Half time at the Nord Stream Race in Stockholm
by Nord Stream Race 30 Jun 2019 22:59 NZST
23 June - 5 July 2019
Nord Stream Race in Stockholm © NSR / Andrey Sheremete
The international sailing competition, which connects the countries Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Russia - the Nord Stream Race - celebrated reaching the halfway stage of the race in Stockholm. After Kiel, Copenhagen and Stockholm, the stages to Helsinki and St. Petersburg are eagerly awaited. Following the motto "Connecting the Baltic", four famous Swedish sports stars stepped on board for some close-quarters yacht racing near the harbour in Stockholm.
On Saturday the Inshore Race in Stockholm took place. Four famous guests went on board to experience the race live from the front row. The alpine skier André Myhrer - Olympic gold medal winner 2018 in Pyeongchang - and Mattias Hargin, national ski team member, enjoyed the race along with two representatives from the world of ice hockey, a very popular sport in Sweden. The SHL finalist Marcus Högström was there along with Josefine Holmgren, who plays ice hockey in the women's league. The Women's League is experiencing enormous attention in Sweden: from the 2018/19 season, all matches of the Ice Hockey Women's League are being broadcast live on Swedish television.
120 guests came to the Race Dinner on Saturday evening, set to the theme of "Women in Sailing". During the course of the evening, all the women were invited to the stage to be presented with a pink Russian hat. Guest speaker was the Swedish singlehanded sailor Pia L'Obry who competed into the 2003 Minitransat. She rounded off the evening with an inspiring interview.
Elena Solovyeva, Head of Projects St. Petersburg Yacht Club, presented pink Russian fur hats to the sailors and said in her speech: "I believe that in sailing, especially offshore sailing the only thing that matters are your skills when you facing the challenge. And it is glory and honor that sea respects. This traditional Russian hat, called 'Ushanka', is expected to be a good memory about our challenging event. It became tradition and on every event held by Saint Petersburg Yacht Club we to celebrate girls and women on board with this hat as a sign of respect to the force of their spirit."
The inshore race was won by the Danish Team. On the second was Russia, followed by Finland, Germany and the Swedish team. The Russian crew holds the overall lead. On Sunday moon, the five teams set sail on the third offshore leg to Helsinki.
Since its inception in 2012, the Nord Stream Race has been hosted by the St. 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