The Lithuanian Ambers came within two seconds of a perfect day at the SSL Gold Cup Brasil 2026 European Qualifiers, winning two of three races in Group E to lead their group on 11 points.
Tuesday's racing delivered what Monday's weather had denied, with a full programme across both Group D and Group E. Group E alone produced three races of relentless place-changing, protest flags, spinnaker dramas, and lead changes that kept all four teams in contention from first gun to last.
The Ambers opened with a race that took two attempts to start, the entire fleet crossing late on both. On the restart, Lithuania won the committee boat end and led upwind before misjudging the layline at the windward mark and having to duck two boats. The downwind leg pulled them back into contention, and a well-timed left shift handed Rokas Milevičius and the Ambers the lead at the final windward mark. They held on to the finish ahead of Eivind Melleby's Norstream, with Emma Plasschaert's Belgian Sea Devils edging Tihomir Zakic's Serbian Eagles for third at the final gybe.
Helm Raimondas Šiugždinis was candid about the effort involved. "It may have looked calm, but it was hard work! At the first mark there was trouble for us, but later we went better and better, and the finish was good. It was painful to duck two teams, but we can't take risks, so we decided to tack and I think it was a good decision."
Race 2 was just as fierce. Lithuania and Belgium traded the lead repeatedly upwind, with Plasschaert waving the protest flag after Lithuania tacked on the Sea Devils' bow, though umpires found no foul. Norway were put out of contention by a disastrous spinnaker drop while the front two were locked in their own battle, which briefly allowed Serbia to sneak into the lead at the final windward mark. Belgium's own spinnaker hoist problems then left Lithuania and Serbia to fight it out, the Ambers sailing a fractionally deeper line to retake the lead and take their second race win. Serbia's day turned brutal on the final leg when their spinnaker collected the Sea Devils' rigging, a penalty turn dropping them from first to last and letting Norway through for third.
For Zakic it was a bitter finish. "We can see that we have all we need: we have speed, we have good tacks and gybes, we have everything, but we didn't have luck today."
Race 3 came closest to denying Lithuania a clean sweep. A spinnaker twist mid-race let Norway, Serbia, and Belgium close in, and the Ambers could never quite shake Melleby's Norstream. The two boats converged on the finish line, Lithuania putting in a late gybe only to be pipped by two seconds. Belgium finished fourth, unable to reel in Serbia.
Group D had its own story to tell. Estonia's Icebreakers had cruised to back-to-back wins, but Austria found their pace in Race 3, spotting a left shift on the second upwind leg to overhaul the field and take their first victory. Estonia lead Group D on 8 points, Austria are second on 6 and Slovenia third on 4.
In Group E, Lithuania's 11 points give them a handy cushion, but Norway are only two back. Belgium sit on 6 points and Serbia on 4, so nothing is settled yet.
