Sverige (S-3) is a Swedish International 12-Metre yacht built in 1976 to the Third Rule for America’s Cup–level competition. She was designed by Pelle Petterson with Lars Wiklund and Stellan Westerdahl and built by Enoch & Elfstedt in Stenungsund, Sweden.

Design and Innovation

Conceived as a light-displacement 12-Metre, Sverige incorporated several notable features for her time: foot-pedal “coffee-grinder” winches, a double tiller arrangement, and a distinctive bow treatment with a flat centerline at the waterline intended to reduce measured length. Model testing for the campaign was conducted at the Experimental Tank in Göteborg with computational support from Volvo.

America’s Cup Campaigns

Racing under the ensign of the Royal Göteborg Yacht Club and backed by a broad Swedish syndicate that included King Gustaf, Christer Salén, and designer-skipper Pelle Petterson, Sverige mounted a challenger effort for the 23rd America’s Cup in 1977. She performed strongly in the Herbert Pell Cup challenger trials but lost the final to Australia. For the 24th America’s Cup cycle, she underwent a major refit at Eriksberg Shipyard in April 1980—new keel, revised stern and bow, increased sail area, and greater displacement. Despite the work, results were disappointing, and Sweden withdrew from subsequent editions at that time.

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Ownership today

Sverige is now owned by the Norwegian company MK Baat AS (No 997 865 073) with its shipyard in Grimsøy. The owner, Martin Kamperud, is a genuine sailor and professional within yacht maintenance, development, and repair. From a young age, Martin's dream was to one day sail his own 12-meter yacht. He courted the owner of Sverige, at the time with its home port in Germany, for six years. Eventually the agreed to sell to Martin, and the dream came true. A new spectacular adventure started for Martin and for Sverige. The yacht needed lots of love and care, and Martin's ambition was to bring her back to her original shape, design, and glory.
See images from the renovation 2023-2026 here.

 

The story, names, and home ports

From 1976 to 1978 Sverige was campaigned by the Sverige Syndicate out of Göteborg. Subsequent changes brought a succession of owners and names: in the mid-1980s the yacht was with 12 ER Syndikat e.V. as Blue Magic/Blaupunkt from Travemünde; in 1987 she went to Jürgen Röhl as Uwa, took the sail number G-5, and moved to Hamburg, where an auxiliary engine was installed; later she passed to Günther Zetsche, reverted to the name Sverige, and was based in Neustadt. During that period, she was reported not sailing and in need of restoration. In later years she returned to active status and has been reported sailing again under new ownership, with activity connected to the Northern Europe/Baltic fleet.
 

Core Specifications

Designed by Pelle Petterson with Lars Wiklund and Stellan Westerdahl; built by Enoch & Elfstedt in 1976. Third-Rule International 12-Metre, originally S-3 (Sweden), later G-5 (Germany). Light-displacement hull with innovative deck layout and bow geometry developed for Cup-level measurement optimization.

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