More than 1,800 sailors aboard 170 Swans filled the docks in front of the YCCS.
DID YOU LIKE THIS CONTENT? WELL... YOU HAVE ALL OF OUR FULL PROGRAMS HERE!Porto Cervo bid farewell in the best possible way to the more than 1,800 sailors who took part in the 23rd edition of the Rolex Swan Cup: a perfect day of sailing, sunshine and northeasterly breeze, which increased from an initial eight knots to 12, allowing the fleet to race a coastal course between the Gulf of Arzachena, where the start was located, the eastern coast of Caprera Island, the Monaci Islands and the Bisce Passage. All classes sailed the course in both directions, heading towards Secca di Tre Monti on a beam reach and then beating back towards the finish line in front of Porto Cervo.
Meanwhile, the ClubSwan One Design classes contested two windward-leeward races on courses positioned between Bisce and the Monaci Islands, creating a spectacular panorama of the entire fleet gathered in Porto Cervo to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Nautor Swan shipyard. The classes competing in the coastal races effectively sailed around the ClubSwan boats as they contested their races between the marks.
The 23rd edition of the Rolex Swan Cup is a biennial event organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in collaboration with Nautor Swan, with Rolex as Title Sponsor. The first edition was held in 1980 and, since 1984, the event has carried its current name, the Rolex Swan Cup.
YCCS Commodore Andrea Recordati said: “With this prize-giving ceremony, we bring to a close a week of great sailing and, above all, tremendous participation from owners and crews. I would like to thank our partners Rolex and Nautor Swan, with whom we share a long-standing collaboration and a common passion for this event. Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of this 23rd edition. We look forward to welcoming you back to Porto Cervo in 2028.”
Swan Maxi: Freya – Swan 90
Freya secured victory by climbing through the fleet. Sixth in the opening race, the Swan 90 then recorded three consecutive wins, including today’s race ahead of Spiip, to claim the class victory.
Swan Mini-Maxi: Arobas – Swan 601
Arobas turned the consistency it had shown throughout the week into overall victory. Today it finished second behind Sea Quill, a result that was enough to retain the lead in the standings.
Swan Cruiser Racer: From Now On – Swan 45
Thanks to three consecutive first-place finishes, From Now On claimed victory ahead of Thetis, which finished level on points.
Swan Legacy – Sparkman & Stephens ≥47’: Shirlaf – Swan 65
Shirlaf and Elan fought a closely balanced duel right down to the final metre, with two wins and two second-place finishes apiece. Shirlaf’s victory today ahead of Elan secured the overall title for Giuseppe Puttini’s Swan 65, which this year celebrates 50 years since her launch.
Swan Legacy – Sparkman & Stephens ≤44’: Pride – Swan 44
By winning today’s coastal race ahead of Mascalzone Latino XVIII, Pride secured the class victory as well as the overall title among all the Legacy boats.
Swan Legacy – Classics by Frers: Lunz am Meer – Swan 651
The Austrian Swan 651 confirmed its superiority by winning the final race.
Swan Legacy – Ron Holland: Katia – Swan 39
The only Ron Holland design competing in Porto Cervo held its own in the Swan Legacy class.
Swan Pure Cruising: Black Zero – Swan 51
The standings were decided by the results of Alegher and Black Zero, with Black Zero prevailing thanks to its victory on the second day.
Swan Maxi Pure Cruising: Azzurro – Swan 78
With three consecutive victories, the last of them secured today ahead of Miss 5K and Coco de Mer, Azzurro won the class.
Among the ClubSwan One Design classes, Hendrik Brandis’ Earlybird, with Checco Bruni as tactician, set the pace in the ClubSwan 50 fleet, closing out the series with five wins from the seven races sailed. Second overall was Cuordileone, owned by YCCS member Leonardo Ferragamo, with honorary member Paul Cayard as tactician. The team showed great consistency today with two second-place finishes. Third was Marcus Brennecke’s Hatari.
In the ClubSwan 43, Hyppolite Machetti’s Team 42+1 finished first after scoring six consecutive victories before placing second in the final race. Vargen, owned by Bjorn Rosengren and Jonas Nordlund, finished second.
There was virtually nothing to separate the two Spanish teams in the ClubSwan 42, with Nadir, representing the Club de Vela Puerto de Andratx and owned by Pedro Vaquer Comas, and José Maria Meseguer’s Pez de Abril both finishing on 10 points. Their valid results were also identical, three firsts, two seconds and a third each, so the final ranking was decided by the result of the last race. Nadir won that race ahead of Raving Swan, while Pez de Abril finished third. Jerome Stubler’s Raving Swan completed the overall podium.
In the ClubSwan 36, Edoardo Ferragamo’s Cuordileone, with Michele Regolo as tactician, claimed overall victory, building its advantage with four consecutive wins in the first four races. Nikolai Burkart’s Goddess responded strongly in the second half of the series, winning the final three races to finish second. Third was Fra Martina, owned by the Pavesio brothers.
There was a fiercely contested finish in the ClubSwan 28, with Giulio Gatti’s Anya Race, with Enrico Zennaro as tactician, taking the class by a single point from Lorenzo Bortolotti’s Black Swan. Anya Race had a more difficult final day, finishing fifth and ninth, with the latter result discarded, while Black Swan kept the battle alive until the very end by winning the final race. Third was Marcello, owned by YCCS member Philippe Ligot, after winning the first race of the day.
The prize-giving ceremony drew a large crowd and unfolded in true Swan spirit, with an enthusiastic and highly engaged audience. Before the prizes were presented to the top three finishers in each class, several special awards were handed out.
Paul Cayard presented the Fabio Gallia Award to Catherine Chabaud, who competed aboard the Swan 55 Storm, for being the first woman to complete the Vendée Globe and for her subsequent commitment to protecting the oceans.
The sailors gave a particularly warm round of applause to the recognition presented by the YCCS to the Porto Cervo Marina staff for their support and collaboration.
The most moving award for the sailors was presented on Friday, 18 September, in the morning before racing. It is the award in memory of sailor Matteo Auguadro, presented to a bowman chosen by fellow bowmen. This year’s winner was bowman Matteo Ramian, who received the award from Rachele Vitello, the wife of “Matte” Auguadro.
The YCCS sporting programme continues with the J/70 Class and Italian Championship, from the 2nd to the 4th of October.
Los Gallos triumph in Switzerland and advance to the SailGP finalABANCA Ciutat de Palma Canoeing Trophy celebrates a successful third edition 
