Swedish Match (yacht)

Swedish Match

Other names	Nokia Avant
Nation	Sweden  Denmark
Class	Volvo Ocean 60
Sail no	SWE–2000
Designer(s)	Bruce Farr
Builder	Cookson Boats
Racing career
Skippers	Gunnar Krantz Stefan Myralf Michael Spies
Notable victories	1999 Sydney–Hobart (l.h.)
Specifications
Displacement	13,500 kg (29,800 lb)
Length	19.5 m (64 ft) (LOA)
Beam	5.25 m (17.2 ft)
Draft	3.75 m (12.3 ft)

Swedish Match (also known as Nokia, Avant) is a Volvo Ocean 60 yacht that competed in the 1997–98 Whitbread Round the World Race.

Career

Swedish Match was designed by Bruce Farr and built by Cookson Boats.[1]

Swedish Match competed in the 1997–98 Whitbread Round the World Race and finished 3rd.[2] She was skippered by Gunnar Krantz.[3]

She was given a new name, Nokia, and competed in the 1999 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.[4] She won line honours in the 1999 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race skippered by Stefan Myralf and Michael Spies.[5] The winning time, 1 day, 19 hours, 48 minutes, and 2 seconds stood as a record until Wild Oats XI beat it in the 2005 edition.[6]

In 2003, she competed in the Volvo Baltic Race under the name Avant.[2]

References

1. "The Entries". Yachting. 1997.
2. "Nu startar Volvo Baltic Race" [Now the Volvo Baltic Race starts]. www.maringuiden.se (in Swedish). June 16, 2004.
3. "Swedish Match lights the way". BBC News. November 23, 1997.
4. "VO60 Nokia to sail in Telstra Sydney to Hobart". Yachts and Yachting Online.
5. "ROLEX SYDNEY HOBART YACHT RACE WINNERS – 1945–2005" (PDF). Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016.
6. "Wild Oats breaks race record". theage.com.au. December 29, 2005.