Who We Are

There were a number of Swedish sailors in the United States prior to 1944, but no one had made an effort to bring them together. Lars Eklund, a Swede then living in New York and a member of The Royal Swedish Yacht Club/Kungliga Svenska Segel Sällskapet (KSSS), suggested to Count Pehr Sparre, another Swede in New York, that they establish a KSSS station in North America.

Eklund returned to Sweden the following year and was unable to participate in the actual formation of the station he envisaged, but his connections and those of Count Sparre in Sweden and America were key in the founding of the North American Station (NAS), as it came to be called when it became official in 1945. Initially there were about a dozen members.

The Station’s purpose then was the same as it is now: “To encourage the art of building, rigging and handling small vessels and interest in seamanship and naval architecture, particularly in connection with the promotion of close ties between North American and Scandinavian yachtsmen.” It is was never intended for the NAS to have a large membership, but rather a small and dedicated membership dedicated to those ideals. The NAS welcomes both American and like-minded Scandinavian members committed to the club’s objectives.

The membership of North American Station has remained steady for decades at about 250.