Nautor's Swan events will bring racers and cruisers back to the Med in May
by Nautor's Swan 4 May 2021 13:01 BST
22-30 May 2021
Swan One Design Worlds © Studio Borlenghi
Swan is proud to be assembling a fleet to demonstrate its full breadth of design at a private viewing event at the Marina di Scarlino on the Tuscan coast.
- Swan Worldwide Previews showcase from 22-30 May at Scarlino
- Worldwide debuts for the Swan shadow, the first Swan motor yacht and Swan 58
- Swan Tuscany Challenge takes place 25-29 May at the Marina di Scarlino
- Large CS36 and CS50 fleets promise hard racing
- Robust pandemic measures in place for safe, slimmed-down events
The Swan Worldwide Previews will take place from 22-30 May, offering future owners a chance to acquaint themselves with the new bluewater Swan 58, plus the "shadow", Swan's first motor yacht.
The Nation's League racing circuit will also get under way in late May, when committed ClubSwan sailors return to the Mediterranean for the Swan Tuscany Challenge, organised by the Yacht Club Isole di Toscana. Running from 25-29 May, it is the first of four one-design regattas organised this year by Nautor's Swan exclusively for the One Design classes.
Swan Worldwide Previews (22-30 May)
Potential owners and interested press will be able to visit some of the Swan yachts of the range at the Swan Worldwide Previews, including two that have never been seen in public before. First up, the brand new 58 is Swan's first bluewater cruiser. Drawn by German Frers with more volume and generous storage, it still has the sleek looks and sparkling performance that form part of Swan's DNA.
There is also an outstanding opportunity to tour and sea-trial Swan's first ever power boat, unveiled on 15 January 2021 as the beautiful 43ft shadow. With its open, walk-around deck and uncompromisingly elegant hull lines allied to outboard power options up to 1,050hp, the shadow bears the Swan name with pride. The typically-Swan interior makes it ideal for overnighting, but it would also serve well as a chase boat or limo tender.
"The beautiful and exciting world of Nautor's Swan is opening its doors, starting the season with this very important event for us," says Giovanni Pomati, Nautor Group CEO. "This is the second edition of an experience allowing our guests to live our brand through 360 degrees. In these nine days, there is the opportunity to come and visit the latest models in our range with the brand-new Swan 58 and Nautor's unique interpretation of a motoryacht, the Swan Shadow. Not only that, but visitors can experience the adrenaline of a one-design regatta and be pampered by the services we are happy to offer from the Nautor's Swan Global Service, Nautor's Swan Brokerage and Charter in the beautiful resort of Marina di Scarlino, with its berthing and accommodation."
At the dock in Scarlino will also be three more of Swan's outstanding yacht line. First is the sublime new Swan 48 - the classic reinterpreted by German Frers in its third generation. With shallow rudders and a deck beam carried all the way aft, this is a fast, stable boat, but there is plenty of volume below for three double cabins.
And representing the Maxi line, the imposing Solleone will be alongside. Delivered in 2015 to a Frers design, she features breath-taking interior styling by Michele Bònan.
Swan Tuscany Challenge (25-29 May)
The Tuscany Challenge, meanwhile, marks the welcome return of Swan one-design racing in the Med, after a hiatus in 2020 which saw just two scaled-down events. Around 14 yachts in each class have signed up to compete, their skippers a blend of familiar faces and exciting newcomers to the scene. In the ClubSwan 36 class alone, there are an impressive five debuts. From Norway and Germany to Spain and, of course, Italy - most of Europe's sailing nations are represented among the line-up. There is strong representation from Russian sailors and even a Norwegian-Brazilian entry.
German Markus Brennecke's Hatari, current World Champion and Italian Andrea Lacorte's Vitamina Cetilar 2020 Gold Cup Winner will fight hard to defend their titles. Russian Dmitry Rybolovlev is looking for a second consecutive win in the CS50 class, after success at Swan OD Scarlino Warm-Up, with his renamed boat Sparti (ex-Skorpidi). He will be up against some veteran teams, including Swan owner Leonardo Ferragamo, whose sons are also hoping to win again in their CS36 ThirtySix.
An interesting twist sees model Daria Strokous joining the CS36 fleet in Skorpidi with an all-female team packed with Olympians like Sofia Bekatorou and Natalia Via Dufresne. Several Luna Rossa stars are also racing, with skipper Francesco Bruni running tactics on the debut CS36 Fra Martina and Vasco Vascotto competing on CS50 Bronenosec. Other household names include Iker Martinez (tactician, Ulika), Jesper Radich (tactician, Earlybird), Bouwe Bekking (tactician, Balthasar) and Markus Wieser (tactician, Hatari).
"This second edition of the Tuscany Challenge is opening a season full of events for Nautor's. Racing is part of our DNA and we work very hard and with great passion to create opportunities to enjoy the sport of sailing at its best with a very positive and energetic vibe," says Enrico Chieffi, Nautor Group Vice President.
Competition will take place over 11 individual races for each class, following a classic windward-leeward course of about an hour. All the action unfolds in the sheltered waters off the Tuscan coast at Scarlino, renowned for its beautiful backdrop and steady sea breezes. As a one-design event, the racing is always close, but expect hard-fought tacking battles, competitive starts and plenty of close-quarters action on the water.
Swan's racing programme was curtailed last year, due to the Covid pandemic, but organisers are back with an exceedingly robust testing strategy, allowing the regatta to go ahead. There will be no race village as such, and any social events will be modest and completely in line with the Italian government regulations in force at the time.
The Tuscany Challenge is the first of four events making up The Nation's League this year. Together with the Sardinia Challenge, the Copa del Rey and the biennial Nation's Trophy, these hotly contested regattas culminate in the Swan One Design Worlds, which closes the season and determines the winning campaigns.
The ambitious racing programme, plus the opportunity to visit yachts ranging from Swan's biggest luxury cruiser to its smallest, newest one-design class, marks an exciting return to the Med for Swan enthusiasts. Taken together, these two events are a reminder that performance and passion are at the heart of every Swan yacht.
See you on the water!