Looking ahead to the Nord Stream Race 2015

Nord Stream Race 2014 finish in Warnemunde, Germany © onEdition

After the race is before the race. Nord Stream Race 2014 has only just finished but the planning for next year is already in full swing. In September 2015, just as in 2013, Nord Stream Race will once again lead from Flensburg/Glücksburg to Saint Petersburg. Swan 60 yachts and boats under ORC handicap can take part in the 800 nautical mile race across the Baltic Sea.

"We are very happy with the process of this year's Nord Stream Race", concluded Arne Hirsch, event director and deputy CEO of Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV). "Many amazing and exciting moments have made an impact and left lasting impressions on the participants. I would like to thank all involved parties for their support, especially our sponsors and partners Gazprom, Nord Stream and Marinepool. Now we have to start early with the preparations for next year in order to establish Nord Stream Race as a fixed and attractive event in the racing calendar of 2015. We hope that the two-yearly rhythm of having a non-stop regatta in west-east direction in odd years and a stop-over event in east-west direction every other year will gain general acceptance."

A race with great potential

According to Alexander Prinz zu Schleswig-Holstein the prospects for this concept are good. The skipper of fourth placed Team Germany and board member at NRV for offshore affairs said after the final in Warnemünde: "This race has great potential. Particularly for young up-and-coming talents it is an ideal stepping stone to get into the offshore scene."

Igor Frolov, CEO of Saint Petersburg Yacht Club agreed. The skipper of the winning Russian Swan 60 "Bronenosec" confirmed that Nord Stream Race is the most important regatta for his club and that a lot of effort will be put in further development of this format.

A sporting challenge for every offshore sailor

While Nord Stream Race 2014 lead from Saint Petersburg to Warnemünde with stop-over in Helsinki, in 2015 the regatta will again be held as a non-stop race from Flensburg/Glücksburg to Saint Petersburg. It is planned to organise some short inshore races at Marina Sonwik as part of Flensburger Fördewoche before starting to the long distance race to Saint Petersburg two days later. From a sporting point of view an interesting event can be expected: To sail a 800 nm distance across the northern hemisphere in autumn is a unique event in this form and a big challenge for the participants. The route will pass Bornholm on the eastern side and from there will follow the Nord Stream pipeline to the far north-eastern part of the Baltic Sea. The finish line is only a few miles off Saint Petersburg.

Besides the Swan 60 yachts the organisers are particularly approaching ambitious ORC crews. Saint Petersburg is a fascinating destination for the offshore scene and certainly worth the journey. The impressive city of the tsars is said to be Russia's sailing capital and already gave the Nord Stream Race participants a very warm welcome in recent years.

Chasing the World Sailing Speed Record

Depending on the weather conditions it will take the yachts about four to six days to complete the 800 nautical miles. Fastest so far was the Elliot 52 "Outsider" of Tilmar Hansen. At Nord Stream Race 2013 the skipper from Kiel and his crew crossed the finish line in Saint Petersburg after 3 days, 48 minutes and 23 seconds with an average speed of 10.9 knots. The record that is officially registered with the World Sailing Speed Record Council will be obtainable again in 2015.

Further information about Nord Stream Race 2015 as well as registration documents and the notice of race will be published on www.nord-stream-race.com. The photo gallery and event videos already give a great impression of the previous regattas. It is certainly worthwhile to check back regularly.