CAPTAIN | 10
NORSTEAM
The team that rule the seas
The Norwegian’s Team is back with a vengeance
In the past, America’s Cup defenders were said to be powered by Norwegian Steam as the crew were mostly made up by Norwegian sailors. Their skills were outstanding when it came to handling the big J-class with bare hands. Building upon that legacy, NORSTEAM will defend the reputation of Norway as a leading seafaring nation on the high seas in the SSL Gold Cup.
Norway is a relatively small country in the sailing world. NORSTEAM in the SSL Gold Cup will bring the best sailors in the nation together to build upon each other’s skills to take on the rest of the world and prove it is still a force to be reckoned with.
The Norwegian Team is an amalgamation of young professionals, Olympic classes contestants and some serious experience. All dedicated sailors ready to fight for the flag, king and fatherland.
Statistics
THE COUNTRY
- 100’000 km of sea coast
- 4th most important seafaring nation
- 25’000 sailors
- 125 sailing clubs
- 31 Olympic medals
ACHIEVEMENTS
- 17 Olympic Gold Medal
- 11 Olympic Silver Medals
- 3 Olympic Bronze Medals
SSL Ranking
- SSL best ranked woman: 69
- SSL best ranked man: 1 (2019)
- SSL nations ranking: 8 (07/2020)
MAIN EVENTS
- Færderseilasen > 980 participants (2019)
- Hankø Race Week < 725 participants (2019)
17
Norway can boast 17 Olympic golds and a total of 31 medals. These put Norway in third position of the most successful nations in Olympic sailing.
The captain
Eivind Melleby
The captain of NORSTEAM SSL is Norway’s most experienced sailor. He is a World Champion, Olympian and circumnavigator in the Volvo Ocean Race. Eivind has been the lodestar for a new generation in Norwegian Olympic sailing. Born and raised in Oslo, known for its light and tricky winds, has made him an oracle in sniffing the pressure and navigating the shifts. A capacity that will be very useful on the lakes of Switzerland.
THE LEADERS
Anders Østre Pedersen
Anders has been a national team athlete for over 10years. Two times World Champion and two times olympian. Sailing mainly the Finn, but also boats like j/70, M24, 5.5M, ORCI etc. Now Anders is ready for the next challenge. When he is not sailing he is running the family business back in Norway, and are ready together with the captain to manage the SSL team. Beeing known for his balance and feel he is a steady hand on the helm for team Norway.
Alexander Ringstad
The sport of sailing is up in the air. More boats are flying on foils and Alexander has been one of the leaders of this revolution in Norway. He’s an experienced Moth sailor and is now helming XelaRacing, a GC 32 foiling catamaran. A true professional capable of handling every position on a boat from the bow to the helm.
Helene Ness
She was the highest ranked Norwegian on the SSL ranking at first crew selection based on solid results in the 49er FX class over the past couple of years. With her crew Marie Rønningen, she claimed a bronze medal at the 2019 Europeans and a 4th at the Worlds. They will represent Norway in an outstanding fashion at the Tokyo games.
THE YOUTH FACTOR
Norwegian sailors claimed the gold at the ISAF youth worlds 2018 in both the boys and girls 29er events. Hopefully, we will see some of these sailors qualify for the team as they are now running olympic campaigns in 49ers. The XelaRacing GC32 project run by Aleksander Ringstadl is a platform for young aspiring sailors to practice and become world class crew. The goal of the project is to compete in a youth America’s Cup in the future.
Confirmed Athletes
Theoretical Team Position
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1
BOW
Stein-Aage Blakstad
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2
MID-BOW
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3
PIT
Jacob Undrum
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4
GRINDER
Christian Linnerud
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5
TRIMMER
Alexander Ringstad
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6
TRIMMER
Marie Rønningen
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7
MAIN TRIMMER
Kjell Inge Heiberg
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8
HELM
Anders Pedersen
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9
TACTICIAN
Helene Naess
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10
CAPTAIN
Eivind Melleby
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11
FLOATER
Thomas Mathiesen
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1
BOW
Stein-Aage Blakstad
|
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2
MID-BOW
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3
PIT
Jacob Undrum
|
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4
GRINDER
Christian Linnerud
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5
TRIMMER
Alexander Ringstad
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6
TRIMMER
Marie Rønningen
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7
MAIN TRIMMER
Kjell Inge Heiberg
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8
HELM
Anders Pedersen
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9
TACTICIAN
Helene Naess
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10
CAPTAIN
Eivind Melleby
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11
FLOATER
Thomas Mathiesen
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SQUAD
| Eivind Melleby | Lasse Berthelsen |
| Alexander Ringstad | Helene Naess |
| Anders Pedersen | Stein-Aage Blakstad |
| Hermann Tomasgaard | Marie Rønningen |
| Jacob Undrum | Mathias Berthet |
| Lars Johan Brodtkorb | Kjell Inge Heiberg |
| Thomas Mathiesen | Christian Linnerud |