The Swan family gathers 31 One Designs and two Kings at the Copa del Rey MAPFRE
by Alejandro Varela 21 Jul 2019 20:49 BST
27 July - 3 August 2019
37 Copa del Rey MAPFRE © Nico Martínez / Copa del Rey MAPFRE
Nautor's Swan returns to the Copa del Rey MAPFRE with a magnificent fleet of 31 one designs, distributed across three classes: ClubSwan 50, Swan 45 and Mallorca Sotheby's ClubSwan 42. His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain and His Majesty King Harald V of Norway, will compete for the 'crown' of the ClubSwan 50 class, in their largest racing fleet to date.
The 38 Copa del Rey MAPFRE once again confirms a special bond between the Real Club Náutico de Palma and the Nautor's Swan boatyard.
For the third consecutive year, Swan will participate with three one design classes, which in this edition constitutes a quarter of the Mediterranean's supreme regatta's total fleet. 31 teams and 11 nationalities will compete in the Copa del Rey MAPFRE in the ClubSwan 50, Swan 45 and Mallorca Sotheby's ClubSwan 42 categories.
ClubSwan 50: a royal class
ClubSwan 50 upholds a special relationship with the RCNP. Officially presented in the Copa del Rey MAPFRE 2016, it was the first design by Argentine Juan Kouyoumdjian for Nautor's Swan, and is defined by an aggressive 50-foot one design (15.24 metres), with a unique inverted bow.
Since 2017, they have competed in the Copa del Rey MAPFRE with their own class, making their début with six boats, a figure which rose to ten in 2018, and in their third participation has reached 14; the largest number of ClubSwan 50s to ever compete together on the race course.
In Palma the ClubSwan 50 sees teams from eight nationalities (Germany, Austria, Spain, England, Italy, Norway, Russia and Sweden), and includes the participation of two kings: His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain will skipper the Spanish Royal Navy's Aifos 500, and His Majesty King Harald V of Norway, will sail Fram XVIII under the flag of the Royal Norwegian Yacht Club.
Vivi Mainemare, sporting coordinator for the RCNP, explains, "The participation of two kings on the same race course is a true honour, and in some ways reminds us of the traditional competition between King Juan Carlos and King Rey Harald. Today the two kings continue to be good friends, and brings a touch of excitement and nostalgia."
Swan 45: the first with their own class
The Swan 45 was the first Nautor's Swan model to constitute a class within the Copa del Rey MAPFRE. It was launched as such in 2016, and is due to participate in its fourth consecutive edition, with five teams and four different nationalities registered. Currently the favourites, Luís Senís' Spanish team Porrón IX, is the prevailing world champion in the category, and leaders of the The Nations Trophy Mediterranean League 2019.
The Swan 45 is a 45-foot (13.8 metre) boat, designed in 2001, that unites a mighty international fleet of 51 participants, competing regularly half-way around the world, in both the one design format and under the IRC formula. The class rule indicates that the owner must also compete as skipper, and that the weight of the crew must not exceed 950 kilos (between 10 and 12 crew members).
Mallorca Sotheby's ClubSwan 42: the Spanish as favourites
A dozen teams and seven nationalities will compete for glory in the Mallorca Sotheby's ClubSwan 42 class. José María Meseguer's Pez de Abril, the winners of the last three editions, are back to defend their title, along with the two teams sharing the podium in 2018: Massimo de Campo's Dutch team Selene, and Natalia Brailou's Romanian team Natalia.
Elected the best offshore one-design in the world in 2007, the ClubSwan 42 is a 42.6 foot long (13 metre) design, commissioned by the New York Yacht Club to be sailed by eminently amateur crews. The class rule establishes that the team must be skippered by its owner, and limits the number of professional sailors on board.
The RCNP, 'home from home' for Nautor's Swan
The 38 Copa del Rey MAPFRE is the fourth and last scoring competition in the The Nations Trophy Mediterranean League 2019, the European circuit for the Swan one designs. Moreover, the RCNP will once again host the swans in The Nations Trophy (8th-12th October), a twice-yearly event which promises an interesting meeting of nations on board the Finnish boatyard's one designs,
"Palma and the RCNP are becoming a home from home for Nautor's Swan," explains Giovanni Pomati, CEO of Nautor's Swan,
"We are delighted to be here with such an incredible fleet of Swans, who are all excited to have an experience that can only be found at the Copa del Rey MAPFRE."
The sentiment is shared by the club, as Vivi Mainemare corroborates,
"Seeing the number of teams competing in the regatta this year, who have chosen the club to host The Nations Trophy, and have confirmed that it will include both Sail Racing PalmaVela and the Copa del Rey MAPFRE in their 2020 circuit, proves that we are moving in the right direction, and must continue to work as we have been, in support of such prominent boatyards and such great initiative."
The three Nautor's Swan classes will dispute the 38 Copa del Rey MAPFRE in a total of 11 scoring races, from Monday 29th July to Saturday 3rd August.
The 38 Copa del Rey MAPFRE is organised by the Real Club Náutico de Palma and the Real Federación Española de Vela (Spanish Royal Sailing Federation), and is sponsored by MAPFRE, with institutional collaboration from the Govern de les Illes Balears (Baleares Regional Government), the Ayuntamiento de Palma (Palma Town Hall), the Autoritat Portuaria de Balears (Baleares Port Authority), and the Federación Balear de Vela (Baleares Sailing Federation).