Image copyright Oskar Kihlborg.
by PIR
The Royal Swedish Yacht Club (KSSS) has decided to continue to optimize the best of two events by combining Sandhamn Race Week with the Round Gotland Race to a challenging international event to take place the first week in July the next coming three years. The start of the Round Gotland Race 2011 will be the 6th of July 2011.
”Sweden has now a established Sandhamn Race Week as a big sailing event internationally and KSSS wants to attract the worlds best sailors and keen amateurs,” said Therese Ahlström, Club Director for KSSS.
The Round Gotland Race is the largest ocean race in the Nordic region, often a tough race, attracting both leading ocean racing sailors from even tougher races such as the Volvo Ocean race, as well as hundreds of amateur sailors in the yardstick rating SRS.
We expect to continue attracting major names within the elite sailing world, such as Russell Coutts, Paul Cayard as well as the internationally known Swedes Niklas Zennström and Torbjörn Törnqvist who have been participating in the past.We are extremely honored that the King of Norway, King Harald V, followed his tradition from his previous entry and not only participated this year, but also won the IRC and the ORC International classes with his magnificent TP52 Fram.
"The KSSS aim is to focus on developing the Round Gotland Race as a top class international event so that we can attract the worlds' best racing sailors and their spectacular boats. Sandhamn Race Week is already successfully developing into a regatta in the league of the top yachting events like Kiel Week and Cowes Week", stated Therese Ahlström
KSSS is now employing new ideas to increase the attraction and competitiveness of the regatta. A new commercial strategy has been launched to strengthen the cooperation between the club and it’s commercial partners. An increased focus on communications will enhance the media interest and invitations to major yacht clubs will increase the international participation from 13 countries in 2010.
”The interest is growing for big, elite sporting events where businesses have the possibility to strengthen their brand through their presence and with client activities which offer new experiences” explained KSSS Club Director Therese Ahlström.
Sandhamn Race Week and Round Gotland Race will take place in the first week of July in 2011, from the 2nd to the 9th of July, with the Round Gotland Race starting on the Wednesday and the finish on latest Saturday. Before this is the Race Week, which opens the event with the inshore racing program from the 2nd to the 4th of July, with one of the highlights being the Swedish Championship for the Express class. For more information see www.ksss.se
