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Tuesday, March 09, 2010

SWAN'S DOMNIATE THE ST MAARTEN HEINEKEN REGATTA

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The international fleet of ten Swan yachts competing at the St Maarten Heineken Regatta claimed four podium finishes in spinnaker classes two, and four this year. The rest of the Swan fleet have also excelled in the tropical Caribbean conditions to achieve some excellent sailing despite the unusual winds that St Maarten provided.

In spinnaker class two, second place overall was claimed with twelve points by Team Selene (USA), Swan 80, owned and raced by Wendy Schmidt. Team Selene was closely followed by Swan 90, White Lie (ITA), owned and raced by Roberto Galperti, who finished overall in third place with seventeen points. Both yachts sailed performed excellently in the highly competitive class, which tested both yachts and crews to the limit.

The two Swan 48’s in the spinnaker four class enjoyed some first rate rivalry between both yachts to battle it out for second and third place with only two points between them. The overall results showed that Swan 48 CR, Affinity, owned and raced by Jack Desmond had the upper hand as they claimed second place with twelve points. Swan 48, Avocation, owned by Karl Breyer, took third place with fourteen points.

Overall the ten Swan yachts entered into the St Maarten Heineken Regatta enjoyed a spirited week of racing and Swan camaraderie between crews. Competing Swan’s proved to have what it takes by dominating the classes that they were racing in with their fantastic results.

Luca Lucheschi, sailor onboard Swan 90, White Lie commented:

‘We had three days of tight racing in a very challenging class which included several Swan yachts, Swan 100, Varsovie, Swan 80, Selene and Swan 56 Clover III. Competition was on from the very first minute with not much space left for the laid back spirit one would expect from Caribbean racing. The first day, round the island race, was sailed in a beautiful sunshine and stable breeze. We completed the race in just more than 3 hours.

The second day was probably the toughest one, with two windward lee ward races and a long race. Forecast was for light winds, but an unexpected stable 15 knots breeze accompanied the fleet throughout the day. The start of the third day was in Marigot Bay, under torrential rain. Heavy weather gears and a limited visibility recalled the challenging northern European circuits other than the typical Caribbean racing.

We concluded this edition of the Heineken Regatta in third position, satisfied with the result. The boat was fast, with recorded speed in excess of 15 knots, and our crew performed at the very best. We have been racing together for a few years and it is always a pleasure when we gather on 'White Lie'. Selene did a great job in taking the second place but next time we'll make sure we beat them!

Overall it has been a beautiful event and we had a great time. Now we look forward to the forthcoming Swan Cup, held in Sardinia, 13 – 19 September.’

Image: Swan 100, Varsovie racing at the St Maarten Heineken Regatta 2010