SSL Team CUB – By Sailors for Sailors

THE FOOTBALL WORLD CUP... IN SAILING

PAN-AMERICAN QUALIFIERS | 12-15 Nov 2026 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

FINALS | 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

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE TEAMWORK

In sailing, individual talent can take you far, but in team racing, it is the connection between sailors that can make all the difference. That is why teams from around…

Date13.08.2026

100 DAYS TO GO: THE ROAD TO RIO IS GETTING REAL

It feels like only yesterday that the first teams were arriving for training, the qualifiers were getting underway and the SSL Gold Cup journey was beginning to take shape. Now,…

Date11.08.2026

A MONTH FULL OF SAILING ENERGY IN GRANDSON

Throughout August, the SSL Training Centre in Grandson, Switzerland, is becoming a meeting point for teams from around the world. Nations arrive, step onboard the SSL47s and spend days training…

Date08.08.2026

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN

SLEEPY AS AN ALLIGATOR BUT CRUSHING AS A STORM

The largest island in the Caribbean, Cuba has a long tradition in dinghy sailing since 1886. The team is characterized by its discipline and collective work, but with very little experience in the practice of cruising sailing. Their desire to win makes a small group of experienced sailors with the strength of young sailors, members of the Olympic classes, known and respected among themselves, have one goal: to demonstrate in the SSL Gold Cup the temperament and ability of the sailors of the largest island in the Caribbean. The strengths of the team are unity and discipline, led by a captain with a high sports preparation and great results in the Snipe class, capable of sailing in different hydrometeorological conditions with a high psychological resistance, to coordinate the whole team and demonstrate in the SSL Gold Cup the temperament and capacity of the sailors of the largest island in the Caribbean.

Statistics

THE COUNTRY

1 National Sailing Center
9 provincial centers
250 sports enthusiasts
150 sailors
100 high performance athletes

ACHIEVEMENTS

1 World Championship - Gold
6 Continental Games Awards
24 Regional Championships

Ssl ranking

SSL best ranked woman: Sanlay Castro
SSL best ranked man: Nelido Manso
SSL nations ranking:63

MAIN EVENTS

National youth and school games
"Cuba Cup" National Sailing Championship.

1948

Cuba won the silver medal in the Olympic Games in the Star class. The first Olympic medal for the country in sailing.

The captain

NELIDO MANSO LÓPEZ

Nelido Manso López was born on December 26, 1966, residing in Caibarien Villa Clara, a university graduate in sports and captain of the ship. His main sporting achievements were champion three times in Pan American Games, Central American, and world champion.

THE LEADERS

Dennier Infante Pupo

Active athlete of the Cuban National Sailing Team. He has participated in numerous international events in the Laser class. Central American and Caribbean Games Barranquilla 2018. Pan American Games Lima 2019. South American Laser Paracas Peru 2018. North American Laser Vancouver Canada 2017. He is a 4-time national champion in the Laser class and multi-medalist in the optimise class. He has a degree in Physical Culture and Sports.

Sanlay Castro de le Cruz

13-year athlete of the Cuban national team. As an athlete, she has been a national champion in the different school and youth categories since 2004 in the Optimist and Laser Radial classes. She represented the country in the Central American and Caribbean Games in three editions, Veracruz 2014, Barranquilla 2018 and San Salvador 2023 with a silver medal in the Laser Radial class. She has also participated in continental events such as the Pan American Games in Toronto 2015 and Peru 2019. She has an academic degree in Law

Alejandro la Guardia

Alejandro de Guardia Pérez was born in Havana on July 5, 1998. During his professional career he has participated in national and international competitions such as the Central American Games in 2014 or the 23rd Hobie 16 World Championship in 2022. His most relevant achievements are 5 times national champion and South American runner-up in 2014.

THE YOUTH FACTOR

Cuba has many young athletes with a great future in the Olympic and regional classes, with the possibility of obtaining good results in the next international events such as the Central American, Pan American and Olympic Games. Most of the members of our team for the SSL Gold Cup are young people under 30 years old with a high competitive level in the Olympic classes.

Confirmed Athletes

Nelido Manso Lopez

Captain | 10

Vicente de la Guardia Llanso

Tactician | 9

Darien Martinez Pimentel

Trimmer | 5

Sanlay Castro de le Cruz

Helm | 8

Alejandro de la Guardia Pérez

Trimmer | 4

Luis Mario Suarez Manso

Grinder | 6

Oscar Perez Rosales

Floater | 21

Pedro Hernández Cabrera

Main Trimmer | 7

Dennier Infante Pupo

Mid Bow | 2

Potential Team Position

1 BOW Pedro Hernández Cabrera	2 MID-BOW Sanlay Castro de le Cruz
3 PIT Dennier Infante Pupo	4 GRINDER Luis Mario Suarez Manso
5 TRIMMER Darien Martinez Pimentel	6 TRIMMER Reinier Manso Garcia
7 MAIN TRIMMER Alejandro de la Guardia Pérez	8 HELMS Nelido Manso Lopez
9 TACTICIAN Vicente de la Guardia Llanso	10 CAPTAIN Nelido Manso Lopez
11 FLOATER Mary Rosi DIAZ Urbay

BOW

Pedro Hernández Cabrera

MID-BOW

Sanlay Castro de le Cruz

PIT

Dennier Infante Pupo

GRINDER

Luis Mario Suarez Manso

TRIMMER

Darien Martinez Pimentel

TRIMMER

Reinier Manso Garcia

MAIN TRIMMER

Alejandro de la Guardia Pérez

HELMS

Nelido Manso Lopez

TACTICIAN

Vicente de la Guardia Llanso

CAPTAIN

Nelido Manso Lopez

FLOATER

Mary Rosi DIAZ Urbay

SQUAD 2026

Nelido Manso López	Vicente de la Guardia Llanso
Sanlay Castro de le Cruz	Alejandro de la Guardia Pérez
Dennier Infante Pupo	Darien Martinez Pimentel
Zoe Barrios Fleitas	Oscar Perez Rosales
Pedro Hernández Cabrera	Luis Mario Suarez Manso
Pedro José Vega Acosta	Mary Rosi DIAZ Urbay
ABBY TELLES PEREZ	ERIKA SUARES MANSO
ALAIN RIVERO