8mR World Cup in Turku Enters Final Stretch - Finnish Teams Excel and spectators are gathering to see racing
The 8 Metre Class World Cup enters its third and penultimate racing day in Turku today. Despite weather conditions that forced the cancellation of one racing day due to strong winds, the competition has generated tremendous interest and Finnish yachts are performing excellently.
Five races have already been completed and at least three more starts are expected over the final two days. Weather conditions presented challenges early in the week when strong winds forced organizers to cancel one racing day for safety reasons.
The event and Turku as a host city have received abundant praise from international visitors and competitors. Particularly gratifying is that the racing has attracted an unusually large audience – a rarity for sailing competitions.
Both spectator boats at sea and the organizers' livestream broadcast from the race course have drawn significant attention, with the livestream attracting over 1,300 viewers. This demonstrates the appeal of classic sailing and the unique charm of the 8mR class.
"The World Cup regatta strengthens Turku's position as Finland's maritime heart and as an internationally respected sailing city. The event offers a unique opportunity to showcase Turku and the world's most beautiful archipelago to an international audience, and we are very proud and grateful for this opportunity," says Airisto Segelsällskap Commodore Hasse Karlsson.
The domestic fleet has put on a strong showing. The best-performing Finnish yacht is Luna from Helsinki, while the historic all-female Sailingl8dies team has truly made an impact – the team sits in sixth place out of 21 boats and is therefore the second-best Finnish yacht.
"It's gratifying that the Finnish teams particularly draw attention for having many young sailors in our crews, which is unique in this class. This is the result of extensive and purposeful work, and we want the class to grow stronger for the future through young sailors," Hasse Karlsson continues.
In first place now is the modern yacht Yquem II representing Switzerland. Second and third are German Starling Burgess and Austrian Pandora. It has been tight racing between the top places.
Exciting Final Races Ahead
Although five races have been completed, everything remains open during the final two racing days. In 8mR racing, even a single poor start can completely change the situation, while conversely, a good performance can move a yacht significantly up the leaderboard.
The final race will be sailed on Saturday, followed by the prize-giving ceremony Saturday evening at Forum Marinum in Turku.
Welcome to Follow the Historic Racing!
The organizers invite the media and public to witness how classic sailing's premier class decides its winner. Spectator boats are welcome on the water following safety guidelines, and racing can also be followed via livestream broadcast at www.8mrworldcup.com.
The 8 Metre Class World Cup is Finland's most significant classic sailing event of 2025, putting Turku back on the international sailing map.
