Nord Stream Race launches eSport Regatta through the Baltic Sea
by Nord Stream Race 5 Mar 2021 00:16 AEDT
12-16 March 2021
All five participating teams © NSR / Anya Semeniouk
The Nord Stream Race (NSR), the longest offshore regatta in the Baltic Sea, traditionally takes place in summer from Kiel to St. Petersburg with stopovers in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki.
This spring, three virtual non-stop races through the Baltic Sea will take place for the first time under the name of the "NSR eSeries". The "NSR eTrophy" will be contested virtually on the water from Kiel to St. Petersburg at the same time as the Nord Stream Race.
Each virtual race takes the players for up to 800 virtual nautical miles through the Baltic Sea to St. Petersburg. A prize of 2,000 Euro and a place on board for a race during the Nord Stream Race will go to the overall winner of the NSR eSeries.
The NSR eSeries is organised by St. Petersburg Yacht Club and is supported by its partners Nord Stream AG und Gazprom. It consists of three five-day races from March to May, which are played on the gaming platform "Virtual Regatta Offshore". The three races will respectively start in Kiel, Copenhagen and Stockholm with the finish in St. Petersburg.
The virtual races will take place on the following dates:
- NSR eSeries, Race 1: Kiel, St. Petersburg: 12 March - 16 March // 2 p.m. CET
- NSR eSeries, Race 2: Copenhagen, St. Petersburg: 09 April - 13 April // 3 p.m. CET
- NSR eSeries, Race 3: Stockholm, St. Petersburg: 01 May - 05 May // 3 p.m. CET
- The date for the NSR eTrophy is to be announced.
"We want to take the Nord Stream Race beyond the borders of the Baltic Sea and make it even more popular," says Elena Solovyeva, Head of Projects of the organizing St. Petersburg Yacht Club. Under the motto "Connecting Baltics Through Sport", she sees an opportunity to connect sailors and eSailors worldwide. "We expect more than 30,000 participants, including many NSR sailors."
The only requirement for participation is the free registration in the "Virtual Regatta Offshore" app, which can be played on tablets, PCs or smartphones. Overall winner of the three races of the NSR eSeries will win prize money of 2,000 Euro and a place on board for a race during the real Nord Stream Race. The winner of each NSR eSeries race will win an iPad.