A sea of Swans

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the longstanding partnership between Nautor’s Swan, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and Rolex, 95 Swans gathered in Porto Cervo last week for the 2014 edition of the Rolex Swan Cup. The Superyacht Owner was invited along to experience this incredible showcase of a unique brand and a special community of owners that Nautor have built around it.


The extensive and varied Swan regatta programme is a key element of ClubSwan, and the company’s after-sales experience, and is hugely valued by owners who are proud to be part of this exclusive club. Evidence of this shone through at this year's event by a number of Swan owners that had sailed their boats over to Sardinia just to spectate, socialise and soak up the atmosphere.


“We place a great importance on our regattas and the Rolex Swan Cup is our most prestigious event,” explains Enrico Chieffi, CEO of Nautor’s Swan. “The quality of people here is really unique. Unlike other large boat regattas, only about 10 per cent of the sailors are professional crew and the rest are friends and family of the owners, so it is really a fantastic atmosphere.”


The Superyacht Owner was welcomed on board Lot66 by her owner, Jeroen van Dooren, who skippers the boat himself and hires a couple of professional crew for racing. He sees entering the Swan regattas as a key element to owning a Swan and to enhancing his yachting experience. “I have learned a lot this week about sailing and racing and I think that is what it is all about,” he says.

The owners of Freya, a Swan 90, were also full of praise for the event and have been surprised at how much they value the regatta element of being part of ClubSwan. “We built Freya for cruising, we never intended on racing her,” owner Donald Macperson admits. “But our captain convinced us to enter one because he thought we would enjoy it and now we have caught the bug. We invite all our family and friends to come out racing with us so it is great for quality time with them.”


Hendrik Brandis, owner of Earlybird and winner of the Swan 45 OD fleet, is a Swan regatta veteran and favours the Rolex Swan Cup above all other events. “Porto Cervo is one of the best places to sail,” he explains. “It is beautiful and there is always good wind, which is what we want.”

Light winds on Thursday and Friday meant that the yachts missed a day of racing but the week ended on a high with strong winds and the crew of Nikata taking home the prize for the Maxi Division. Read the full write up of the Rolex Swan Cup and the ClubSwan experience in issue 15 of The Superyacht Owner.

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