On July 11, at 1 p.m. at the embankment of Lieutenant Shmidt, the Saint Petersburg stage of the TSR regatta was officially opened.

Among the guests of the ceremony were the Governor of Saint Petersburg V. Matvienko, the Chairman of the Legislative Assembly V. Tiulpanov, member of the State Duma A. Chilingarov, the chairman of the Committee on Transport and Transit policy and the responsible chairman for the Port Committee of the Saint Petersburg stage of the regatta - N. Asaul, and the president of the regatta Christer Samuelson.

In her welcoming speech, V. Matvienko said that the TSR-2009 regatta this year is the largest in its history. Approximately 100 water-crafts participate. In 2008 Russia was represented only by three sail-ships, this year, the number rose to nineteen. The governor wished the participants of the regatta good weather and the best impressions from Saint Petersburg. In his turn, the deputy-speaker of the State Duma of Russia, Arthur Chilingarov stressed the fact that the shore stage of the regatta is taking place in Saint Petersburg shows that the city is becoming Russian sea capital. After the official program, citizens and visitors of Saint Petersburg had a chance to participate in the entertainment program, the concert of bands, dance performances, and the festival ‘Jazz over the Baltic’. It was also possible to visit the big sail-ships.