Oceania sponsors SSL Gold Cup Puerto Rico Sailing Team

Oceania is proud to sponsor Puerto Rico’s national Sailing team in their qualifying games for the SSL Gold Cup! Nine of Puerto Rico’s best sailors are on their way to Lake Neufchâtel in Switzerland to represent our island in the quote-on-quote World Cup of sailing. The team will be taking part of what’s considered a special event in World Sailing, and the competition's philosophy considers the athletes stars, rather than boats or sailors. 

The team has a strong representation in the Olympics, Pan-American games, and the Caribbean games. With members such as Melvin Gonzalez (Bronze, Silver, and Gold at the Central American and Caribbean Games), Gretchen Ortiz (Tokyo 2020 Olympics), and their team Captain Raul Ríos (3 time Central American and Caribbean's game gold medalist) they’re well positioned to carry out a persuasive show-out at the competition.

The sailors will be racing with an SSL 47, a fast and exciting performance monohull brought in specifically for the competition. Correspondingly, Raul Ríos (team captain) commented on the teams’ synchronicity and how they’ve worked towards this goal. Raul stated, “The reality of our situation is that we’d like to access a similar sort of boat as the one we’ll be using at the competition, but unfortunately there are only around 10 in the world and they’re all in Europe.” Nonetheless, he followed that up by asserting how the teams’ strategic meetings will reinforce their week of practice in Switzerland; leading to a fully prepared squad filled with hunger and ambition.

Crew:

Raul Ríos (Captain), Gerardo Fernandez (Jib Trimmer), Melvin Gonzalez (Grinder/Kite Trimmer), Agustin Lazaro (Trimmer/Grinder), Jose Arturo Diaz (Floater), Gretchen Ortiz (Pitwoman), Pablo Mendez (Bowman), Sebastian Medina (Tactician), Enrique “Quique” Figueroa (Main Trimmer)

- written by Luis Marqués