REGATTAS

Press Release # 2           

Sailing to Elba: the temperature is rising ahead of the 10^th S&S Swan Rendez-vous

Less than two months to go before the sailing event in which a substantial international fleet of  S&S Swan will be taking to the sea

With less than two months to go before the event kicks off, preparations are well under way for the 10^th S&S Swan Rendez-vous (the sixth since 2009), a competition reserved exclusively for yachts designed by the New York-based firm Sparkman&Stephens over the years. 

Between 1967 and 1989 the US firm designed 15 Swan, 824 hulls built, most of them are still seaworthy, still sailing the world’s seas and oceans, and almost 50 of them will be competing in a regatta off the largest island in the Tuscan archipelago from 28 June to 2 July this year.

The international fleet this year includes yachts and owners from Italy, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Brasil. The Rendez-vous is more than just a sporting event, however. It is a meeting point for owners who have a real love for their truly unique boats, the best yachts ever made in series that sail for thousands of miles to meet up in the Mediterranean every two years. A good example is the S&S Swan 40/047 Star Swan, which will be arriving in the port of Marciana Marina from Portugal after sailing for almost 2,000 miles.

This 10^th anniversary will also be marked by the presence of a substantial female contingent, with women accounting for over 25%of owners or skippers. There are 11 of them in the fleet as a whole and according to their male opponents they are also the best, with absolutely no one questioning their skill or prowess at the helm.

Participants will be facing each other down in a series of coastal trials, while numerous collateral activities will spawn moments of wonderful conviviality. Piazza Bonanno on the Marciana Marina sea front, which will be hosting the Regatta Village with the support of Nautor’s Swan/Club Swan Racing and its team – here too, consisting solely of women – will be the setting for the welcome cocktail, the competition’s first important social event.

The event will wind up with an award ceremony held at the Sporting Club in Marciana Marina. Awards will go not only to the winners of the three individual sections and the overall event but also, in keeping with what is now a consolidated tradition, to the Best Maintained and Original S&S Swan, while the Zeppelin Trophy will be awarded to the Most Elegant S&S Swan. The latter awards reflect to perfection the way that these yachts’ competitive calling takes very much second place to the collecting spirit of their owners.

The 10^th S&S Swan Rendez-vous, organised by the S&S Swan Association in partnership with the Circolo della Vela Marciana Marina and with the patronage of Marciana Marina’s municipal authorities, will be dedicated to the memory of Lars Ström who passed away recently. He ran Finnish shipyard Nautor Swan’s technical department for over thirty years and was the best friend that S&S Swan owners could ever have had.

The event is also being sponsored by leading insurance company Zurich, which not only provides protection and investment solutions in Italy but also offers prevention services such as those that promote well-being and improve climate resilience; by Rigoni di Asiago, a company that has been making organic preserves, honey and spreads with a philosophy of respect for the planet and consumer health for over a century; by prestigious Finnish shipbuilder Nautor Swan/Club Swan Racing; and with contributions from Acqua dell’Elba, Carboway, Kohlhoff Deck Equipment, Moby, Nautica Pontemagra, Ronstan/Andersen and Toremar, SIIT-Pharmaceuticals. 

www.classicswan.org