1912 Olympic Games Official Report Part 2

Another body that might otherwise have been thought of in connectionwith the arrangement of the Olympic sailing competitions,the Swedish Yachtsmen’s Association, considered that its organizationand aims did not allow of its drawing up a plan for the races inquestion. The Yachtsmen’s Association, a union of members ofSwedish yachting clubs, has for its object the introduction of uniformregulations in yacht racing, while it acts as referee and advisorybody in cases submitted to its judgment.The experience gained at the Olympic racing at Ryde in 1908,however, convinced the Swedish Committee that a regatta devotedmerely to Olympic competitions and, thus, with a small and limitednumber of yachts, would not awaken sufficient interest in the generalpublic, so that it was found necessary to arrange open races inaddition to the Olympic yachting events. The Royal Swedish Yacht Clubdetermined, therefore, at a meeting held 2 April, 1910, to have itsannual racing week in 1912 near the date of the Olympic YachtRacing, and also to organize “special Olympic Races”, during the OlympicRegatta week, in accordance with rules and regulations that the Clubwas to draw up in co-operation with the Swedish Yachtsmen’s Association.PREPARATIONS.At its meeting on the 14 April, 1910, the Committee of the RoyalSwedish Yacht Club nominated a Yacht Racing Committee, consisting ofthe President of the Club, Capt. O. Holtermann, Gentleman of theBedchamber; its Secretary, K. Bovin, Esq., Bank Director, and thefollowing members of the Club Committee; Messrs. K. J. Ljungberg,B. A. Hjorth, and S. Hydén, this Racing Committee being instructedto draw up a scheme for the organization of the Olympic YachtRacing in 1912. Hugo Andersson, Esq., Assistant Secretary of theRoyal Yacht Club, was afterwards elected a member of the committeein question.As the races did not directly form part of the Olympic Games, butwere arranged in connection with them, the Royal Yacht Club didnot ask the Swedish Olympic Committee for any pecuniary aid, theCommittee in question having merely to provide the Yacht Clubwith the requisite number of prize medals to be awarded at the OlympicYacht Races in 1912.Regarding the place where the races in question were to be held, theYacht Club Committee determined, after discussing the matter verythoroughly at a meeting held on the 27 October, 1910, that Nynäshamnwould be the most suitable for the purpose. Under ordinaryconditions, Sandhamn offers sufficient anchorage for yachts, andaccommodation for the crews and the spectators, but as, on this occasion,there would probably be a great number, both of competitors andspectators, some place had to be chosen possessing good communications,and plenty of hotel or other accommodation. These facts contributedto the choice of the Committee falling on Nynäshamn, aplace that had the additional advantage of permitting the greater partof the racing to be viewed from the land.767