Swans Glide into Cowes

by A & S WHITEWOOD
At the beginning of July nearly 70 Swan owners from seven nations will gather together for the 13th edition of the Swan European Regatta (SER). This biennial event, which takes place from 2nd-8th of the month will be hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes and also includes the third edition of Swan 45 Gold Cup, the World Championships for the Swan 45 Class. The entry list is looking impressive, and includes two class winners from the 2005 Swan European Regatta, Menenes and Fever, returning to defend their titles.Menenes was at one time owned by local couple Graham & Libby Deegan and the boat has always performed well at Cowes. Graham & Libby now sail Akarana.

The SwanLine will be well represented at the Regatta with 25 different models entered and an average boat length of 54ft. Racing alongside models such as Cecille (GBR), a traditional Sparkman & Stephens Swan 35, will be the newly launched Uxorious III (GBR) a ClubSwan 42 from the German Frers Design Team. This competition sees new Swans battling against the previous generations of Swans with all boats sailing under the Nautor Swan rating.

Whilst there is always a very relaxed air on shore, there can be no doubt that the competition on the water will be fierce. A host of high profile sailors, including Chris Law, Tim Powell and Jeremy Robinson will be competing, bringing with them a wealth of experience from the Volvo Ocean Race and other elite events. With the America’s Cup moving into its final stages, Crackerjack in particular has drawn strongly on the abundance of talent now available and will be calling on the skills of Luke Molloy, Anthony Merrington and world class navigator Simon Fisher amongst others. Mike Broughton, the world renowned navigator and weather specialist, is yet another outstanding talent who will be putting his impressive experience behind WISC in this 12 race series and hoping it will give his team an edge. With all of this collective skill on the water, the racing is sure to provide a real spectacle.

Simon van der Byl, Rear Commodore Yachting, RYS, commented: “The Royal Yacht Squadron is very much looking forward to hosting both the Swan European Regatta and also the Swan 45 Gold Cup in July. Running these events in the same week has thrown up some interesting challenges for the race committee, not least having to plan two separate race areas and two complete race teams!”
With 21 one-design models already confirmed as entries the Swan 45 Gold Cup promises to be an entertaining and hard fought competition. Proof of the importance of this competition is demonstrated by the fact that entrants will be coming together from nine countries from around the world, including American William Douglass’ Goombay Smash and Russian Mikhail Mouratov’s Murka 11. Massimo Ferragamo’s Bellicosa will be defending its Championship title from stiff worldwide competition. Carlo Perrone and his crew on board Swan 45 Atlantica Racing (ITA) will be just one of the teams fighting for the title, following their recent success at Rolex Capri Sailing Week.

This Swan European Regatta is also the backdrop for a number of social events which are organised for members and friends of ClubSwan. Several events will take place at the Royal Yacht Squadron, which will provide a beautiful setting for owners to relax and enjoy themselves as the on-water action is re-played. Held on the penultimate night, the crew party will give all participants the opportunity for a night of light-hearted entertainment before the final day of action.