Dates announced for next Nord Stream Race edition

by Philippa Holloway on 8 Feb 2013 The Yacht Club of Saint-Petersburg, Russia (SPBYC), and the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV) are ecstatic to announce the next edition of the Nord Stream Race in 2013. During September, more than 800 nautical miles will be covered in a nonstop race through the Baltic Sea from Flensburg, Germany to Saint Petersburg, Russia. The race will be open to the Gazprom Swan 60 Class and Yachts under ORC handicap.

The race will start in the Flensburg Fjord, leaving Bornholm to port and will follow the route of the Nord Stream Pipeline to the North-East of the Baltic Sea, crossing the waters of Germany, Poland, Denmark, Lithunia, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Finland and finally Russia and will bring participants together from all over Europe.

To start the competition there will be an exciting Match Race in the Sail Racing Arena of Flensburger Förde for the Gazprom Swan 60 Class prior to the start. Whilst the Match Race takes place there will be a race village open to the general public. There will be the prestigious Yellow-Blue-Ribbon Regatta held the weekend prior to the start of the Nord Stream Race to get local spectators into the spirit. The first Nord Stream Race start for the ORC Division B will be on Sunday 15th of September. The second start will follow on Monday 16th September at noon, with the Gazprom Swan 60 Class starting at 12.30pm.

Ulrich Lissek, Director of Communication Nord Stream said, 'After last year’s success the Nord Stream Race is established as an annual exciting race through the Baltic Sea. 2013 has a new racing format lined up and it is our aim to encourage all nations to get involved in this prestigious race along the Nord Stream pipeline.'

'Racing 800 nautical miles non-stop in the northern hemisphere in September is encouraging and challenging. The finish in Saint Petersburg after approximately four to six sailing days will be breath-taking for the sailors.' said Alan Green, NRV Race Officer, prior to the release of the Notice of Race.

Tim Kröger, skipper of Team Europe in 2012 also commented; 'The Nord Stream Race is a great idea and a fantastic challenge for all competitors. I think we have proven how exciting this regatta can be during the first edition with extremely close finishes. With westerly winds the second edition this year could turn out to be a very fast trip, but with easterly or north-easterly breeze we will all face a tough fight from Flensburg to St. Petersburg, so preparation is important. I'm extremely delighted to be part of a race again, it has all the ingredients to become a classic race in the Baltic which connects the west and the east of Europe. We are looking forward to another great event!'

Henning Rocholl, NRV CEO continued, 'We hope the yachts will set a recognisable bench mark for this regatta, which shall be listed by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.'

The trophy for the Gazprom Swan 60 Class, donated by the Yacht Club of Saint Petersburg, will be the prize for the Swan 60 division. An additional trophy for the ORC fleet will be designed via an art competition between artists from Germany and Russia, to be announced in March. The Swan 60’s can be chartered by invitation of the Yacht Club of Saint Petersburg and the organisers hope to have several European Teams representing their countries. The Nord Stream Race will take place annually, with the inaugural edition starting in October 2012 heading southwards and the second edition in September 2013 sailing northward. The commitment of the Organising Authorities, SPBYC and NRV, and the support of the partners are in place for the long-term.

Vladimir Liubomirov, Commodore of SPBYC, commented, 'Our aim is to create an internationally renowned distance race within the Baltic, bringing together the European countries and developing international sailing between them. The first step was completed in 2012 and now the course is set for the future. We are delighted that our partner club, NRV from Hamburg, will be the Organizing Authority for the north bound route.'

'The NRV is involved in the Nordsee Woche, Germany’s largest offshore event in the North Sea and we organise several transatlantic regattas. SPBYC is one of the top sailing clubs in Europe so it is a pleasure to be partnered with them.' said Andreas Christiansen, Commodore of Nord Stream Race website