Application for the Zer°emission Youth Offshore Academy -program is open!

by Noora

February 14, 2022

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Zer°emission is searching for new teammates and looking forward to coaching young talented sailors, who are willing to further develop their sailing skills and contribute to the program on many levels. The Youth Offshore Academy aims to give an opportunity for young sailors to take the next step on building their professional sailing career, by training the sailors on all different aspects needed for a victorious sailing career. 

The program is designed to coach young sailors to become competitive offshore sailing professionals. The selected team members will become sailors with strong offshore experience, Sea survival and first aid skills as well as knowledge of how to maintain the boats and build media awareness to a project. We are looking for sailors who can contribute to the team on many different levels”, says Samuli Leisti

The Youth Offshore Academy is supported by the Finnish Sailing and Boating Federation (SPV). The collaboration strengthens the team of professionals working with the sailors, and is a much pursued step for the team to strengthen the collaboration with local federations. Vili Kaijansinkko, the head coach of the Finnish Sailing and Boating Federation, is looking forward to the collaboration:

“Such a wonderful project that I believe will shake as well as invigorate the culture of the sport. Not everyone will, and doesn’t need to become Olympic sailors. It is a great blessing that sailing can and is practiced and competed in various forms. I think that programs like this will make competitive, young people like the sport better. It is also possible to build more sail racing professionals in Finland through this program. Sailing Team Finland’s coaching team, representing diverse expertise, is glad to support the preparation of the project.”

The project is also a natural step on the team’s sustainability mission. “Being or acting sustainably is not just about caring about the environment and joining us in the Race Against Sea Pollution to spread the message about the state of our oceans. It is also about giving back to the community and using our capabilities to support the success of the next generation”, sums up Noora Westerlund,  communications manager of the Zer°emission project.

The chosen sailors will also learn from the team’s own young guns Joona Pasanen, Daniel Kario and Lucas Karlemo who already have grown with the project to extremely skilled sailors. Lucas, representing Esbo Segelforening winning the Nord Stream Race 2021 and the Sailing Champions League 2021, could not have had a stronger start to his offshore sailing career. Lucas tells about he’s experience:

“Zer0emission has been a very awesome and educational project in every way. The TP52 is a very dinghy boat that both feels and behaves like a dinghy on the water. The similar nature of the boats makes a dinghy sailor an ideal sailor in this crew, even if you have no previous keel boat experience. You will quickly learn all the skills needed for keel boating along the way. The project is also an excellent opportunity to grow your own network abroad if one wishes to do so. ”

If you are passionate about sailing and eager to learn as well as prepared to give your best to support the team on different tasks on shore, do not hesitate to join the Race Against Sea Pollution!

The search for future offshore champions is open from Valentines day until the end of February.  After the application process 17 new members between 18 and 30 years will be chosen to participate in the Zer°emission project.

>> Apply now and join us in the Race Against Sea Pollution!

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Zer°emission distributes the teams ownerships and launches a Youth Offshore Academy -program to coach future offshore sailing champions

by Noora

February 9, 2022

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After a challenging season in 2021 team Zer°emission is looking to fight back stronger than ever before, inviting new owners to the project platform and putting efforts to maintain and further develop the TP52 race boat as well as building a strong team that will raise future offshore sailing champions.

Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week

The owners platform consists of team members that are looking to expand the project and the Zer°emission fleet with J/70:s and modern shorthand sailing boats. The mothership of the project Zero°emission TP52 will sail and race in the mediterranean waters participating in legendary offshore races such as Copa Del Ray and Les Voiles Des St.Tropez, as well as looking for an opportunity to race again with the TP52 Super Series boats in the invitational fleet.

Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week

The season 2022 will be kicked off with the launch of a new program as the search for future offshore champions begins with the Youth Offshore Academy launch. The application for the program will be open during February and 17 new members between 18 and 30 years will be chosen to participate in the project. The newcomers will be joining the team’s own young guns Joona Pasanen, Daniel Kario and Lucas Karlemo who already have grown with the project to extremely skilled sailors. Lucas, representing Esbo Segelforening winning the Nord Stream Race 2021 and the Sailing Champions League 2021, could not have had a stronger start to his offshore sailing career.

“The program is designed to coach young sailors to become competitive offshore sailing professionals. The selected team members will become sailors with strong offshore experience, Sea survival and first aid skills as well as knowledge of how to maintain the boats and build media awareness to a project”, says Samuli Leisti.

The Youth Offshore Academy is supported by the Finnish Sailing and Boating Federation (SPV). The collaboration strengthens the team of professionals working with the sailors, and is a much pursued step for the team to strengthen the collaboration with local federations.

Zer°emission is proud to #RaceAgainstSeaPollution under the Finnish flag and represent Offshore Racing Team Finland in the following international events during 2022.

22–24 APRIL Settimana Velica del Golfo
24–30 JUNE ORC/IRC Worlds
21–26 JULY TP52 Super Series Sailing Week
30 JULY–6 AUG Copa Del Rey
24 SEP–8 OCT Les Voiles Des St.Tropez 

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ZER°MISSION AT ROLEX MIDDLE SEA RACE

by Noora

November 18, 2021

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Season 2021 ended with the toughest race of the project – Rolex Middle Sea Race that started from Malta on 23rd of October and took us through a ride of our lives. Now let’s have a recap of the journey with skipper Samuli Leisti.

The race starts in Malta’s spectacular Grand Harbour.
Start to Passero

We started the race with reasonable performance against the boats in our class. Caro (Botin 52) & Paprec (TP52) were 0,5-1 kts faster, they passed us relatively close windward and were gaining on us even though we were in a better position against the header when closing Passero. Teasing Machine (NMYD 54) was sailing with a Jib Staysail but not being much faster. Our mistake was that we didn’t keep track on Caro & Paprec, lost sight of them and were not able to learn from what they were doing.

We were full powered with 12-16 kts of wind. A good leg, one of the nicest one of the race.

Passero to Straight of Messina

On the leg from Passero to Messina we did a good job, not bleeding to Caro & Paprec and overtook Frechia, but lost a bit to Kuka 3 (Cookson 50) who was more east from us.

Straight of Messina

It’s obvious we took the wrong side of the straight. We should have monitored AIS better and known better what other boats were doing and see if the conditions are favouring our side or not. End of the straight this caused one jib change. Coming out of it was close that we would have catched the fleet ahead of us but took the wrong side.

The first night in the race. Light if some winds at all during the night.

Messina to Stromboli

Simple leg, not much to tell. Power reach and the wind was picking up. Sailing just in the limits of Code0 and changing to a jib.

Wind from 20-26 knots.

Stromboli to Trapani

Heavy downwind sailing and difficult to decide when to sail in the safe mode and when to push. There were a few boats (Caro & Paprec) that may have sailed longer with the spinnaker. Tactics were good, but halyard issues slowed us down and changed the race for us.

Loosing the main halyard forced us to drop the mainsail to the first reef. This ment that the the race was no longer about fighting for positions, it was about fighting to finish. I was most worried about the fact that there was no way of using the second reef or getting the mainsail down without climbing to the mast. Even after finishing the race this was a major issue for us.” Samuli Leisti, skipper of Zer°emission.

When the day set we sailed right in to the thunder storm.

“I was driving the boat at her and my limits. I could barely see the instruments and keep some track on the AIS, but had absolutely no visibility outside the boat due to the heavy rain. The night was rough with only lightnings in the pitch black sky. At some point we lost the instruments, caused by the lightning very close, but luckily got them back later on.” Samuli continues.

30-35 knots of wind with jib3 and the reefed main. No visual due to heavy rain. Pushing heavily from 20-30 knots of speed.

Trapani to Pantelleria

We sailed pretty well and were lucky not to bleed too much with one reef. Got a fishing net to keel and maybe should have sailed with the light jib the first part. Code & Jib Staysail combination worked well, same with A1 & Jib Staysail. Kuka and Paprec were just ahead of us when passing Pantelleria.

“Got the boat and gear dry and some rest, but too many of us on the deck, when many more should have rested properly. Fixed the main halyard with an outer main halyard.” Samuli sums of the easiest day in the race.

The wind died after the thunder storm. From light to no winds to champaign sailing in the sun.

Pantelleria to Lampedusa

We hade a good exit from Pantelleria. Code & Jib Staysail was working well, the wind picked up and we broke the outer main halyard during a rain gust. Luckily we ended up with a reefed main and the Code0 that was a killer combination at the time. Lost a lot at the end when we took the code down, probably too early. We were closing fast to Kuka 3 & Paprec before that, but they were gone at Lampedusa.

14-28 knots of wind. The conditions changed a lot during the rain gusts.

Lampedusa to finish

The roughest part of the race was the final 10 hours of beating to the finish. The leg was just about keeping the boat together and pure survival for the crew. The beating of the boat was infernal.

Samuli describes the last leg of the race as a struggle to get the boat safely to a harbour. “The crew was beat and the boat was hitting from one three meter wave right into the next one. Hitting the waves made the sound and the vibration of the boat infernal. We should have known what to expect to plan sleeping & eating better before that final leg. We were too tired to work properly and lost quite a lot.”

When reaching north of Malta, we had some traffic issues with the boats. During rounding the last mark we had an issue with the backstay in the wrong side of the reefed main sail and ended up breaking two top battens to make it to the finish line.

After reaching the finish line, the engine would not start and we had to climb to the mast to drop the main down because of the main halyard issue. Finally we were guided to the race harbor by two tender boats. Exhausted but happy.

Sailing in these conditions was not safe, but the safest way was to head straight to Malta. Turning downwind towards Africa was simply not an option. 30-42 knots of wind.

Rolex Middle Sea Race pushed the team to it’s limits giving no mercy on the final beat. For sure for everyone this was a race to remember.

We knew most of what we learned during the race even before the start. We still struggled a lot with getting the water out of the boat. We made some tactical errors but that’s the way it is sometimes – easy to point out afterwards. Some of the boat electrical systems failed, maybe due to the thunderstorm, or just too much sea water.

After Stromboli the race was so demanding that we missed out on some basics like eating and resting in turns. We lost most in the straight of Messina, from Stromboli to Trapani and that final beat.

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ZER°EMISSION TO RACE IN 52 SUPER SERIES

by Noora

August 21, 2021

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Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week & TP52 20th Anniversary Invitational 2021 Starts on August 24th and brings the action back to Palma Bay.

The regatta has attracted 16 boats from 12 different nationalities and will celebrate 20 years of the TP52 class with seven invited boats of different generations racing on the Bay of Palma alongside the nine 52 SUPER SERIES contenders. Zer°emission is attending the regatta as one of the seven invited and representing Finland first time ever in this world’s leading grand prix regatta.

TP52 20th Anniversary Invitational Fleet:
(Team, Owner, Nation, Designer)

  • AIFOS 500 – Ricardo Alvarez-Maldonado Parames (ESP, Farr 2005)
  • AIR IS BLUE – Roberto Monti (ITA, Judel Vrolijk, built in 2008 as Audi Q8)
  • AROBAS – Gérard Logel (FRA, Botín, built in 2009 as CAM from ETNZ mould)
  • BEAU GESTE – Karl Kwok (CHN, Botin Partners, built in 2018 as Onda)
  • BLUE CARBON – Toni Guiu (ESP, Botin Carkeek, built in 2005 as Balearia)
  • MACCHIA MEDITERRANEA – Giampero Russo (ITA, Reichel Pugh, built in 2008 as Artemis)
  • XIO – Marco Serafini (ITA, Botín Partners, built in 2011 as Quantum Racing)
  • ZERO EMISSION – Samuli Leisti (FIN, Reichel Pugh, built in 2008 as USA-17 / Oracle)

The road to Puerto Portals has not been an easy one, as the team and the whole world continues to struggle with COVID-19. The team has come a long way from Gotland Runt to Baltic Ocean 600 and then shipping the boat to the mediterranean waters where the first regatta really was a struggle, leading to mast repair in Palma Mallorca. After hundreds of hours of hard work once again, the boat now lies in Puerto Portals ready to Race!

Sustainability in the core of the 52 SUPER SERIES

At any one regatta, the 52 SUPER SERIES brings together 400 people – a mixture of staff and sailors – to one location for a full week of high performance sailing. So, in 2015, the 52 SUPER SERIES made a commitment to introduce new initiatives that would start to change the way that staff, sailors, marinas and yacht clubs would interact with the environment whilst on-site. This conscious shift in thinking was further refined in 2016 and 2017, when key team members of the 52 SUPER SERIES operation aggressively targeted the core elements of the event: the water supply, waste policies, food provision, fuel usage, materials and transport.

The collective mission of the 52 SUPER SERIES is to:

  • Implement and encourage environmentally responsible actions and initiatives from management to participants.
  • Follow, adopt and promote local recycling guidelines.
  • Strive to reduce waste of all types, adopt a sustainable procurement code, choose environmentally friendly products, upcycle and repurpose where possible.
  • Progressively reduce its environmental footprint via practical and meaningful steps.

Read more about the Sustainability acts and how to participate at: https://www.52superseries.com/sustainability/


The 52 SUPER SERIES remains the world’s leading grand prix monohull first-past-the-post sailboat racing. The 2021 season comprises three regattas starting 24th August in Puerto Portals and ends in Palma in November. Now, entering its tenth season with the strongest fleet ever, the 52 SUPER SERIES continues to offer 24/7 access to the action and information via the 52 SUPER SERIES App.

Follow the 52 SUPER SERIES on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/52SuperSeries/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/52superseries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/52superseries/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/52SuperSeries

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ZER°EMISSION SAILS CARBON NEUTRAL 2021

by Noora

February 19, 2021

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Zer°emission, in cooperation with Nordic Offset, is the first TP52 boat in the world to calculate and compensate the boat’s carbon footprint. The team’s goal is to sail carbon neutral from 2021 and also makes sure that all purchases made to the team, the transportation of the boat and equipment and the teams traveling is documented, and the resulting carbon footprint is not only minimized but also compensated when necessary.

The calculation of the boat’s carbon footprint is based on information received from the manufacturer and the factory that built the Zer°emission boat. The calculation includes emissions of manufacturing energy consumption and materials, as well as waste management and logistics. The emission calculation is carried out by Nordic Offset based on international guidelines and standards. The carbon footprint of the construction of the Zer°emission boat was rounded to approximately 51 CO2e tonnes. Nordic Offset has also taken responsibility for the carbon footprint compensation. The emissions have been compensated for two internationally certified voluntary emissions trading projects to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sinks (Gold Standard-certified afforestation project in Ethiopia and VCS-certified forest protection project in Peru).

“The Zer°emission – race against sea pollution project is on a mission to raise awareness of ocean pollution and work for cleaner seas. In connection with the events, we have conducted garbage collection campaigns and encouraged responsible behavior through appearances and speeches. In cooperation with Nordic Offset, we can be a leader in the entire boating industry so that others can take care of their own emissions as well. In this way, we can continue to enjoy a clean nature in the future.” Summarizes the project skipper Samuli Leisti.

“It’s great to be involved in the Zer°emission – race against sea pollution project. We see that the project is also a leader for the entire boat industry in terms of climate responsibility. Every industry should take climate actions to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement to limit the global warming to 1.5 C, which is considered safe”, says Maija Saijonmaa from Nordic Offset.

Zer°emission CO2e- neutral by Nordic Offset

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Honey I’m coming home

by Noora

April 6, 2020

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We would like to give you an update of the Zer°emission project and COVID-19 situation, which has a huge impact on the sailing season 2020 throughout the world.

Due to the global crisis, decisions and recommendations of local government and to ensure the safety of the people working for the project and sailing the Zer°emission, we have decided to postpone the participation to the Sydney Hobart race with one year.

Most of the already scheduled regattas and events in the mediterranean have been cancelled or postponed, nor are we able to practice in France and Italy as planned. Therefore we are bringing Zer°emission back home and already started the preparations of training and sailing in Finland year 2020.

The season and practices will begin as soon as the boat can be delivered to Helsinki safely. We will now focus on planning events and acts for the projects main mission The Race against sea pollution as fiercely as ever.

Please keep posted for good news as the summer arrives. All the best to you and your families. Stay strong and stay safe!

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Welcome to season 2020

by Noora

February 8, 2020

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Zer°emission is on display at Helsinki International Boat Show 7.–16. of February and so the season has started and the #raceagainstseapollution is on! After the Boat Show Zer°emission will be transported to Italy, where the sailing season begins!

We are proud to announce that the team is growing and s/y Tempo in Turku will be helping to spread the word in Finland, meanwhile Zer°emission and the crew will be busy training in the Mediterranean and preparing for the main event of the season Rolex Sydney Hobart Race iin Australia. The Zer°emission ambassador -program was launched on the second day of the Boat Show and is the first step of spreading the network for the #raceagainstseapollution.

The racing season 2020 includes six races. The team will face the upcoming challenges with two crews, one dedicated to inshore and the other to offshore races. All the regattas and the races will be an opportunity to speak about our sustainability goals. We look forward to organizing meet ups and after sails to support the mission for cleaner seas.

MAY 15.–22. Rolex Capri Sailing week, ORC European Championship, Italy
JUNE 5.–13. Rolex Giraglia, Saint Tropez/Genova
JUNE 17.–21. Rolex Porto Cervo, TP52 20th Anniversary, Sardinia
AUG 3.–8. Copa Del Ray, Mallorca
SEP 28.–OCT 3. Rolex Les de Voiles Saint-Tropez , France
DEC 26.–28. Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, Australia

We are grateful to continue racing with strong partners who have already been a significant help during the maintaining of the boat during the offseason.

Welcome to join us for the season 2020!

Mercedes | B&G | Finnlines | North Sails | Magic Marine | B1G

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Run against sea pollution

by Noora

November 5, 2019

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Lähde Zer0emission-tiimin kanssa merellisille juoksulenkeille ja tue samalla WWF Suomen pitkäaikaista työtä Itämeren hyväksi. Juoksuun osallistumismaksu (10 €) lahjoitetaan WWF:lle.

Ti 5.11.2019 | Ti 3.12.2019 | Ti 14.1.2020 | Ti 11.2.2020  

RUN against sea pollution -tapahtuman tavoitteena on kasvattaa tietoisuutta mertemme tilasta ja liikkua yhdessä rantoja pitkin lenkkeillen.   Juoksu lähtee Lauttasaaresta, Ravintola Blue Peteristä 5.11.2019 lähtien klo 18. Yhteisiä juoksulenkkejä järjestetään yhteensä neljä ja lenkkien aikana on mahdollisuus jutella Zer°emission -tiimin jäsenten kanssa. Reitti kiertää Lauttasaaren rantoja pitkin merellisissä tunnelmissa ja on noin 10 km mittainen, kestäen tunnin verran.

Jokaisen juoksun aluksi on luvassa lyhyt tietoisku Race against sea pollution -projektista/juoksun yhteistyökumppaneilta.   Juoksun ajaksi tavarat voi jättää säilytykseen ravintola Blue Peteriin ja juoksun jälkeen on mahdollisuus saunoa/peseytyä/vaihtaa vaatteet HSK:n rantasaunassa.


Join Zer0emission’s challenge to run against sea pollution.  

Tue 5.11.2019 | Tue 3.12.2019 | Tue 14.1.2020 | Tue 11.2.2020  

Join the Zer°emission team for a run along the coastline of Lauttasaari in Helsinki and support the fight against sea pollution. The event participation fee (10 €) will be donated to WWF’s work against sea pollution.  

We will start our run from Lauttasaari, Restaurant Blue Peter on 5th of November 6 pm. The event will occur four times and during the runs you will have a chance to chat with the Zer°emission team-members. The running route will take us round Lauttasaari island. The duration of the course is approximately 10 km/1 hour.  

Before the run, there will be a short status update about our project from Zer°emission team-leaders and our partners. There is a possibility to change/shower after the run in the HSK facilities.

Join the events on Facebook

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Zer0emission sails to silver for cleaner oceans in ORC European Championships

by Noora

August 19, 2019

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Zer0emission crew has won a silver medal in the ORC European Chamionships held in Oxelösund Sweden.

After the first second day of racing it was clear that the team and the boat was rising to challenge the Danish owner Swan 45 Tarok VII for the regatta victory. The race was tight and only a few points separated the first and second positions until the final race day when Tarok VII was able to take two victories in the final inshore races securing the overall win of the title. Link to full results.

We are extremely proud of how the team has grown together and how the boatspeed has developed during the regatta.” Says boat captain Anssi Lyden after the races.

Getting the team and the boat in to a winning condition also means good publicity, which is one of the most effective ways to spread the teams mission – Race against sea pollution. Our message was delivered through the race village in Samulis speech during the opening ceremony, the Seabin was again installed in to the marina to clean the water in the race harbor and our mission discussed with partners, other competitors and people visiting the race harbor.

WWF Sweden had recognized our work for cleaner seas and the team was awarded a diploma for raising awareness for sea pollution. There is literally trash floating everywhere. Consumer behaviour is the number one contributor of marine litter in the Baltic Sea. Around 130 tons of polyethylene particles from personal care products are flushed down the household drains in the Baltic Sea catchment area each year! There is over 150 million tons of plastic waste floating around in the oceans and by 2050 we will have more trash than fish in the oceans.

As Samuli Leisti pointed out in the opening ceremony: “We people produce more carbon dioxide than we are able to clean, we litter the seas more, than we are able to clean them. We can´t think that next generation and our kids will clean it. This has to stop.”

We sailors can act as a role models, but we are not enough, we need all possible parties to make a change. So if you feel like supporting our quest and maybe celebrating a little our silver medal please sign the WWF appeal to stop sea pollution (the appal is in Finnish but you can look up your local organisation to act).

Zer0emission crew Samuli Leisti (skipper), Anssi Lyden (main), Christer Baggström (navigation), Thomas Hacklin (tactics), Samppu Thesleff (trimmer), Timo Kari (trimmer), Tuomas Miettinen (pit), Martin Estlander (backsaty), Jarkko Pekkala (backstay), Nikolas Bogdanoff (grinder), Ville Tikkanen (pit2, grinder), Markus Aalto (midbow) and Janne Westerlund (bow). The crew was completed by a shorecrew run by Oliver and Dante, a huge thank you to these young gentleman taking care of everything in need and so much more.

Thank you Oxelösund Segelsällskap for the great event!

Our partners in the Race against sea pollution Wärtsilä, Mercedes-Benz, Finnlines, North Sails, Sas Institute, B&G, B1G, Magic Marine and Maxim Sports

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ORC European Championships 2019 – Fight for cleaner seas

by Noora

August 16, 2019

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The race against sea pollution continues in Sweden.

After two days of racing and many more of preparation in Oxelösund Sweden the Zer0emission is fighting for the gold medal in ORC A at European Championships 2019. The regatta continues with two days of inshore racing that will resolve the outcome of the regatta.

The ragatta was kicked of with an opening seremony where the team skipper Samuli Leisti had a chance to talk about why we race against se pollution.

So far the team has finished two inshore races and one offshore race, leaving the team at a second place in the overall standings. Anything is possible now and for sure the race organizer, participants and the spectators are aware of why we are here.

“We are 7,7 billion people on Earth and population grows annually by 8.3 million. We people produce more carbon dioxide than we are able to clean, we litter the seas more, than we are able to clean them. We can´t think that next generation and our kids will clean it. This has to stop.

Sailing is the most relevant sport for the cleaner seas and nature. We want to inspire sailors, race fans, partners, race organizer and cities to do the actions for the cleaner environment. We sailors can be as a role model, but we are not enough, we need all possible parties to make a change.”

So the boats will race hard against each other with a goal to win. But our common goat is the race against sea pollution that we should win.


You can follow the race at the organizers official homepage and please join our Instagram account for live updates and Facebook -page for status updates!

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