Gazprom Swan 60 Class : June Newsletter

Swan 60 Bronenosec takes the first win of the 2013 Circuit

The Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta took place between 17 - 20 May and saw the Swan 60s reunited to kick off the 2013 Gazprom Swan 60 Class Circuit. With four days of racing in a range of sailing conditions, Swan 60 Bronenosec and Swan 60 SGM took part in eight windward leeward races.

After winning all eight races, Swan 60 Bronenosec took the victory and claimed the winning title for the first event of the Gazprom Swan 60 Class Circuit. Tactician onboard, Tommaso Chieffi commented: "It was good to participate in such a big regatta here in Holland; I think it has been a good start to the season. For us it has been the perfect occasion to train the new guys in the team"

The crew onboard Swan 60 SGM had been selected via the "German Offshore Challenger" sailing competition, which gave sailors the chance to come out and train with the team before the best were chosen to sail in the North Sea Regatta.

Tim Kroger, Skipper of SGM believed that the event was a success: "In the end it all worked out well; looking at where we came from with this group, we have come a long way. We trained them all up in four days and they have definitely fulfilled our expectations during this regatta. It was quite a cool concept and everyone has enjoyed themselves. The crew progressed each day and in some situations we were close to Swan 60 Bronenosec and even ahead of them, this was a great morale boost for the crew and it showed them that they had the ability to take the lead."

German Offshore Challenger

A familiar sight on the Gazprom Swan 60 Class Circuit will be the German Offshore Challenger (GOC) team sailing onboard Swan 60 SGM. GOC is a nationwide project addressed to all clubs and organised by the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV). The aim of the project is to introduce ambitious sailors to offshore sailing under the guidance of experienced regatta sailors and to establish a successful offshore crew onboard the Swan 60 SGM.

The German Offshore Challenger crew were recruited via an online application process; after receiving 80 applications from all over Germany, a jury then picked the top 25 applicants; they were then invited to a training session in Holland. During the qualifying session, everyone had the chance to prove their ambition and willpower, whilst presenting their sailing skills.

Arne Hirsch, NRV commented: "All of the contestants were highly motivated and the atmosphere was great during the training. After the training session the team went straight on to start their very first regatta together. It was clear from the beginning that the aim of the Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta was not to win, but rather to gain experience and grow together as a team. Under those conditions I am very satisfied with the outcome and at some point we even got quite close to Bronenosecâ€™s heels and made their winning a little harder for them. It is a good result considering the many youngsters in the crew, some of whom had never been on a boat as big as SGM before.

Now the preparations for the Gazprom Swan 60 Worlds are under way. The team has been finalised and material and gear have been checked and completed. The team members have returned home for the time being and are currently working on their fitness in â€œtraining groupsâ€ in Hamburg, Berlin and Munich."

Swan 60 Racing Round Up

Swan 60 Vertical Smile took part in the Regatta Pirelli - Coppa Carlo Negri, 28 April - 1 May, finishing 3rd in Group A. Danish owner Peter Lerbrandt was pleased that they had a "great start to the season".

Swan 60 Bronenosec raced in the Round the Island Race on the 1st June, completing the 60 nautical mile route around the Isle of Wight, UK. Finishing in just 5 hours and 12 minutes; she came 13th overall out of almost 1,500 entries. As the first Swan overall, Bronenosec was awarded the ClubSwan trophy for the best placed Swan. The crew also secured 6th place in Class.

Igor Frolov, Director of the Yacht Club of Saint Petersburg, helming on board Swan 60 Bronenosec spoke happily on receiving the ClubSwan Award: "We are delighted to have won the ClubSwan Award as it was mine and my crew's first time to race round the Isle of Wight."

Looking Forwards

The Swan 60s will be reunited again in Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK from the 13 - 19 July as they race in the Gazprom Swan 60 World Championship as part of the Gazprom Swan European Regatta. They will then stay in Cowes and race in the Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week 3 - 10 August before completing the Circuit with the Nord Stream Race in the Baltic in September.

Swan 601 @robas is entered into the Giraglia Rolex Cup, 14 - 22 June in St. Tropez and will take part in the inshore and offshore racing over the course of the event.

Swan 60s Broneonsec, SGM and Petite Flamme will also take part in the Rolex Fastnet Race in August.