Swan Croatia Challenge launches ClubSwan Racing season

by ClubSwan Racing 20 Apr 2023 15:48 BST 25-29 April 2023

2023 Swan Croatia Challenge © Stefano Gattini

"It is fantastic to be returning to Split to launch the 2023 ClubSwan Racing season. The sailing conditions are fantastic and the welcome and support we get from our venue partner, ACI Marina is second to none." - Federico Michetti, Head of Sports Activities at ClubSwan Racing.

The ClubSwan racing season will kick-off later this month in the same welcoming venue it concluded a thrilling 2022 contest, with a return to the historic Croatian port of Split.

2023 Swan Croatia Challenge - photo © Stefano Gattini

The Swan Croatia Challenge - April 25-29 - will see part of the Nautor Swan community reunited again on the azure waters of the Adriatic Sea.

Owners and crews of the ClubSwan 36 One Design class are leading the way in the debut event of the 2023 season, and will be able to renew the camaraderie at the heart of the ClubSwan Racing experience while taking advantage of the excellent facilities and expertise available from their ACI Marina hosts.

The Swan Croatia Challenge also marks the first event in The Nations League 2023, the inter-nation contest which will be contested by a mix of all four ClubSwan Racing One Design classes across seven regattas throughout the season. No fewer than 12 countries are expected to take part with the scoring system recognising the performance of both nations and individual yachts.

"It is fantastic to be returning to Split to launch the 2023 ClubSwan Racing season - the sailing conditions are fantastic and the welcome and support we get from our venue partner, ACI Marina is second to none," said Federico Michetti, Head of Sports Activities at ClubSwan Racing.

"The owners and crews in the ClubSwan 36 class love this location and we can't wait to start the action at the end of the month."

ACI d.d. is the largest chain of marinas in the Mediterranean, located along the Croatian coast. ACI Sail runs the ClubSwan 36 Training Centre located in ACI marina in Split, Croatia's atmospheric and ancient port city.

2023 Swan Croatia Challenge - photo © Stefano Gattini

"ACI and ACI Sail are pleased to welcome both Nautor Swan and the ClubSwan 36 fleet back to ACI Marina Split. We have developed a great relationship with both Nautor Swan and the ClubSwan Racing team and we are delighted that Split is once again recognised as a sailing destination," said Mr. Kristijan Pavic, ACI Chairman of the Board.

The venue provided the arena for the concluding ClubSwan Racing event in October 2022, the first ever ClubSwan 36 European Championship which was hotly contested to the final day.

Richard Thompson's impressively consistent Black Seal team emerged the winner then, and will no doubt be looking to repeat the feat at the Swan Croatia Challenge. To do so they will have to overcome a determined challenge from 2022 runner-up Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio's G Spot, just one among several entries who will all be keen to make an early season statement of intent.

Also back in the frame in 2023 - after a break last year - is Sandro Paniccia's Sixth Sense. "It's great to be back and we are looking forward to renewing old friendships ashore, and friendly rivalries out on the water," said Paniccia.

"The ClubSwan Racing team always deliver spectacular racing and there is a real sense of community and passion around all the events."

As ever the ClubSwan Racing circuit attracts competitors from the world of professional sailing, who race side by side with enthusiastic Corinthian sailors united by a passion for the sport of yacht racing and the Swan brand.

The season will continue in May with the Swan Sardinia Challenge - May 16-20 - when the ClubSwan 36 racers will be joined by many other members of the Swan One Design family, namely the ClubSwan 50 and ClubSwan 42 classes.