Sailing

Sailing inspires a lifelong love of this sport. It is enough to sail a yacht once to remain committed to the sea for years to come. And sailing is for people of all ages.

 

Gazprom actively supports the development of competitive sailing in Russia. This initiative aims to popularize children's and youth sports, mass sports, and big-time sports.

The Company has been a general partner of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club since 2013. This organization is active in a wide range of areas, among them shipbuilding, historical research and educational programs, athletic training and seamanship for young people, as well as children's and youth sports. Today, the St. Petersburg Yacht Club is one of the biggest yachting associations.

Gazprom is committed to promoting St. Petersburg as a venue for major sailing competitions at both national and international levels. The city was the first place in Russia to host the events of the Extreme Sailing Series global catamaran race, as well as the World Match Racing Tour and Sailing Champions League races. In 2023, the St. Petersburg Yacht Club hosted Russian Championships in the Dragon and L 6 Cruising Yacht classes, the finals of the Russian Cup competitions in Olympic sailing classes, as well as the final round of the Sodruzhestvo (Community) Open Cup regatta featuring Belarusian yacht racers, and organized the St. Petersburg Sailing Week festival – the event that not only brings together all classes of amateur, children's and Olympic sailing, but also includes extensive onshore entertainment.

Gazprom pays particular attention to promoting sailing among children. Since 2012, the Company has been supporting a regatta for children and youth entitled “Optimists of the Northern Capital. Gazprom Cup.” The race takes place in four rounds throughout the year. Today, the regatta is the largest sports tournament in the Optimist class in Russia. The participants of the regatta series are selected to the youth national team and first national team of Russia and stand on the podiums of national regattas.

Gazprom provides assistance to the Sailing Academy, which was founded by the St. Petersburg Yacht Club in 2012. Hundreds of young athletes receive training at the Academy. Its alumni include medalists of world and European championships, multiple winners of national tournaments and competitions. The Sailing Academy graduates continue their sailing careers by taking part in student regattas or joining professional teams, and some of them return to the Academy as coaches and help train the next generation of young yacht racers.

Promoting Russia's sailing both nationwide and abroad, Gazprom and the St. Petersburg Yacht Club held the Nord Stream Race international regatta for many years. Gazprom also supported the Russian stars of yacht racing – Bronenosec Sailing Team, a multiple world champion and winner of many prestigious regattas.

With support from Gazprom, the St. Petersburg Yacht Club is implementing the project for re-constructing in full scale the Poltava vessel, a fourth-rate 54-gun ship of the line that was the first ship of the line to have been built at the St. Petersburg Admiralty Shipyards and launched in June 1712. The ship will become the centerpiece of the Poltava Sailboat cultural and historical center. The Poltava was launched in May 2018, and, as of today, its spars and rigging are completed and in operable condition. The vessel hosts theoretical training courses on ship rigging for students of cadet corps. The Poltava sailboat has many times participated in the naval parades held on Russian Navy Day.