SSL Team VEN – By Sailors for Sailors

THE FOOTBALL WORLD CUP... IN SAILING

15 NOV - 13 DEC 2026 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Events

Upcoming

PAN-AMERICAN QUALIFIERS

G1 - Race 1

11:00

12 November 2026

BRAZIL

Participants

URU

VEN

CUB

Results

Upcoming

PAN-AMERICAN QUALIFIERS

G1 - Race 2

14:00

13 November 2026

BRAZIL

Participants

URU

VEN

CUB

Results

Upcoming

PAN-AMERICAN QUALIFIERS

G1 - Race 3

12:30

14 November 2026

BRAZIL

Participants

URU

VEN

CUB

Results

Upcoming

PAN-AMERICAN QUALIFIERS

G1 - Race 4

11:00

15 November 2026

BRAZIL

Participants

URU

VEN

CUB

Results

See All Races

News

The Football World Cup in Sailing Enters Its Next Phase

Sailing is moving deeper into its “world championship” phase, modelled on the idea of a football World Cup. With 197 days left until the Grand Final of the second SSL…

DateYesterday at 15:40

The Countdown Is On: Road to the SSL Gold Cup

30 days until the second qualification round in Grandson, Switzerland, and 200 days until the SSL Gold Cup in Rio, Brazil! The countdown to the 2nd Football World Cup in…

DateSunday at 11:13

Understanding the SSL System: PART 2

In this second Q&A cycle, we take a closer look at the structure behind team composition, race dynamics, and eligibility within the Star Sailors League. From how national squads are…

Date30.04.2026

Los Caciques

The wrath of the caciques

Venezuela, with 3.500 Km of coastline with the Atlantic and the Caribbean is a paradise for water sports. Even tho the national sport, Baseball is far from the sea, there is a group of sailors who decide to bring the country closer to the ocean. Honoring The Caciques, Venezuelan Star Sailors League team is a group of top level sailors with a variety of titles coming from OLYMPIANS and World Champions, ready to steer the country to the success all over the world.

Statistics

THE COUNTRY

2.500 sailors
10 Sailing clubs
35 Sailing schools
7 Olympic appearances
30 world championships wins

ACHIEVEMENTS

7 Olympic Qualifications
30 world championship wins
5 panam qualifications
WorldCup Finalists

Ssl ranking

SSL best ranked woman:12374 Sabrina Hernandez
SSL best ranked man: 574 Yamil Saba Fuente
SSL nations ranking:58

MAIN EVENTS

Los Roques Sailing Week
El Yaque Extreme Sailing Week

The team had achieved more than 30 world championship titles, top 10 finishes in Olympic Class WorldCups, more than 10 PanAms participations, Offshore regatas titles.

The captain

Andrés Lage

Our Captain is the most successful Olympic sailor of our country, he have the best results in Olympic class in our history, and his drive and determination guide our team to the success in the Star Sailors League Gold Cup.

THE LEADERS

José Gutierrez

José Gutiérrez, born in 1992 in Venezuela, is an engineer turned professional sailor. He has competed in the Olympics once with the laser and achieved a lot of success with the sunfish boat. He is currently the main trimmer in the ssl boat with the Venezuelan team, thanks to his offshore regatta experience. Some of his notable achievements include winning the Sunfish World Championship in 2010, being a three-time Junior Continental Champion.

José Ruiz

José Ruiz is an accomplished sailor from Venezuela, born in 1980. With a wealth of experience and knowledge about sails, he has competed in many international sailing competitions including the Olympic Games twice. He currently serves as the trimmer in the SSL boat, contributing significantly to the team’s success.

Rodrigo Favela

Rodrigo Favela is a highly accomplished Venezuelan sailor, born in 1976. He has participated in numerous world championships and has won three of them with J80, J70, and J22. He is also the owner of a sailing shop and has a wealth of experience in crew boats. He is currently serving as the pit for the Venezuelan SSL team, utilizing his extensive knowledge and skills to support his team.

THE YOUTH FACTOR

The youth factor is crucial for any team’s success, and our sailing team is no exception. Youth brings fresh ideas, energy, and passion, which are essential to keep the team motivated and innovative. Martin, our youngest member, has already shown great potential, and we believe that his skills and enthusiasm will inspire and benefit the whole team.

Confirmed Athletes

Captain | 10

Trimmer | 5

Grinder | 6

Tactician | 9

Main Trimmer | 7

Trimmer | 4

- | -

Midbow | 2

Bow | 1

Floater | 11

Pit | 3

Chiquinquira Gonzalez

- | -

Aldo Salvadori

- | -

Potential Team Position

1 Captain Andrés Lage	2 Trimmer José Ruiz
3 Grinder Johny Bilbao	4 Tactician Yamil Saba
5 Trimmer Jose Bilbao	6 Main Trimmer José Gutiérrez
7 Mid Bow Gonzalo Cendra	8 Bow Ricardo Martos
9 Floater Martin Nespereira	10 Pit Rodrigo Favela

Captain

Andrés Lage

Trimmer

José Ruiz

Grinder

Johny Bilbao

Tactician

Yamil Saba

Trimmer

Jose Bilbao

Main Trimmer

José Gutiérrez

Mid Bow

Gonzalo Cendra

Bow

Ricardo Martos

Floater

Martin Nespereira

Pit

Rodrigo Favela

SQUAD

Aldo Salvadori	Chiquinquira Gonzalez
Rodrigo Favela	Martin Nespereira
Ricardo Martos	Gonzalo Cendra
Andrea Saba	Jose Bilbao
José Gutiérrez	Yamil Saba
Johny Bilbao	José Ruiz
Andrés Lage