Aspire, skippered by SSL Team Poland Captain Mateusz Kusznierewicz, has won the 2023 5.5 Metre World Championship (SSL 2500) at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, Porto Cervo, Sardinia, after a tense final day on the water in light winds.
Sailing with Przemyslaw Gacek and Edward Wright, they finished a single point ahead of Norway’s Kristian Nergaard on Artemis, crewed by Johan Barne and Trond Solli-Saether.
On winning the title Kusznierewicz said: “It’s an amazing feeling to be the world champions in the 5.5 Metre class. We enjoyed it so much. Actually, I must say, it was tough. We had to put a lot of energy into it. We built up for a couple of days after arriving here, and every day we were striving to improve. I believe this dedication was the key to our success – to never give up, to be better every day. We delivered. Just one point ahead of Artemis. Congratulations to them. Also, a shoutout to the Australian team led by John Bacon. The entire fleet was fantastic, and we truly enjoyed Porto Cervo and Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. Thank you very much.”