2015 Gazprom Swan 60 World Championship preview

by Gazprom Swan 60 Class on 5 May 2015 The 2015 Gazprom Swan 60 World Championship will take place from 11-16 May at the Marina di Scarlino, the newest centre for yacht racing on the beautiful Tuscan coast. Marina di Scarlino is a state of the art marina set in breathtaking surroundings, located in an area renowned for sailing and is located in one of the most sheltered bays in the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea. The perfect setting for this international event, which will include the inaugural 'Natural Park Regatta' distance race.

Tommaso Chieffi, Tactician, Swan 60 Bronenosec
“This will be the first time the Gazprom Swan 60s race as a class in Italian waters and we are pleased that this will be the most important event for the 2015 circuit. The areas of Scarlino and Punta Ala are popular for racing events giving the Italian sailors a good amount of previous experience in these conditions. We will all appreciate the beautiful coastline for our race course and famed steady breezes. The fleet will need to understand the effect of the island of Elba, blocking the Westerly which gives us two prevailing winds from the Southeast and the Northwest. The island funnels the wind between itself and the main Tuscan coastline which is why the breeze is always so steady. This coupled with relatively flat waters and no tide involved is excellent for one design racing. With few shifts predicted, I expect to see very close and intense racing, this puts a big emphasis on securing a clean start as taking places will be tough.”

The Gazprom Swan 60 owners' dinner will be hosted by one of the world’s leading vineyards, the Ornellaia Tenuta in Bolgheri, stretching across 99 hectares of the Maremma.

Competitors will also be immersed in the beach club lifestyle with social events at the new Tuscan Beach Club and Cala Felice.