Bermuda get their Star Sailors League Pan American Gold Cup qualifying campaign started in Rio de Janeiro today.

Competing under the name of “The Privateers”, 12 of the island’s best sailors have headed to Brazil to attempt to compete in the equivalent of football’s World Cup.

But to make it to the big stage, Bermuda have to get out of a group consisting of Mexico, Cuba and El Salvador, and they managed to raise enough funds to hire coach Chris Taylor, who has been putting the team through their paces over the last four days.

Among the Bermuda crew is Maxwell Curtis, who is amazed at how much he has learnt in the past few days ahead of the first race at 11am Bermuda time on Thursday.

“Representing Bermuda at the 2026 SSL Gold Cup in Rio has been a proud moment for me”, Curtis said.

“As one of the newer members, it’s been a steep learning curve for me. I’m used to sailing Comets, where it’s just two of us, so being on a bigger boat with a full crew has been a big adjustment. As a grinder, I’m learning how much timing matters. It’s physical, but you also have to listen for the calls and be ready to go the moment the crew needs you.

“The more time we spend on the water together, the more we get to know how each other works. When it’s windy and there’s a lot happening at once, a short, clear call can make all the difference in getting a manoeuvre right. For me, one of the best parts of camp has been getting more comfortable in my role and feeling us come together as a team. I’m proud to be doing that with this group and representing Bermuda.”

Mikey Wollman has also been taken on a steep learning curve.

“It’s been a great experience so far and I’ve really enjoyed getting to grips with the boat and developing as a team,” he said.

“There’s a learning curve for everyone, but ultimately it’s still sailing, and that’s what we do.

With a larger team, everyone has a vital role, so communication has to be short, sharp and clear to execute each manoeuvre properly. I am excited to get into qualifying and see how we match-up. With the conditions in the Rio basin, anything can happen and it’s anyone’s game.”

Ruth Mello is one of three female members on the team and has been learning a number of roles on the boat.

“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the SSL47 and the rest of the team and fitting into my role as floater,” she said.

“My first day on the boat everything was so new to me I was just doing lots of observing and taking it all in. Now with a few days of practice under my belt I feel like I’ve been able to grow into my role and excel in it, of course with minor hiccups here and there.

“As floater I’ve learnt how important it is to constantly communicate with the other team members either by listening out if they need an extra hand trimming or just noticing when housekeeping needs to be done and do it without being told. Slip-ups leading to injury are very real on this boat so I’ve also learnt when to stay in my zone and not get into others’ way. In all, I’ve had so much fun sailing this boat and being able to represent my country at the same time will be a moment I will never forget.”

Trystan Hocking is the youngest member of the team

“Being part of the team and sailing these boats has been a really new experience for me,” he said.

“It’s shown me the ability we’ve had to work as a team and to fix each other’s mistakes. It’s been a steep learning curve, learning my new positions. Communication between each other is the most important and vital part of the boat.

“I’m really proud to be part of it and representing Bermuda.”

Coach Taylor has enjoyed working with the Bermuda boat and is predicting big things from the team

“It has been a great week of working with the sailors,” Taylor said. “It’s an incredible opportunity for all of the team to come together and sail one of the most demanding and high-performance racing yachts around.

“The team has worked incredibly hard to learn how to sail the boat and also get the best performance from it on a given day. From learning how to use multi-speed winches and kites with drop line systems, to the finer details of controlling sail shape, the team has come together in an incredibly short period of time to push forwards their performance.

“With sailors on the team varying from those who have rarely sailed with more than a couple of people on board a boat, to round-the-world sailors, the willingness to take on feedback and make quick progress from the entire team has been great to see and be a part of.

“In a short period we have covered the basics of getting the boat around the course, to more complicated manoeuvres, set plays and where to focus most at different points in a race. As well as introducing many of the sailors to the world of controlling how to make a team weigh in.

“The improvement we have seen from Day 1 has been monumental and the team are in great shape with there being a great opportunity to progress deep in to the competition.”