With the first edition of the Nord Stream Race less than a month away, anticipation is building for this inaugural Swan 60 race and pinnacle event in the Baltic Sea sailing season. Team Russia, skippered by Vladimir Liubomirov, Commodore of Yacht Club of Saint-Petersburg, and sponsored by Gazprom are aiming to cross the finishing line first ahead of their European rivals, and picking up the €100,000 prize fund.
Liubomirov’s Swan 60, Bronenosec is now heading north this week to prepare for the Nord Stream Race having won the Maxi Class and Rolex Swan Cup after a nervy final day of racing in Sardinia.
Tommaso Chieffi, coach for Team Russia is excited by what lies ahead:
“We had a fantastic week of sailing last week with some very changing conditions. We race well together and it’s been a lot of fun. We have only had Bronenosec since March and already this is our second win of the season. It has been great to have all the Swans present in Sardinia and see how our boat competes with the rest of the fleet. It will be a very tough regatta as the conditions will be ugly. It’s going to be cold and dark so we’re trying to prepare as best as we can. Of course we’re looking forward to it and it will be a new experience for us.”
And Chieffi’s mind is now switching to the Nord Stream Race:
“Preparation for the race in the Baltic comes from the season that we’ve done together and getting everyone more and more involved so they can play different roles and play them proficiently. The second way we are preparing is getting organised for rotation as it’s going to be cold. So not everyone can be on deck so I will need a roster system and we’re also working on safety. We’re thinking about making it compulsory to have life rafts on deck. All the different aspects like clothing, kit and sails need to be thought about because the conditions will be severe.”
The Russian sailors on-board have different racing backgrounds; Alexander Shalagin was Gold Cup Champion in 2010 and just two weeks ago won the Dragon Russian Open Championship for the third time. Vladimir Liubomirov, along with crew member and colleague Igor Frolov, has also proved his worth in the Dragon Class. Kirill Vonogov was Champion in the Overall Russian Windsurfing Cup before moving into yachting where he sails Farr-30’s and Topcats and Vladimir Ikonnikov was the winner of the Star Class Finnish Championships in 2005. So the big-boat experience has been a steep learning curve for all. One of the goals has been to teach and educate the Russian sailors and bring them up to a standard where they can compete against the most experienced teams in the world. Events have included PalmaVela, Rolex Volcano Race, Giraglia Rolex Cup and Copa del Rey and the team are growing in confidence as the anticipation builds.
Tommaso Chieffi, is 17 times world champion and America’s Cup sailor with amateur Russian sailors and the pick of Italian professionals including tactician Alberto Barovier and navigator Francesco Mongelli helping him through the Baltic waters. They are a new crew on board the Swan 60, named Bronenosec, but they have been racing hard in the Mediterranean over the summer in preparation for the Nord Stream Race.
Starting in Saint-Petersburg, Russia on Thursday 18 October, the fleet of Swan 60s will race directly to Helsinki, Finland. Helsinki will host the fleet for three days with a Match Racing Regatta scheduled for Saturday 20 October followed by an Open Day for the general public, media and guests to view the yachts. Monday 22 October will see the fleet depart to race to Gotland, Sweden where they will pit-stop overnight on Wednesday 24 October before the final leg to Greifswald, Germany. The race is scheduled to end on Saturday 27 October with a parade of sail by the fleet along the river before a final celebration and prize giving. The event will attract a range of European nationals – with stops in four different countries and crew members from around Europe.
Vladimir Liubomirov, Commodore, Saint Petersburg Yacht Club and Skipper, added:
“I’m looking forward to showcasing Saint Petersburg and the Baltic sailing region to the world. We hope this event will grow to become the flagship sailing event on the Baltic Sea and an event that is widely recognised as a premier offshore race. We look forward to seeing the competition in October!”
The Yacht Club of Saint-Petersburg has called it ‘The Nord Stream Race’ in order to underline the long distance, the international character and the high level of complexity and technical challenge of the event. The Nord Stream Race is an invitational event, open to Swan 60s for the inaugural edition in 2012 with open entry for future editions. The environment is perfectly suited to offer high-class sailing with the promise of challenging winds. The other four entries are: Team Europe, Team France, Team Germany and Team Holland. Participants from more than fifteen European countries will take part in the race.
