looking to spoil the party, Bermuda’s squad will need to find their finest form as they take to the ocean for the first round of races.
The campaign has begun—now, all eyes turn to the water.
Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Bromby and Pritchard Seize Star World Championship Lead
IslandStats.com
Bermuda's Peter Bromby and Myles Pritchard have moved to the top of the leaderboard at the 2026 Star World Championship following an unpredictable third day of racing on Biscayne Bay.
A composed sixth-place finish in race three was enough to propel the Bermudian crew into the overall lead with 19 points, capitalising on a volatile afternoon that completely overhauled the podium standings.
Germany’s Max Kohlhof and Ole Burzinski claimed victory on the day, holding off the American tandem of George Szabo and Guy Avellon in second, while former world champions Mateusz Kusznierewicz (Poland) and Bruno Prada (Brazil) crossed third.
Italy’s Diego Negri and Sergio Lambertenghi climbed into second overall on 23 points after taking fifth in race three, while Norway’s Eivind Melleby and Christian Nehammer slotted into third overall on 28 points despite crossing 11th.
Overnight leaders Will Stout and Danny Cayard endured a bruising afternoon. The American pair, who won race two, suffered a costly 25th-place finish that dropped them to fifth overall on 32 points, just behind Brazilian Olympic legend Robert Scheidt and Austin Sperry.
With 95 entries competing in the regatta hosted by the Coral Reef Yacht Club, consistency has proved paramount in the early stages, with discards not coming into play until the completion of race five.
Top Ten Leaderboard after Race 3
19 BER - Peter Bromby / Myles Pritchard 23 ITA - Diego Negri / Sergio Lambertenghi 28 NOR - Eivind Melleby / Christian Nehammer 29 BRA - Robert Scheidt / Austin Sperry 32 USA - Will Stout / Danny Cayard 33 USA - George Szabo / Guy Avellon 35 USA - Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise 37 USA - Augie Diaz / David Burrows 41 USA - Scott Barnard / Kilian Weise
Monday, November 09, 2026
Bermuda Headline Group I in SSL Gold Cup Qualifying
IslandStats.com
Bermuda’s sailing team will look to convert regional pedigree into a finals berth this week as the decisive qualifying stage for the second edition of the SSL Gold Cup gets under way in Rio de Janeiro.
Dubbed the "Football World Cup in Sailing", the prestigious regatta reaches its final qualification hurdle from 12 to 15 November, directly preceding the main finals series on Guanabara Bay.
The Pan American qualification series represents the last chance for nations to book their tickets, with the fleet battling to secure the remaining open places on the starting line.
Group I brings together three familiar rivals from the Caribbean and western Atlantic, with SSL Team Bermuda drawn alongside SSL Team Antigua and Barbuda and SSL Team Guatemala.
Currently sitting 47th in the SSL Nations Ranking, Bermuda enter the round-robin contest as the highest-ranked outfit in the group.
Both Bermuda and Antigua and Barbuda arrive with proven tournament pedigree, having navigated the knockout stages during the previous edition's qualifying rounds. The two island rivals previously emerged together from the 1/32 final to reach the 1/16 finals, where Antigua ultimately placed 26th overall and Bermuda finished 31st.
Guatemala complete the trio, aiming to break through after falling short of the finals stage in the inaugural edition.
With only the group winner guaranteed to advance to the showpiece finals alongside sailing’s global elite, the stage is set for a fierce battle on Brazilian waters.
