News

Alan Green is one of the most experienced offshore race officers worldwide. In 2014 he will again be responsible for a smooth execution of the Nord Stream Race. The new route from Saint-Petersburg, Russia to Rostock-Warnemünde, Germany with a stopover in Helsinki will in his opinion be an exciting challenge for all participants.

In last year’s edition the Nord Stream Race route went northwards, this year the yachts will sail in the other direction from north to south. The change in direction is likely to mean more headwinds than in 2013 and Alan Green believes that “this poses more tactical choices for the crews and a higher premium on crew teamwork as there will be more intense upwind work, and more boat handling.”

The race director knows what is waiting for the participants, as he has covered thousands of nautical miles as an offshore sailor himself. For instance he sailed round Cape Horn as a navigator during the legendary Whitbread Race in 1977/78. Alan highlights how top-level sailing skills and knowledge will be required for this race; “The biggest challenge for participants will be to deliver consistent high performance; the combination of the short and sharp match races in Helsinki and two offshore races in the Baltic will need, for a boat to do well, a wide variety of sailing and navigational skills at top level – and as in any long event they must keep the pressure on, 24/7, until the final finish line at Warnemünde. This means a lot of hard work for the crews!”

It is Alan Green’s responsibility to create safe and fair conditions for this high performance regatta. Amongst other responsibilities, Alan has been jury and committee-member as well as race officer during popular regattas such as the Whitbread Race, Volvo Ocean Race, Fastnet Race, Admiral’s Cup, Vendee Globe, Route du Rhum, Daimler Chrysler North Atlantic Challenge, Baltic Sprint Cup and many more. He is also co-founder of the annual 630 nm long, Middle Sea Race, a member of the Royal Institute of Navigation and the Royal Geographical Society as well as founder of the ISAF International Regulations Commission, taking the role of chairman for many years.