On June 24, the first stage of Nord Stream Race offshore Baltic Sea race will start in Kiel, Germany. The current seventh season of the regatta was opened by training events and coastal races, which are held from June 15 until today within the framework of the largest sailing festival Kieler Woche.
This year the regatta will consist of four stages with stops in Copenhagen on June 25, in Stockholm on June 29 and in Helsinki on July 2. The final race is to take place on July 5 in St. Petersburg. Altogether, the participants will have to cover over 1,000 nautical miles along the Nord Stream pipeline route, in honor of which the race is named.
The fleet of the regatta includes Swan 50 Class boats driven by crews from five Baltic states: Germany («North German Racing Association»), Denmark (Frederikshavn Yacht Club), Sweden (Royal Yacht Club of Stockholm), Finland (Åland Islands Yacht Club) and Russia («Lords of Sails - Asia»).
Last year the team took fourth place in the general classification, and this time, relying on the experience gained, we are seriously aiming to win.
«We always strive for the best results, and right now we have a very strong team.
We have conducted several training sessions and regattas on large yachts, so we are ready to meet strong competitors from other countries», - commented before the start skipper of the team, twice world champion and European champion Sergey Musikhin.
The highlight of this season is that the coastal races between Nord Stream Race 2018 participants are held as part of the fleet «Kiel Week».
The Russian crew got off to a confident start with two second arrivals. But a torn boom prevented «Sail Lords» from finishing the third race, and the team lost second place to the Finns, who finished in the top three. Due to repairs, the Russians had to skip the next day of competition.
Bad luck also befell the Danish team who in the first race tore their gennaker and dropped out of the race until the end of the day.
Nord Stream Race Baltic offshore regatta has been held since 2012. The Race was founded by the Saint Petersburg Yacht Club with the support of Gazprom and Nord Stream AG. Teams that have won the national sailing leagues in their respective countries participate in the race. Last season, the Swedish team took the top prize in the overall standings; the Russians were only one point away from the podium.
You can follow the regatta online using the tracker on the official website of the event: http://nord-stream-race.com/live
