First Club Swan 42 championship

18 boats set to take part in Newport, RI shortly

Less than a year after the launch of the ClubSwan 42, the New York Yacht Club will host the inaugural Swan 42 Class US National Championships, with 18 boats set to take part. Newport, Rhode Island will provide a beautiful setting for the regatta but competition on the water is guaranteed to be fierce as these one-design yachts battle it out to take the national title.

The Club Swan 42 has proved to be an extremely successful joint collaboration between the New York Yacht Club and the Nautor's Swan/Frers Design Team partnership which to date has seen 23 boats delivered to four countries.

The biggest gathering of Swan 42s to date was at the Swan American Regatta in July this year, again hosted by the NYYC. 11 boats competed, and a thrilling battle emerged on the water between Bandit (US), Amelia (US) and Tsunami (US) before Andrew Fisher's Bandit took the title. All three yachts now have the chance of a re-match at the Nationals.

Racing will take place from Friday 14th - Sunday 16th September and will consist of eight windward - leeward races for which the Club Swan 42 is perfectly suited. Weather permitting, the fleet will race out on the beautiful Rhode Island Sound with the first course signal sounding at 11:00 each morning.

Paul Zabetakis, Class President and owner of Impetuous, is looking forward to the National Championships: "Looking at the way the class has developed since the launch - I think we've made excellent progress. We had a Swan 42 Class during the American Yacht Club Spring Series, which saw just four boats competing; to have 18 boats here at the National Championships is pretty special and shows impressive growth. What's really encouraging is that we're seeing a lot of interest from other Clubs; the majority of boats here are based at the New York Yacht Club, but we have got a couple from other east coast yacht clubs - and we also have Colin Buffin's Uxorious III travelling over from Britain to take part. The boat's exciting, it's fun and I've enjoyed seeing it come to life - this really is a great class to be part of."

The Club Swan 42 enjoys the benefits of a strong class association and has already proved itself to be competitive at regattas within open divisions. The Class is working hard to take the concept to other clubs and owners around the world. Regattas such as the National Championships showcase the sense of camaraderie that is always prevalent where Swan owners gather.

"It's very satisfying to see so many boats entered for America's first National Championship, including one from Europe," commented Enrico Chieffi, Vice President for Sales & Marketing at Nautor's Swan. "Our aim was always to make this a worldwide Class and so far we have boats in four countries, with orders from owners in another six countries. With the Club Swan 42, we have proved that there was a genuine need for a one-design series that had Corinthian sailing at its core, and sought to keep running costs at a reasonable level."

Entry list:

1. AMELIA, Alexander Jackson (New York, NY)
2. ARETHUSA, Phil Lotz (New Canaan, CT and Newport, RI)
3. BANDIT, Andrew Fisher (Greenwich, CT)
4. BARLEYCORN, Brendan Brownyard (Bay Shore, NY)
5. CELERITAS, Malcom Gefter (Newport, RI)
6. CONSPIRACY, David Elwell, George Hinman,Richard Werdiger, Don Elliman (Newport, RI)
7. DARING, John Hele (Newport, RI)
8. DOWNHILL EXPRESS, Tom and Cindy Hirsch (Jamestown, RI)
9. HOSS, Glen Darden/Philip Williamson (Fort Worth, TX)
10. IMPETUOUS, Paul Zabetakis (Jamestown, RI)
11. INTERLODGE, Aust Fragomen (New York, NY)
12. MUSTANG, Gary Jobson, Norwood Davis, James Lipscomb, Ken Heitoff (Annapolis, MD; Richmond, VA; Richmond, VA; Fisher Island, FL)
13. MUTINY, Gibb Kane (Rye, NY)
14. ORBIT, Sandy Vietor, Dod Fraser (Rye,NY)
15. THE CAT CAME BACK, Linc Mossop (Jamestown, RI)
16. TIBURON, Mark Watson (San Antonio, TX)
17. TSUNAMI, Preben Ostberg, John Aras, Bud Dailey (Edgewater, MD; Annapolis, MD; Rockville , MD)
18. UXORIOUS III, Colin Buffin (London, England)