Rolex Swan Cup - Classic day of racing on the Costa Smeralda

by KPMS on 12 Sep 2014

Swan 42 OD fleet on the coastal race - 2014 Rolex Swan Cup Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi http://www.carloborlenghi.net

If ever there was a classic day for racing on the Costa Smeralda, today was it at the Rolex Swan Cup. The race committee at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda was confident in the forecast of strong winds from the west, and informed the 93 boats that they would be competing on an Island Long Race that would take them through the legendary Bomb Alley and between the starkly beautiful islands of Caprera and La Maddalena.

With the breeze gusting up to 25 knots, this would be the kind of challenge that the Swan fleet has been looking forward to all week. Mike Toppa is one of the friendly, laid-back but veteran professionals sailing with relative newcomer to the racing scene, Don Macpherson, owner of Swan 90 Music. 'This morning we agreed that we would be conservative with our decisions, and wait for other people to make the mistakes,' said Toppa, a veteran of the America’s Cup. 'Sailing around the islands we were careful with our sail choices, and that worked out for us. Other boats were pushing for that extra bit of speed, but we stuck to our big jib and saw a lot of broken Code 0s and spinnakers today.'

Freya’s cautious approach paid off with victory in the 51-mile race for the Maxi division. 'I’ve been round these islands in that kind of breeze many times before, so I’ve seen how rough it can get. We figured it was better to take it a bit easy, and it’s nice that it’s paid off.'

The owner has a lot of friends and family on board, so safety was the priority, the victory a nice bonus for Freya. 'We had a lot of people on board who have never sailed before,' said Toppa, 'so it was important to bear that in mind. But what a day! Today was a classic Porto Cervo day, I mean it really doesn’t get any better than this. I think everyone on board really understood why we like sailing so much. I mean, if you don’t get it after a day like today, you never will!'

Bronenosec (RUS) winning the coastal race - 2014 Rolex Swan Cup © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi http://www.carloborlenghi.net

In the Swan 60 division, Bronenosec survived many setbacks yet still showed the form to win the race. Vladimir Liubomirov’s team had to turn back to restart after crossing the start line too early, and managed to pull through the fleet into a good lead at the half-way stage. But then the mainsail broke, forcing them to hoist the relatively miniscule try-sail in its place. 'We broke our Code 0 when we were trying to keep the speed on the boat, so it has been an expensive day even if it was successful across the finish line.'

James Blakemore’s Swan 53 Music sailed in impeccable race to hold off the Olympic and America’s Cup talent on board Yukihiro Ishida’s newly-restored Swan 56 Yasha, competing in her first regatta since the 2002 Rolex Swan Cup, and which now tops the division standings after two races. Project manager Kazuhiko Sofuku has spent much of 2014 renovating the boat and gathering together an all-star crew to give the owner, Yukihiro Ishida, the best chance of success at the Rolex Swan Cup.

Yasha (JPN) - 2014 Rolex Swan Cup © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi http://www.carloborlenghi.net

'The boat has not sailed for 12 years,' explained Sofuku, 'but the owner decided he really wanted to race at this event, so I have been working on the project since April. I rang up a lot of my friends from the professional sailing world and we have a great team from nine different nations all racing on board. It has been hard work getting to this point, but great fun too.' Among the stellar crew are Hamish Pepper, the Star World Champion and America’s Cup sailor who is calling tactics, and double Olympic gold medallist Jesper Bank calling strategy.

While the sailors on board Yasha are used to winning at the highest level, the Rolex Swan Cup is not just about that. It’s about the spirit of gentlemanly competition, as Jesper Bank pointed out by referring to his fellow great Dane, the four-time Olympic Champion and living legend, Paul Elvstrom. 'The great master had the right idea, that you must retain the respect of your competitors, and we are certainly not looking to win at all costs. If we can win this week by sailing well, that’s great, but you won’t see me in the protest room. This week is about fun and friendly competition.'

Mascalzone Latino (ITA) - 2014 Rolex Swan Cup © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi http://www.carloborlenghi.net

In the Sparkman & Stephens division, Giuseppe Puttini’s Swan 65 ketch, Shirlaf, made the most of her fast reaching speed to score a resounding victory, finishing more than 11 minutes ahead of second placed Cisne. However it’s Cisne’s two 2nd places that puts David Collins and Tony Thorpe’s Swan 43 at the top of the leaderboard as they approach the half-way point of the regatta. Winner of Tuesday’s race was Vincenzo Onorato, competing aboard his newly-restored 1974-vintage Swan 39, Mascalzone Latino. 'I had been looking for a S&S Swan of this type for some time,' said the America’s Cup campaigner and multiple world champion, 'and I saw this boat in Newport, Rhode Island. She was not in a good way, but I asked if she was for sale and bought her. The past two years nearly everything has been replaced except for the hull. She has been a big project, but she is worth it. She is special, wonderful to sail.'

While the handicap racers had to wait to find out who had won under IRC today, everyone in the Swan 45 fleet knew that it was Earlybird that dominated proceedings on the race course, putting Hendrik Brandis at the top of the leaderboard after three races of the Swan 45 World Championship, a title that this impeccably-sailed German boat has won three times before. Sailing with Earlybird for the first time is Germany’s most decorated sailor, the three-time Olympic Champion Jochen Schumann. 'Now I have to try to help them win another world title,' he said.

In the Swan 42 One Design fleet, Ed Leask dared to steer Magical Mystery Tour closer to the start line than any of his competitors, and his courage was rewarded with a good lead into Bomb Alley, a lead that he held all the way to the finish of a thrilling race.

Freya (CAY) winning the coastal race - 2014 Rolex Swan Cup © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi http://www.carloborlenghi.net

GENERAL RESULTS (PROVISIONAL)

Class : CLASS A1 (Swan 60)

Pos	Sail nr.	Yacht	Owner	Type	1	2	Points
1	MON777	WOHPE	ROBERTO LAURO	SWAN 601	1	2	3
2	RUS2460	BRONENOSEC	VLADIMIR LIUBOMIROV	SWAN 60 CR	3	1	4
3	FRA60101	AROBAS	GERARD LOGEL	SWAN 601	2	5	7
4	RU2260	PETITE FLAMME	STEPHEN CUCCHIARO	SWAN 60	4	3	7
5	RUS2860	SPIRIT OF EUROPE	DONALD NEWHOUSE	SWAN 60	5	5 RDG	10
6	DEN1	VERTICAL SMILE	PETER LERBRANDT	SWAN 60 CR	8	4	12
7	RUS2760	TSAAR PETER	ALPENBERG SA	SWAN 60	6	6	12
8	RUS2660	SGM	ALPENBERG SA	SWAN 60	7	7	14

GENERAL RESULTS (PROVISIONAL)

Class : CLASS A2 (Swan Maxi)

Pos	Sail nr.	Yacht	Owner	Type	1	2	Points
1	CAY80002	SELENE	SELENE MANAGEMENT LTD	SAWN 80	2	2	4
2	ITA18989	BERENICE BIS	MARCO RODOLFI	SWAN 80-101	1	3.5	4.5
3	ESP9933	PLIS PLAY	ESCUELA MEDITERRANEA DE VELA	SWAN 80	3	3.5	6.5
4	CAY9010	FREYA	DONALD MACPERSON	SWAN 90	8	1	9
5	GBR8200R	NIKATA	NS 82 103S LTD	SWAN 82 S	5	5	10
6	GBR3968	GAETANA	RICCARDO PAVONCELLI	SWAN 651	4	7	11
7	GBR6210L	UXORIOUS IV	COLIN BUFFIN	SWAN 62 FD	6	8	14
8	GBR8770R	FLYING DRAGON	GIORGIO MARSIAJ	SWAN 70	7	11	18
9	AUT2895	LUNZ AM MEER	MARIETTA STRASOLDO	SWAN 651	9	9	18
10	CAY104	VARSOVIE	YOMEK ULATOWSKI	SWAN 100	13	6	19
11	ESP7495	ALZIRA MORAIRA	AGUSTIN GREGORI	SWAN 75 RS	11	10	21
12	NED8166	LOT 66	JEROEN VAN DOOREN	SWAN 66 FD	10	14 DNF	24
13	GER5732	FUTURO	N. SOURDILLE - P. DUMAND	SWAN 651	12	12	24

GENERAL RESULTS (PROVISIONAL)

Class : CLASS B (Swan Grand Prix)

Pos	Sail nr.	Yacht	Owner	Type	1	2	Points
1	JPN6031	YASHA	YUKIHIRO ISHIDA	SWAN 56 CR	2	2	4
2	GBR53N	MUSIC	JAMES BLAKEMORE	SWAN 53	4	1	5
3	GER4908	BEST BUDDIES	KAY-JOHANNES WREDE	SWAN 441	1	4	5
4	GER6464	CRILIA	HEINZE-GERD & CRISTOPHER STEIN	SWAN 531	7	3	10
5	GER4517	ISKAREEN	ARNT BRUHNS	SWAN 391	9	7	16
6	ITA16969	GUNTER WHY NOT	JAVIER SCHERK / FABIO SCALZI	SWAN 56 CR	6	11	17
7	GBR5951T	NORTHERN CHILD	CHRISTIAN & LUCY REYNOLDS	SWAN 51	5	13	18
8	NED53	SILVEREN SWAEN	FRANK WERST	SWAN 53	14	5	19
9	GBR6053L	BALLYTRIM V	ANDREW ALLNER	SWAN 53	16	6	22
10	FIN5252	FIDIBU'	ALFONSO WEBER	SWAN 43	8	14	22
11	GBR4809N	BELLA NOVE	NICK MADDALENA	SWAN 48	11	12	23
12	ITA10029	SIMS IV	STEFANO LIGUORI	SWAN 391	3	22 DNF	25
13	BEL1618	BLUE CHIP	FREDY SAND	SWAN 40	10	15	25
14	GBR9804R	MILANTO	ROS BOISSEVAIN	SWAN 46	18	8	26
15	GER273	RITA	AKIM TURKLITZ	SWAN 55	19	10	29
16	GER813	E2	LIBERO RIERA / STEVE TRAVIS	SWAN 48 CR	22 DSQ	9	31
17	GER6640	LENA LY	CARSTEN SCHIEWE	SWAN 40	12	22 DSQ	34
18	NED8302	LA BELLE	F. VAN BELLE	SWAN 56	13	22 DNF	35
19	FRA39521	SEA TEA	MAURICE LAVILLE	SWAN 40	20	16	36
20	NED7746	MONTRACHET	ROBERT SCHUIJT	SWAN 48 CR	15	22 DNF	37
21	ITA16739	MOONLIGHT	ROBERTO RAVAIOLI	SWAN 46	17	22 DNF	39

GENERAL RESULTS (PROVISIONAL)

Class : CLASS C (Classic S&S)

Pos	Sail nr.	Yacht	Owner	Type	1	2	Points
1	NED317	CISNE	DAVID COLLINS / TONY THORPE	SWAN 43	2	2	4
2	ITA13973	SHIRLAF	GIUSEPPE PUTTINI	SWAN 65 KETCH	4	1	5
3	ITA3821	MASCALZONE LATINO	VINCENZO ONORATO	SWAN 38	1	7	8
4	GBR23806	FINOLA	CHRIS FROST	SWAN 36	5	3	8
5	USA23407	ARIEL	JAMES P.THOMPSON	SWAN 47 CB	7	5	12
6	ITA9879	LOLITA	ROBERO AIMONE	SWAN 47 CB	13	4	17
7	ITA38067	ONLY YOU	MATTEO & GIULIA SALAMON	SWAN 38	3	15	18
8	GBR7635T	SNOW WOLF	ICARUS SYSTEM LTD	SWAN 48	11	8	19
9	FRA99	SOLANO	CESAR CHUFFART	SWAN 44	10	9	19
10	ITA5529	MAGIA II	ENRICO SCOPESI	SWAN 43	15	6	21
11	ITA6211	ANN	VITTORIO SETTI	SWAN 38 S/R	9	13	22
12	GER1433	SEHKRAFT	MATTHIAS MAUS	SWAN 44	12	12	24
13	ITA7047	TRIMEGISTA 3	ANTONINO CANGEMI	SWAN 38	6	19	25
14	6510	HARDSHIP III	THOMAS TILLBERT	SWAN 65 KETCH	8	17	25
15	GBR1334L	ACCOMPLICE	RAY MITCHELL	SWAN 411	16	11	27
16	ITAWALI	WALIDADA II	JONATHAN ANTHONY TODHUNTER	SWAN 47	18	14	32
17	K1226	GRAMPUS 2	MATTEO D'AGOSTINO	SWAN 47	23	10	33
18	FRA7259	ESPALMADOR II	CHARLES BLAKENEY / PETER TERRELL	SWAN 43	17	16	33
19	USA67740	AORANGI	KJK EUROPA INC/JAYNE KOEHLERr	SWAN 47	14	24 DNF	38
20	USA43500	BLACK TIE	MASSIMO CROVETTO	SWAN 47 CB	22	18	40

GENERAL RESULTS (PROVISIONAL)

Class : CLASS 45 (Swan 45 OD)

Pos	Sail nr.	Yacht	Owner	Type	1	2	3	Points
1	GER5245	EARLYBIRD	NAGEL BRANDIS	SWAN 45 OD	1	2	1	4
2	GER6845	ELENA NOVA	CHRISTIAN PLUMP	SWAN 45 OD	2	1	2	5
3	GBR17R	VONDELING	ANTHONY WARD	SWAN 45 OD	5	3	3	11
4	NED8888	NO LIMITS	RW BOL	SWAN 45 OD	3	5	4	12
5	GER45036	APHRODITE	PIERFRANCESCO DI GIUSEPPE	SWAN 45 OD	4	4	6	14
6	GBR7745R	EALA OF RHU	JAMIE MCGARRY	SWAN 45 OD	6	6	5	17
7	ITA2945	THETIS	LUCA LOCATELLI	SWAN 45 OD	7	7	7	21
8	GER6593	KATIMA	JAN OPLAENDER	SWAN 45 OD	8	8	8	24

GENERAL RESULTS (PROVISIONAL)

Class : CLASS42 (Swan 42 OD)

Pos	Sail nr.	Yacht	Owner	Type	1	2	3	Points
1	ITA42028	CUOR DI LEONE	LEONARDO FERRAGAMO	SWAN 42 OD	1	1	4	6
2	ROU1	NATALIA	KDF ENERGY SR	SWAN 42 OD	3	2	2	7
3	GBR42L	MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR	EDWARD LEASK	SWAN 42 OD	6	4	1	11
4	USA4245	MAHALO	MAHALO LLC	SWAN 42 OD	2	3	6	11
5	GBR3642R	LONG ECHO	BARRY SAMPSON	SWAN 42 OD	5	7	3	15
6	SWE42031	NAUTISKA RACING	DOUGLAS EKLUND	SWAN 42 OD	4	5	7	16
7	USA4216	ARETHUSA	PHILIP LOTZ	SWAN 42 OD	7	10	5	22
8	USA4235	APPARITIION	KENNETH H. COLBURN	SWAN 42 OD	10	6	8	24
9	USA4203	STARK RAVING MAD	ALEXANDRE KORNILOFF	SWAN 42 OD	8	8	11	27
10	IVB 42057	DIGITAL ALPHA	PALATENAR TRADE CORP.	SWAN 42 OD	12	9	9	30
11	GBR 3098L	TIXWAVE	BERNARD VANANTY	SWAN 42 OD	9	11	10	30
12	IVB42039	DIGITAL BRAVO	PALATENAR TRADE CORP	SWAN 42 OD	11	12	13 DNF	36