What does the coat of arms with a crown and the letters SSS on the shield mean?

Kungliga Svenska Segelsällskapet

The distinctive heraldic crest (see photograph) is the official emblem of Sweden’s oldest sailing club – Svenska Segel Sällskapet (SSS) – founded in 1830 in Stockholm and still operating today.

According to various accounts, in its first year of existence the club operated under many names, such as the Sailing Club (Segel Sällskapet) and the Scandinavian Sailing Club (Skandinaviska Segel Sällskapet), before finally receiving royal status in 1878 and the official name: Kungliga Svenska Segel Sällskapet KSSS (Royal Swedish Yacht Club).

History of KSSS

The club was founded in Skeppsholmen in Stockholm by a group of the city’s wealthiest people, who wanted to organise sailing regattas in the Stockholm area under a common flag. At that time, Swedish associations and clubs were just beginning to develop, and KSSS became the second non-profit Swedish association in history after Uppsala Swimming Club.

The club’s magnificent period of development fell during the last decade of the 19th century and the first two decades of the 20th century. During this time, sailing boats became simpler to manage both in terms of size and the costs of purchase or maintenance. This is also the period when the distinction of sailing yachts into separate classes was created (i.e. racing, cruising, family). Moreover, during this time motor boats also entered the Swedish market for the first time.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the club gained international recognition thanks to the great achievements of sailors such as Sven Salén, Olle Erik Åkerlund and Erik Lundberg. Successes in international regattas and increased sailing activity in the bays around Sandhamn contributed to establishing the club’s fine reputation.

In the 1960s, the first plastic boats appeared – whose price and construction time were much lower – thanks to which the number of vessels in the club increased significantly. Thanks to further boat modernisation and increased interest in sailing, the KSSS-organised regattas around Gotland island – Gotland Runt. also gained importance. These races became a great test of courage for Swedish sailors from that moment on. Today, Gotland Runt (also known as Round Gotland Race or ÅF Offshore Race) is the largest and most prestigious offshore regatta held in the Baltic Sea.

Royal Swedish Yacht Club Today

Today KSSS has over 6,000 members. The club conducts sailing activities in four locations. It organises regattas, voyages, and sailing training. The club’s main headquarters is located in Saltsjöbaden in Baggensfjärden and is the centre of KSSS activities. This is where the exclusive Swedish club has its offices and clubrooms. Year-round intensive training is also conducted here, and most of the club’s regattas take place in Baggensfjärden. In Saltsjöbaden you can also find the KSSS marina with special berths reserved exclusively for KSSS members.

Sandhamn (located in the Stockholm Archipelago) has been the main base for Royal Swedish Yacht Club regattas for over a hundred years. This KSSS centre, situated on Stockholm’s most seaward archipelago, is steeped in sailing tradition and offers the possibility of conducting magnificent ocean racing. In Sandhamn, KSSS operates a guest harbour. You can read about this and other KSSS marinas on the club’s official website. (here).  In Djursholm , the club organises training for children and young people as well as yacht races in the pontoon class. In autumn 2004, the club also began operations in Ranängen, where construction of a new headquarters continues. KSSS also has its own peninsula –  Lökholmen, as well as marinas in:Saltsjöbaden and Telegrafholmen.