Brandspot gathered an impressing list of big names among athletes and organizers of the sail racing world when the Gothenburg Boat Show kicked off on February 3rd. All eyes will without a doubt be fixed The Olympic Games this summer but as the 400 visitors of Meetingspot learned; there are more reasons to follow sailing in 2012. Here are the highlights:
Tour Card for Johnie Berntsson
Swedish match racing skipper, Johnie Berntsson was officially given his tour card for the World Match Racing Tour of 2012. Having placed third in the tour last year, Johnie seems to have found a recipe for success.
“It’s about putting together the right mix of people who have fun together and building energy from that” – Johnie Berntsson
The new logo for Stena Match Cup Sweden was presented.
Swedish hopes for Olympic glory
Amongst the Swedish sailors who have already qualified for the London Olympics is Fredrik Lööf. Being a five time Olympic athlete he made clear that he is heading for Weymouth with a goal to reach higher than his previous two bronze medals.
“I’m not tired of sailing, in fact it’s more fun than ever”- Fredrik Lööf.
Volvo Ocean Race - Live from the South China Sea
Swedish VOR-sailor Martin Krite took time during an off-watch to give the visitors of Meetingspot an update on the race towards the of goal leg three in Sanya, China.
“The last couple of days have been really tough and I’m looking forward to a cold beer” – Martin Krite, less than a day from the goal.
Stena Match Cup Sweden
Stena Match Cup Sweden has rightfully earned its place as a sailing institution on the Swedish west coast. This year’s event will be held the first week of July with the finals moved from Sunday to Saturday to make it easier for more spectators to catch a glimpse of world class sailors compete in what David Gilmour calls “the Wimbledon of Sailing”.
The record crowd of 400 spectators learned about the latest in world of sailing.
RC44 Sweden Cup - Marstrand gets another chance to shine
Marstrand will once again host an event on the RC44 Championship Tour and this year the stunning spectacle will take place in July during the highpoint of the Swedish summer. By moving the event, Brandspot are hoping to increase the amount of spectators and to put the cutting edge boats and sailors in the spotlight.
“The venue is fantastic and we enjoy racing round the tricky rocks at Marstrand” – Bertrand Favre, RC44 Class Manager.
World Cup in the heart of Gothenburg
The Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club (GKSS) will host the World Cup of Women’s Match Racing this summer. The event will be last chance for the elite to test their form before the Olympics and with racing just outside the docks of GKSS the expectations are high for a big turnout of spectators.
Americas Cup - almost insane
Magnus Holmberg, the coach of Korea’s White Tiger Challenge, and Magnus Augustsson from the Swedish team Artemis Racing talked about how the Americas Cup is changing the way we will look at sailing from now on. As the technical advancements of the multihulls continue to stun the sail racing world, the Americas Cup will bring TV-coverage unlike anything seen before. Also, the new boats put the physical demands on the crews on an unprecedented level.
“The tempo is almost insane when it comes to tactical decisions and boat handling” – Magnus Holmberg