SSL Team MEX – By Sailors for Sailors

THE FOOTBALL WORLD CUP... IN SAILING

QUALIFYING SERIES | MAY-JULY 2022 | Switzerland

FINAL SERIES | NOV-DEC 2023 | Spain

Events

Replay

QS ROUND 4

G1 - Race 1

11:00

30 June 2022

SWITZERLAND

Participants

OMA

CUB

GUA

MEX

Results

Replay

QS ROUND 4

G1 - Race 2

12:00

30 June 2022

SWITZERLAND

Participants

OMA

CUB

GUA

MEX

Results

Replay

QS ROUND 4

G1 - Race 3

11:00

01 July 2022

SWITZERLAND

Participants

OMA

CUB

GUA

MEX

Results

Replay

QS ROUND 4

G1 - Race 4

12:00

01 July 2022

SWITZERLAND

Participants

OMA

CUB

GUA

MEX

Results

Replay

QS ROUND 4

G1 - Race 5

11:00

02 July 2022

SWITZERLAND

Participants

OMA

CUB

GUA

MEX

Results

Replay

QS ROUND 4

G1 - Race 6

12:00

02 July 2022

SWITZERLAND

Participants

OMA

CUB

GUA

MEX

Results

See All Races

Las Catrinas

Racing with the Spirits

ABOUT LAS CATRINAS

Mexico is a country full of colorful traditions and a vibrant culture that extends far beyond its stunning vacation beaches, world-class resorts, and warm hospitality. For example, it’s extraordinary culinary distinctiveness, archeological sites, and also for its diversity of festivals.

One of the most recognized yearly events that are celebrated throughout Mexico is Día de los Muertos. This celebration is rich in rituals and expresses the unique and exceptional relationship that Mexicans have with death and with their ancestors.
It’s a distinct spiritual time of the year to gather family members together, reflect, and remember our family members who aren’t with us anymore. It’s a happy celebration meant to honor our dearly departed loved ones and to appreciate life while we are still part of the living, just like this team is in memory of Eric Mergenthaler.

One of the strongest and most recognizable symbols of The Day of the Dead celebrations is the tall female skeleton wearing a fancy hat with feathers. Her name is La Catrina and the essence of her story goes deep into Mexican traditions and roots but has been restyled only in the last century.

GREATER THAN DEATH

In honour of the late Eric Mergenthaler, Finn World Champion, the mexican team comes to the Gold Cup as Las Catrinas. A new team led by olympic Laser sailor Yanic Gentry, followed by Mexico’s best talent in sailing, and attending the SSL Gold Cup to show their worth altogether on an international stage. Yanic has become the bridge between Mexico’s veterans and the up and coming talent, everyone joining under the same motivation, showing the world Mexico’s potencial.

Being the first nation to win the Round The World Race, Team Mexico is surely one not to be underestimated. In the past years Mexico has been showing the world a taste of its potential, winning a J70 World Championship, having a team in the Extreme Sailing Series and a possible entry for the next Ocean Race is just a hint of what is to come.

Statistics

THE COUNTRY

1,000 sailors.
50 sailing clubs
20 sailing schools
Mexico has hosted 1 olympic games.
9,330 km of coast, 16th largest in the world.
One of the largest concentrated J24 fleets in Northamerica (60).
Biggest Farr 40 active fleet in the world (10).

ACHIEVEMENTS

1 Round the World Race wins
Atlantic Crossing Record in a monohull
Longest voyage in a dinghy without assistance.
14 consecutive Olympics with participation in sailing 1960-2016
3 world championship titles in different classes

SSL RANKING

SSL best ranked woman: Elena Oetling 1466 (April, 2023)
SSL best ranked man: Fernando Pérez Ontiveros 700 (April, 2023)
SSL nations ranking: 47

MAIN EVENTS

Copa México
PV Race
MEXORC

3 With three World Championship titles in three different classes, SSL
Teams, Mexico aims for a top 3 finish in the Gold Cup. Las Catrinas are here for a fight.

THE CAPTAIN

YANIC GENTRY

Multiple times National Laser Champion and Mexico’s representative in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Yanic is the man leading Las Catrinas. Not only a great sailor but a civil engineer finishing a masters in naval engineering, he is a highly capable leader ready to take on the challenge of bringing Mexico to the top of the leaderboard.

THE LEADERS

TANIA ELIAS CALLES

One of Mexico’s best athletes and definitely the best female sailor in the history of her country, Tania Elias Calles is joining the team. The Laser Radial Champion, ranked #1 in the world in 2008, is here with her expertise on tactics and preparation.

ERIK MERGENTHALER

Eric Mergenthaler was a the greatest Mexican sailor of all times who achieved great success in the Finn class, winning honorary medals in three Finn World Championships, including the gold medal in Cádiz, which made him the World Champion in 1992. He proudly represented Mexico in 1984, 1988, and 1992 Summer Olympic Games. A legend of the Finn class, he trained with many of the top sailors of the day and became one of the most popular Finn sailors in the 1980s and early 1990s.

ERIK BROCKMANN

Erik Brockmann is an all-around sailor. He started his sailing career as an Optimist specialist at a young age, competing at the highest levels in major International events such as the World Championships. Erik is also one of Mexico’s most experienced offshore sailors, having sailed thousands of nautical miles. He has competed in many of the world’s most important offshore races and is currently leading a VO65 team, Viva Mexico, towards the Ocean Race Sprint. In addition to his offshore accomplishments, Erik is a multiclass National Champion who has proven himself among the elite sailors of the world. He achieved a top podium finish in the 2015 J70 World Championship, demonstrating his talent in high-performance racing.

THE YOUTH FACTOR

Team Mexico has its eyes on 27 year old Juan Ignacio Perez, the Mexican olympic representative in the Finn class for Tokyo 2020ne. His excellent physical form and experience in the Finn will definitely come in handy on the SSL47’s. Ander Belausteguigoitia is another rising sailing star that could represent big gains for Las Catrinas, competing in the difficult 49er class and a bronze in the competitive J70 Northamerican Championship is definitely a good asset for the team.

Confirmed Athletes

Captain | 10

Grinder | 4

Floater | 3

Pit | 5

- | -

Tactician | 8

- | -

- | -

Midbow | 1

Ander Belausteguigoitia

Trimmer | 15

- | -

- | -

- | -

- | -

Main Trimmer | 9

Bow | 2

Floater | 19

- | -

Potential Team Position

1 Captain Yanic Gentry	2 Grinder Agustín Tapia
3 Floater Ander Gentry	4 Pit Juan Luis Medina
5 Tactician Erik Brockmann	6 Midbow Francisco Cabildo
7 Trimmer Ander Belausteguigoitia	8 Main Trimmer Eduardo Oetling
9 Bow Juan Varela	10 Floater Diego Reyes
11 FLOATER Martine Grael

Captain

Yanic Gentry

Grinder

Agustín Tapia

Floater

Ander Gentry

Pit

Juan Luis Medina

Tactician

Erik Brockmann

Midbow

Francisco Cabildo

Trimmer

Ander Belausteguigoitia

Main Trimmer

Eduardo Oetling

Bow

Juan Varela

Floater

Diego Reyes

FLOATER

Martine Grael

SQUAD

Fernando Pérez	Diego Reyes
Juan Varela	Eduardo Oetling
Roberto Medrano	Gerardo Benítez
Horacio Virissimo	Dennis Gentry
Ander Belausteguigoitia	Francisco Cabildo
Gerrit Gentry	Santiago Ramirez
Erik Brockmann	Elena Oetling
Juan Luis Medina	Ander Gentry
Agustín Tapia	Yanic Gentry