Nord Stream Race: Two Swedish female sailors on the longest leg
by Nord Stream Race 26 Jun 2019 04:31 AEST
23 June - 5 July 2019
Sandra Sandqvist and Cecilia Jansson - Nord Stream Race 2019 © NSR / Andrey Sheremetev
Tonight the five boats of the Nord Stream Race will set sail from Copenhagen to Stockholm. In front of them lies the longest stretch of the four stages of this international sailing competition, which connects Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Russia. On board the 10-person Swedish team, two women will fight for every centimetre on the water between Copenhagen and Stockholm.
The Nord Stream Race sails on the Baltic Sea along the route of the underwater gas pipeline "Nord Stream" and sets out to connect the neighbouring countries and their residents. In every harbour where the five regatta teams stop with their sleek racing yachts, events will take place to use sailing to connect the people from these cities.
New connections are also taking place on board the yachts themselves. On the longest and probably toughest leg of this regatta across the Baltic Sea, a tough 40-hour and 470 mile (870 km) race has started from Copenhagen. Two female Swedes - Sandra Sandqvist and Cecilia Jansson - are on the crew. Both are fully motivated and want to get the men on board "really going". Sandra Sandqvist was already a member of the Swedish team in 2018, so she has experience in dealing with the male majority in the straight-talking, direct form of communication that takes place when racing at sea. The Swedish team is meeting the current demands on international sport for equal rights for men and women.
The two days in Copenhagen were full of events for the sailors and their guests. The organizer of the regatta, the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, invited a number of select guests to a "Five Nations Menu" and numerous celebrities from Copenhagen were honoured to attend. Many of them were from the Rotary Club, and they sailed on the second day of one of the popular Inshore Races (regatta near the shore) on board one of the racing yachts.
"When the boats entered the city harbour under full sails, it gave you goose bumps. The Nord Stream Race has inspired the Danes. We were very happy to have been shown such warm hospitality in Copenhagen in the Kongelig Dansk Yacht Club", said Elena Solovyeva, Head of Projects St. Petersburg Yacht Club. Since its inception in 2012, the Nord Stream Race has been organised by the Saint Petersburg Yacht Club with the support of Gazprom and Nord Stream AG. At 1,000 nautical miles and following the route of the Nord Stream Pipeline, this has become established as the most demanding and prestigious offshore race in the Baltic region.
More information and social media links at www.nord-stream-race.com