Nautor anniversary

77 boats owner take part in Swan's 40th anniversary regatta

77 boat owners and more than 700 crew members joined Nautor’s Swan for its 40th Anniversary Regatta held over 25-30 July in Turku, Finland. The special event was organised in cooperation with Turun Pursiseura, the Yacht Club of Turku that also celebrates an anniversary this year - its 100th. The archipelago of Turku on the southwestern coast of Finland provided a beautiful setting for participants and their guests who were able to enjoy a spirited week of racing and socials.

Three race days, involving four classes, were held throughout the Swan Anniversary Regatta and included IBS Race Day on the Thursday, Aker Yards Race Day on Friday and the Anniversary Race Day on Saturday. Competitors sailed in beautiful sunshine and very warm weather, however a lack of wind made all the races very challenging.

Bernhard Michler (GER) who sailed onboard the Swan 44 Mk II Moriju was victorious in Racing Class A, while Leif Ramm-Schmidt (FIN) who sailed the Swan 37 Tarantella II came first in Racing Class B. Matti Kilpinen (FIN) celebrated victory in Cruising Class C as he sailed the Swan 441 Odette and Göran Sjöholm (FIN) came first in Cruising Class D with Swan 36 Fågel Blå.

Many well-known sailors and famous Finnish Olympic winners including Jyrki Järvi and Peter Tallberg participated in the regatta, making the competition particularly fierce. Weather conditions also added to the pressure and Samuli Salanterä, Commodore of the Yacht Club of Turku who participated in races onboard Swan 36 Alexandra of Runsala commented: “The light winds made the races very challenging and created big distances in fleet.”

A variety of Swan models were present for the event, including the Swan 36 Tarantella, the first ever Swan, the recently launched Swan 46 and the one-design Swan 45s. The largest Swan taking part was the newly constructed 82ft Zingala, which is currently sailing to Denmark where it will meet her British owner.

Following great attendance and interest in this years event, Joakim Hildén, the Northern Europe Area Manager for Nautor’s Swan commented: “The Regatta was a huge success and we will definitely bring it back to the Northern part of the Baltic Sea in the future.” In the past, the Swan Regatta has mainly been hosted by Italy, England and the USA.