[dropcap]O[/dropcap]wners, media and guests took part yesterday in the stunning backdrop of Yacht Club Monaco in the celebration of ClubSwan, together with partners Gazprom and the Saint Petersburg Yacht Club.
The reception highlighted the extensive calendar of ClubSwan events planned for 2015 and culminating with the 50th years anniversary of Nautor’s Swan, which will be celebrated at the 2016 Rolex Swan Cup in Porto Cervo, Italy.
Enrico Chieffi, Group Vice President of Nautor Holding, talked about the history of ClubSwan and the idea behind this successful concept which has become a signature and unique brand:
“ClubSwan was created 15 years ago by Leonardo Ferragamo, Chairman of Nautor’s Swan, to foster the passion and enjoyment Swans bring to their owners and friends. Today, ClubSwan has more than 5,000 members – including all present and past Swan owners, as well as guest members. We are looking forward to an exciting and full season of racing and camaraderie in the true spirit of Swan. You, the owners, make this dream come true.”
The 2015 ClubSwan season kicked off in style in March in the pristine waters of Virgin Gorda, BVI, with the second edition of the Rolex Swan Cup Caribbean, organized in collaboration with Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.
The next event on the calendar, May 10-16, is the Gazprom Swan 60 World Championships, which for the first time will be held in the beautiful Tuscan setting of Marina di Scarlino, Italy.
From Tuscany the fleet will head towards Liguria and then France for the 63rd edition of the Giraglia Rolex Cup, which includes Mediterranean’s oldest offshore race. The current defending champion is the Swiss Swan 42 Tixwave. Following the first leg from Sanremo (12 June) the fleet will gather in Saint-Tropez for three days of inshore competition (14-16 June) before embarking on the main event, the 243-nautical mile offshore race (commencing 17 June) to Genoa via the Giraglia rock.
From the Med, the focus will shift to slightly cooler waters for the biennial Gazprom Swan European Regatta in Cowes, UK (6-10 July). This event was created for Swan owners in Northern Europe to enjoy a week of competition with social events shore side, in collaboration with the Royal Yacht Squadron. This year’s event will include the Swan 45 World Championships, for this competitive one design fleet, whose defending champion is Earlybird owned by Christian Nagel and Hendrik Brandis.
The Swan 42 one design fleet will enjoy plenty of action throughout the European season and has a full schedule in the US, including New York Yacht Club’s 161st Annual Regatta in June, the Swan 42 US Nationals in July and the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup in September.
The calendar this year will also include the traditional Swan Challenges, where ClubSwan recognizes Swan owners competing in the world’s most important offshore regattas with beautifully handcrafted Asprey trophies. This year’s line up includes: the RORC 600 as Swan Caribbean Challenge, held in February and won by Swan 51 Northern Child; the New York Yacht Club Transatlantic Race as the Swan Transatlantic Challenge in June; the Rolex Fastnet Race as Swan North European Challenge in August; Flensburger Fordewoche as the Swan Baltic Challenge in September (before the start of the Nord Stream Race for the Gazprom Swan 60 Class), and the Rolex Middle Sea Race in October as Swan Mediterranean Challenge.