HSH Nordbank blue race 2007 - the challenge to sailors

HSH Nordbank enters colleague in the race

Hamburg/Kiel, January 22, 2007 - On board an ocean-going yacht across the Atlantic – many a sailor’s dream. The HSH Nordbank blue race provides an opportunity to do just that. The big, international transatlantic regatta for offshore yachts from Newport, Rhode Island to Hamburg sets off on June 16. More than 20 yachts have already signed up so far.

The sport of sailing is also pursued at HSH Nordbank. Many colleagues sail – and one of them will live the dream of many sailors this year: Kerstin Tröger will take part in the HSH Nordbank blue race on board the “HSH Nordbank,” a Luffe 48. The 40-year old prevailed against a number of highly qualified contenders, both men and women, in competition among bank employees. “This has made a dream come true for me,” says Kerstin Tröger, who works as an ideas manager for the Bank. “I hope that, by participating, I will be able to convey to all colleagues a little of what offshore sailing feels like.” Together with the Kiel Yacht Club (KYC) and the Flensburg Sailing Club (FSC) Kerstin Tröger will form a potent crew on board the “HSH Nordbank.”

The HSH Nordbank blue race goes beyond the challenges of “normal” regattas – the route from Newport to Hamburg, passing closely along the ice limit, will present the participants with extreme demands. And these are exactly what define the sport of sailing. “The HSH Nordbank blue race is the pinnacle of our ‘HSH Nordbank blue sailing’ commitment to sailing,” said Gesine Dähn, media spokesperson of HSH Nordbank. “Sailing stands for team spirit, competitiveness, strategic action and enjoying the challenge – the very notions for which the HSH Nordbank crew stands worldwide.”

As a major bank in Northern Europe with a strong presence in the New York financial market, the world’s largest provider of ship finance points the way: The HSH Nordbank blue race is the sporting bridge linking the “old” and the “new” world, between one of the Bank’s headquarters, in Hamburg, and its important U.S. branch in New York. Participants from the United States, Africa as well as Western and Central Europe are the stars of this highlight on the 2007 international sailing calendar.

The Northern German Regatta Club (NRV) is organizing the HSH Nordbank blue race in collaboration with the New York Yacht Club (NYYC). As a title partner, HSH Nordbank will be actively involved in the process.

HSH Nordbank AG is a strong regional bank in Northern Europe with total assets of € 190 billion. Some 4,400 of the bank's employees provide corporate and high networth clients around the globe with premium bank products and services. In its core region of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, it is the market leader in the corporate customer segment. HSH Nordbank is an acknowledged partner of the capital markets and international sector specialist. Its main focus is on transportation and real estate. In fact, HSH Nordbank is the world's largest provider of ship finance and covers the entire value chain in the transportation segment. In the area of real estate, HSH Nordbank is one of the strongest banks in Germany, acting as a provider of services relating to all aspects of real estate.