For almost two centuries the Royal Swedish Yacht Club (KSSS) has brought people into close contact with the winds, rhythms and moods of the sea through sailing. Racing has long been at the heart of that culture, shaping generations of sailors who learn to read the sea through competition as well as recreation.
- KSSS is Sweden's largest and the world's second largest sailing club, with a two-century legacy connecting people to the sea.
- The partnership with VOTO deepens ocean understanding, turning time on the water into education and marine stewardship.
- VOTO supplies structured educational materials, expert lectures, panel discussions and integrates ocean awareness into flagship races and events.
- They explore digital navigation tools to enrich race routes with short insights about underwater heritage and sensitive Baltic ecosystems.
- The Hej Havet programme teaches young sailors the Baltic Sea is a living ecosystem and fosters intergenerational responsibility.
Today the club is Sweden’s largest sailing organisation and the second largest in the world – a community where membership often spans several generations of the same family. Through its partnership with VOTO, that relationship is being deepened – transforming time spent on the water into a fuller understanding of the ocean and the underwater world that sustains it.
As KSSS’s sustainability partner, VOTO works to bring ocean knowledge directly into the culture and experiences of the sailing community. VOTO provides structured educational materials for KSSS sailing schools and youth camps; contributes expert lectures and panel discussions at major
events; and integrates ocean awareness into flagship races such as Gotland Runt. The collaboration also supports KSSS’s broader sustainability ambitions, helping align sailing culture with the latest marine science.
Innovation plays an important role. The partnership is exploring digital navigation tools that can enrich race routes by providing short snippets of insight into what lies under the hull, like shipwrecks preserved by the Baltic’s unique chemistry, or sensitive ecosystems.
An important focus is young sailors. Through the Hej Havet (Hello Ocean) programme, VOTO provides tailored educational materials for KSSS sailing schools and youth camps, helping students understand the Baltic Sea not just as a playground, but as a living ecosystem shaped by human choices.
As Stefan Rahm, Club Director at KSSS, says: “For us at KSSS, the ocean is naturally at the centre – not only as an arena for sailing and recreation, but as something we care for and take responsibility for. With VOTO as a partner, we strengthen our role as a club in step with the times.”
At its heart, the collaboration recognises the truth that those who spend time on the ocean are in an important position to care for it. By reaching an already ocean-connected community, VOTO and KSSS are together turning familiarity into knowledge, and knowledge into stewardship.
