Scandinavian Gold Cup is a sailing race held annually for

5.5 metre The International 5.5 Metre class was created to yield a racing Keelboat, keel boat that would give a sailing experience similar to that of the 6 Metre, International 6 Metre Class but at a lower cost. The main class regulation restricts a sing ...

yachts. It is a nation race, meaning that each participant nation can send only one boat/team. Despite its name, it has been an international competition almost through its entire history, and participating is not limited to Scandinavian nations. The event has been held every year since 1919 (with exception of 1920 and 1940–46) making it one of the oldest active sailing trophies.

History

The Cup was originally established by one of the oldest Finnish yacht clubs, Nyländska Jaktklubben (NJK) in 1919, to celebrate newly achieved Finnish independence, promote sailing and improve relations between Finnish and Swedish yacht racers. As such, it was a Cup for

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

n yachts only. At first, the Cup was a challenge competition between Finland and Sweden and it was raced with 40m² Skerry cruisers. The first event was won by Swedes. In 1922, the event was handed over to the Scandinavian Yacht Racing Union (SYRU), which created an international competition based on the now-popular International 6 Metre class. It was intended to replace older

One Ton Cup The One Ton Cup is a trophy presented to the winner of a sailing competition created in 1899 in sports, 1899 by the Cercle de la voile de Paris (CVP). Synopsis The One Ton Cup regattas were at the beginning of races between one-tonner sailing ...

as an international prize for smaller, more affordable racing yachts. 1926 was the first year when competitors from outside the Nordic countries were allowed to enter and the Cup was soon established as one of the most coveted in the sailing world, attracting famous designers and competitors, including

America's Cup The America's Cup is a sailing competition and the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy (known ...

winners. By end of the 1930s, increasing costs began to decrease popularity of the 6 Metre class and it was gradually replaced by cheaper 5 Metre and 5.5 Metre classes. The Gold Cup was raced with 5.5 metre boats from 1953 onwards. It has continued to be raced annually, with the exception of 1986, when two competitions were held, and 2021 Cup which was cancelled through COVID. The 2006 Cup was held in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, involved 11 nations and was for the first time won by a Dutch team. The Cup held its centennial edition in July 2019.

Editions

40m² Skerry cruiser

6 metre

5.5 metre

{{notelist

References

External links

5.5 Metre class association

* ttp://www.5point5.ch/documents/results/GCwinners53_2006.pdf 40m² Skerry cruisers 5.5 Metre (keelboat) 6 Metre Sailing competitions Recurring sporting events established in 1919