PRESS RELEASE
A specimen copy is kindly requested.
07th of February 2013
Announcement of the Nord Stream Race 2013
The Yacht Club of Saint-Petersburg, Russia (SPBYC), and the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV) are
delighted to announce the next edition of the Nord Stream Race in 2013. In the middle of September
more than 800 nautical miles will be covered to cross the Baltic Sea from Flensburg / Glücksburg,
Germany to Saint Petersburg, Russia. The race will be nonstop and open for Gazprom Swan60 Class
and Yachts under ORC handicap.
The race will start in the Flensburg Fjord. The non-stop course will leave Bornholm to port and follow
from there the route of the Nord Stream Pipeline up to the very North-East of the Baltic Sea.
An exciting match race competition for the Gazprom Swan60 Class on Thursday will be the warm up
competition including spectacular racing action in the Sail Racing Arena of Flensburger Förde. From
this day on, the race village will be open also for public. To join the maritime spirit of Flensburger
Fördewoche the prestigious Yellow-Blue-Ribbon Regatta will be the tune-up race in ORC valuation on
Saturday, 14th of September. The first start of the main event for the ORC Division B will be on
Sunday 15th of September. The second start is on Monday noon followed half an hour later by the
Gazprom Swan60 Class. “The Nord Stream Race is established as an annual exciting new racing
format in the Baltic Sea. It is our aim to attract all nations being involved into the Nord Stream
pipeline.” said Ulrich Lissek, Director of Communication Nord Stream.
“Racing non-stop 800 miles in the very northern hemisphere in September is encouraging and
challenging. The finish in Saint Petersburg after approximately four to six sailing days will be breathtaking for the sailors.” said Alan Green, NRV Race Officer, when he reflects to the Notice of Race.
The ORC trophy was created to thrill the active ORC circuit competing at the Baltic Sea. For all crews
joining the Flensburger Fördewoche the organizers scheduled enough time to get some rest and
prepare the boats. The Organizers will also assist the crews with the handling of visa and entry into
Russia. In addition the NRV plans to install a crew-exchange for skippers who need crew to bring the
boat back to Germany.
The Flensburger Segel-Club will assist to start the race crossing the waters of Germany, Poland,
Denmark, Lithunia, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Finland and finally Russia. The race will bring participants
from all over Europe together. Tim Kröger, skipper of Team Europe at the last edition said: “This Nord
Stream Race is great idea and a fantastic challenge for all competitors. I think we have proven how
exciting a regatta can be during the first edition with extremely close finishes. With westerly winds
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the second edition this year could turn out to be a very fast trip, but with Easterlies or
Northeasterlies we will all face a tough fight from Flensburg to St. Petersburg. We will be well
prepared. I'm extremely delighted to be part of a race again that has all the ingredients to become a
classic race in the Baltic which connects the west and the east of Europe. We are looking forward to
another great event!”
Henning Rocholl, NRV CEO continuous, “we hope that the yachts will set a recognizable bench mark
for this regatta, which shall be listed by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.”
The perpetual trophy for the Gazprom Swan60 Class, given by Saint Petersburg Yacht Club will be the
prize for the Swan60 division. An additional perpetual trophy for the ORC fleet will be designed via an
art competition between artists from Germany and Russia, which will be announced in March. The
vision to have several European Teams, representing their country on the Gazprom Swan60 Yachts
will be followed up. The Swan60s can be chartered by invitation of Saint Petersburg Yacht Club. The
Nord Stream Race will take place annually, with the inaugural edition starting in October 2012
southwards and the second edition in September 2013 northward, and so on. The commitment of
the Organising Authorities, SPBYC and NRV, and the support of the partners are in place for the longterm.
Vladimir Liubomirov, Commodore of SPBYC, commented “Our aim is to create an internationally
renowned distance race within the Baltic, bringing together the European countries bordering it that
encourages development of international sailing in the Baltic and promotes a closer integration in
the Baltic. The first step was done 2012 and now the course is set for the future. We are more than
happy, that our partner club, NRV from Hamburg, will be the Organizing Authority for the north
bound route. We all want to promote offshore racing in the Baltic Sea and we all want a great regatta
for the competitors.”
“The NRV is keen on running an annually offshore event through the Baltic Sea. We are involved in
the Nordsee Woche, Germanys largest offshore event in the North sea and we organized several
transatlantic regattas. The SPBYC is heading to the top sailing clubs in Europe. It is a very harmonious
partnership between both clubs.” said Andreas Christiansen, Commodore of NRV.
One of the challenging moments of the regatta is the date. Sailing in the Baltic Sea is well known to
be very tough in autumn. Therefore the clothing partner Marinepool will put their sail clothing
competence into the partnership. Both NRV and SPBYC are in close relationship to Robert Stark, CEO
of Marinepool: “The Nord Stream Race ideally combines great locations around the Baltic with
challenging offshore racing and social events second to none. In Marinepool the NRV and the Nord
Stream Race managed to get one of the leading maritime life style and sailing clothing brands on
board. Marinepool is renowned for high performance sailing clothing, a superb range of maritime
fashion, for setting benchmarks in life jackets and is partner of world class teams like Energy Team
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France, Extreme Sailing Series™ champions The Wave, Muscat, MOD70 Musandam Oman Sail and
last but not least Sailing Team Germany. Organizers and sailors in the Nord Stream Race will be
equipped with Marinepool event wear and offshore clothing.”
More information and details under www.nord-stream-race.com
For high res images and editorial requests, please contact:
Nord Stream Race
in charge for public relations
Headquarters | Hamburg
Annette Krüger
phone +49 (0)40 87 87 999-18
email media@nord-stream-race.com
The race: The Nord Stream Race is a non-stop regatta that covers more than 800 nautical miles across the
Baltic Sea. The regatta starts on September 15th 2013 from Glücksburg. The route passes east of Bornholm and
then follows the Nord Stream gas pipeline which is also the name giver of the race. The finish line is just a few
miles off Saint Petersburg. The Race is open for the Gazprom Swan 60 Class and yachts under ORC-handicap.
Depending on the size and type of the respective yacht and on the wind conditions the boats will be on the
water for approximately four to eight days. Organiser of this top-class event is the Norddeutscher Regatta
Verein (NRV) together with Saint Petersburg Yacht Club (SPBYC), supported by Flensburger Segel-Club (FSC).
The Nord Stream Race was initiated in 2012 and serves the transnational connection between the Baltic Rim
countries on a sporting level.
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Partners of Nord Stream Race:
Saint Petersburg Yacht Club: The Yacht Club of Saint Petersburg (SPBYC) is based at Hercules Yacht
Harbour within the heart of Russian sailing capital and was established in 2010. The yacht club aims
to develop sailing as a sport across the Russian nation as well as valuing the duty to keep traditional
maritime history and sea ethics alive through a sustainable worldwide legacy program for future
generations. High profile honorary members include His Majesty Constantine II, King of Greece.
SPBYC is a meeting place for like-minded individuals who all have a love and respect of the sea and is
now ready to become a world renowned yachting hub. www.yacht-club-spb.ru
Norddeutscher Regatta Verein: The Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV) founded 1868 not only is
the largest yacht club in Germany but at the same time it is also a major organizer of national and
international sailing events. One of the main objectives today is the development of our young
sailors. We cultivate our traditions that have evolved from over 140 years of club history and at the
same time we look ahead to master the many challenges yet to come. www.nrv.de
Nord Stream: Nord Stream is a natural gas pipeline which links Russia and the European Union
through the Baltic Sea. The first of Nord Stream’s two parallel pipelines became operational in
November 2011, the second in October 2012. The total capacity is enough to supply more than 26
million European households. This international joint-venture project by major energy companies
Gazprom, BASF SE/Wintershall Holding GmbH and E.ON Ruhrgas AG, N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie and
GDF SUEZ S.A. is an important contribution to long-term security of supply and a milestone of the
energy partnership between the European Union and Russia. The Nord Stream Pipeline offers a
relevant route and context for the race. Due to its dimension and active stakeholder and public
engagement, Nord Stream has become a symbol of international cooperation as the Nord Stream
Race also intends to. www.nord-stream.com
Contact:
Ulrich Lissek, Communications Director, Mobile: +41 79 874 31 58
Jens D. Müller, Deputy Communications Director, Mobil: +41 79 295 96 08
Email: press@nord-stream.com
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Gazprom: Gazprom is a global energy company with its businesses extending across Russia and
throughout more than 40 countries worldwide. Gazprom holds the world's largest natural gas
reserves. The Company's share in the global and Russian gas reserves makes up around 18 and some
72 per cent respectively. Gazprom has long believed it has a responsibility to give back to the
communities it works within and its social goals to promote a healthy lifestyle, an harmonious
upbringing of a physically strong generation and worthy performances at international sporting
events were a natural fit with the Nord Stream Race. www.gazprom.com
Marinepool: Marinepool is widely regarded as one of the leading sailing clothing and maritime
lifestyle brands with sales in 43 countries worldwide and is the leading producer of life jackets for the
leisure and sport market in Europe. The company’s vast product portfolio comprises performance
sailing clothing and outdoor garments, functional fashion for sailing and water sports as well as
lifestyle clothing lines for women, men and kids in a unique maritime style. Marinepool is partner of
world-class teams and events such as the Extreme Sailing Series™, Energy Team France and the
Sailing Team Germany. www.marinepool.com
Ernst Kabel Druck: Ernst Kabel Druck GmbH, Hamburg, is a Hanseatic print shop with a long tradition,
well known for quality and innovation. We produce a large variety of printing products from business
reports to A1-posters as well as extraordinary finishing options like stamping or embossing. Ernst
Kabel Druck uses state-of-the-art machines and CtP technology to enable us to provide high quality
services even under tight deadlines and to match big campaigns with each other. Contact: Henning
Tebbe. www.kabel-druck.de
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