Nord Stream Race: Longest Offshore Regatta in the Baltic Sea starts in September – Along with 100,000 Digital Sailors

For the ninth edition of the Nord Stream Race (NSR), the five best national sailing clubs are competing in the 1,000 nautical miles offshore sailing race, the longest offshore race in the Baltic Sea: Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee from Germany, Aarhus Sejlklub from Denmark, Kungliga Svenska Segelsällskapet from Sweden, Esbo Segelförening from Finland and Akhmat Sailing Team from Russia. The participating clubs have qualified for the NSR through the National Sailing Leagues in their country.

Before the start of the Nord Stream Race, the fleet will spend two days at Kiel Week and take part in the Welcome Race. After several short inshore races in the Bay of Kiel, the official starting signal will be fired in front of the Kiel Yacht Club on 6th September. The first offshore leg of the 14-day regatta organised by the St. Petersburg Yacht Club will take the fleet on 150 nautical mile overnight sprint to Copenhagen.

The sailors of the five clubs will race to Russia in 15-metre ClubSwan 50 racing yachts, facing enormous nautical and challenging weather conditions in the Baltic Sea. The sailors are very much looking forward to the Nord Stream Race with eager expectations. Jakob Rohner is part of the German Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee from Berlin. “We weren’t able to compete in this magnificent race last year due to Covid, so we are really excited finally to be racing in this challenging offshore regatta. It’s the first time our club will take part in the Nord Stream Race, so we have gone for a good mixture of experienced offshore sailors and young sailors. We have immense respect for the challenges we will face along the way, and can’t wait to get onboard“, said the 23-year old.

First "NSR eTrophy" as virtual race from Kiel to St. Petersburg

At the same time as the Nord Stream Race, the "NSR eTrophy" will take place as a virtual non-stop race from Kiel to St. Petersburg. The “NSR eTrophy” constitutes the fourth part of the NSR eSeries which began in March 2021 and has been embraced by e-sailors around the world as the first virtual regatta in the Baltic Sea.

Philippe Metayer from France became the overall winner of the first three NSR e-races. In the closelyfought races, the talented Frenchman was finally able to prevail against more than 260,000 participants from more than 100 nations. As the winner Philippe has earned a place onboard one of the boats during the “real” Nord Stream Race and will join the first offshore leg to Copenhagen. For the “NSR eTrophy”, more than 100,000 e-sailors are expected to join this two-week virtual regatta, being literally connected through sport.

The schedule for this year’s Nord Stream Race is as follows: – Kiel as part of Kiel Week: 4th to 6th September 2021 – Copenhagen at Kongelig Dansk Yachtklub: 7th to 9th September 2021 – Stockholm at Kungliga Svenska Segelsällskapet: 11th to 13th September 2021 – Helsinki at Helsingfors Segelklubb: 15th to 16th September 2021 – Finish in Russia on 17th September 2021

About Saint Petersburg Yacht Club:

The regional public sport organisation Saint Petersburg Yacht Club was established in 2007. Its main mission is to maintain the ideals of maritime culture on land and on sea and to develop nautical sports, as well as to grow enthusiasm for sailing. The Yacht Club’s philosophy is based not only on necessity to preserve, but also on a commitment to transfer to future generations the Russian nautical cultural heritage, along with Russian and world maritime history. Further information: www.yacht-club-spb.com

About Gazprom:

Gazprom is a global energy company focused on geological exploration, production, transportation, storage, processing and sales of gas, gas condensate and oil, sales of gas as a vehicle fuel, as well as generation and marketing of heat and electric power. Gazprom views its mission as ensuring a reliable, efficient and balanced supply of natural gas, other energy resources and their derivatives to consumers. Gazprom’s strategic goal is to strengthen its leading position among global energy companies by diversifying sales markets, ensuring energy security and sustainable development, improving operating efficiency and fulfilling its scientific and technical potential. Further information: www.gazprom.com

About Nord Stream AG:

Nord Stream AG, the operator of the twin offshore gas pipelines “Nord Stream”, is an international joint venture of Gazprom, Wintershall Dea, E.ON, Gasunie and Engie groups. Nord Stream’s head office and control centre are located in Zug, Switzerland. Nord Stream’s natural gas pipelines run in parallel through the Baltic Sea for 1,224 kilometres from Portovaya Bay, near Vyborg on the Russian coast to Lubmin, Germany. They are the shortest connection between the vast Russian natural gas reserves and the energy markets of the European Union. The Nord Stream Pipeline was constructed in accordance with the most stringent industry standards and environmental requirements for offshore pipelines. Safety and reliability take the highest priority for operation and maintenance. Further information: www.nord-stream.com