Dates and Teams set for Nord Stream Race 2018

by Nord Stream Race 9 Dec 2017 23:33 AEDT 24 June - 7 July 2017

Cape Crow Yacht Club (Team Sweden) leads the charge as Nord Stream Race Leg 2 starts © Lars Wehrmann / Nord Stream Race

The seventh edition of Nord Stream Race takes place in 2018 from June 24th to July 7th in the Baltic Sea. The five competing teams are set for the long-distance race of more than 1,000 nautical miles from Kiel to St. Petersburg.

Hamburg/St. Petersburg, 7th December 2017 – Next summer the best sailing clubs from Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Russia will once again compete in the most challenging offshore race through the Baltic Sea. They will fight for the right to be called the "Best yacht club of the Baltic Sea". Now that the National Sailing League season has concluded for 2017, the participants have been selected for the Nord Stream Race 2018.

Newly-crowned champions of the National Sailing Leagues and participants of Nord Stream Race 2018

Germany: Norddeutscher Regatta Verein from Hamburg
Sweden: Kungliga Svenska Segelsällskapet from Stockholm
Denmark: Frederikshavn Sejlklub from Frederikshavn
Finland: Åländska Segelsällskapet from the Åland Islands
Russia: Lord of the Sail - Asia from Ekaterinburg

Start at Kiel Week and stopover at the Round Gotland Race

In 2018, the Nord Stream Race is scheduled to take place earlier in the summer from June 24th to July 7th. "We have decided to start the race at Kiel Week at the end of June next year. After the stopover in Stockholm, we will start simultaneously with the Gotland Round for the third leg to Helsinki", explains the founder of the Nord Stream Race, Vladimir Lubomirov, commodore of the organising St. Petersburg Yacht Club.

The organisers want to attract more spectators to the race. Therefore, the fleet will take part in the offshore and inshore races during Kiel Week. The first offshore leg of Nord Stream Race to Copenhagen starts the race 2018 on 24th June, the final day of Kiel Week.

At the stopover in Stockholm, the Nord Stream Race will be integrated into the activities of the Round Gotland Race. Together, the launch of the two offshore regattas is scheduled for 1st July.

The Swedish competitor, Kungliga Svenska Segelsällskapet (KSSS), is hosting the stopover in Stockholm for the second consecutive time.

"Nord Stream Race is an exciting regatta in an attractive format. It was great for KSSS to be part of the competition as organising club in 2017. We are looking forward to 2018 as we then have our own team from KSSS on the starting line", says Stefan Rahm, Club Manager of KSSS.

More participants in 2018

Building on the successfully rebooted Nord Stream Race in 2017, high interest is shown for the race from many regional players. The organisers are talking to other Baltic sailing leagues and cities concerning expansion of the fleet and adding more stopovers.

Provisional schedule for NSR 2018