Robert Scheidt returned to the SSL47 this week to lead another stage of Brazil's preparation for the 2026 SSL Gold Cup. SSL Team Brazil held five days of training in Grandson, Switzerland, sharing Lake Neuchâtel with the South African squad.
The work focused on repeating manoeuvres, on how communication functions inside the boat and on settling in the new crew members. Taking part were Alfredo Rovere, Juninho de Jesus, Robert Scheidt, Mario Tinoco, Leandro, Bruna Patrício, Guilherme Hasselmann, André Bochecha Fonseca and Andres Leandro Azambuya.
"The training was very productive. We sailed for five days and had good wind every day. We trained alongside the South African team, of skipper Ian Ainslie, which is a very strong crew. The focus of this session was really to go back over every manoeuvre on this boat. It is a complex boat, hard to sail and physically very demanding. We had some crew changes, so one of the objectives was for the new crew to slot into the mechanics of the manoeuvres and quickly understand how each one is done," explained Robert Scheidt.
Working against the South Africans also allowed the crew to test racing situations. For Scheidt, organising communication is one of the decisive points on a boat that brings together different roles and simultaneous decisions.
"Communication inside the boat is something we constantly have to assess: how much to say, when to say it and never talking over each other. As we have many sailors on board, we need to stay alert. The sailors are very complete and it is important not to overdo the communication, saying just enough. It is something we have to measure out," he said.
Starts received particular attention. As helmsman, Scheidt worked on the relationship between time, distance, positioning and acceleration, as well as the exchange of information with the bowman and the tactician.
"For me, as helmsman, the starts are very important. Time and distance to the start, positioning and the boat's acceleration depend a great deal on me, on the bowman and on the tactician. So exercising that communication loop between the three of us is very important. After that we also need to make the boat go fast, with the trim of the genoa, the jib and the mainsail, to get the maximum speed out of it," he added.
The work developed in Grandson is also being documented by the Brazilian crew in a "playbook", gathering the technical information acquired during training.
"It was pretty intense, many hours on the water and many lessons. When training ends, we put everything into a diary we call the playbook, so we can quickly refresh what we learned as soon as we get back on the boat. The idea is to read that information and the important points for this step by step of sailing the boat. I think the word is mechanising the manoeuvres and then the right tone and the right amount of communication. It was very productive," concluded Robert Scheidt.
The preparation is aimed at the second edition of the SSL Gold Cup. The Final Series will be held between 19 November and 13 December in Rio de Janeiro, bringing together 40 national teams. Brazil enters directly in the quarter-finals.
In 2023, at the first edition, held in Gran Canaria, Spain, SSL Team Brazil also had Robert Scheidt in command and finished sixth. Hungary was the competition's first champion.
By: Redação Mundo Mar
Photo: Martina Orsini
