Swans in Capri

Atlantica Racing and Cuordileone win the respective Swan 42 and 45 classes

Once again the renowned Rolex Capri Sailing Week formed a key gathering for the one-design fleets of Nautor’s Swan yachts with the Club Swan 42 Class competing for their Med Circuit Championships and the Swan 45s competing for the title of Italian National Champion. Organised by Yacht Club Capri, with Rolex continuing their involvement as title sponsor, Capri Sailing Week ran from 19-23 May off of the historic island of Capri, in Naples, Italy. The fifth edition of the regatta proved to be a tightly contested affair, in markedly light breeze, with Swan 45 Atlantica Racing and Club Swan 42 Cuordileone both taking a single point victory overall.

Over a week of consistently light airs, which shaped the 2009 edition Rolex Capri Sailing Week, the Race Committee, headed by Peter Reggio, managed to include a total of five races into the Swan programme with a start scheduled at all feasible opportunities. With the final day of racing cancelled due to insufficient breeze, the overnight leaders became overall winners.

Leonardo Ferragamo and Cuordileone secured victory in the Club Swan 42 Class, narrowly beating fellow Italian Kora 4 to the top of the podium for the second time in as many of the 2009 Med Circuit events. Finishing with a lead of just one point, Cuordileone fought a tight contest with Enrico Scerni’s Kora 4 who got off to a great start with two successive race wins. Cuordileone tactician Enrico Chieffi expressed the team's satisfaction with the result, the venue and organisation whilst attributing the result to some good fortune, "it was a very lucky finish for us, which seems somehow unfair [on the fleet]. Peter Reggio did everything possible to get a race in on the final day and he made an understandable decision. Capri's been a great, very well organised regatta in a beautiful venue. We look forward to the Swan fleet coming back again."

Ludovic de Saint Jean’s Kuujjauq maintained a solid third position in the scoreboard throughout the regatta. Meanwhile, Club Swan 42 Aella, the latest edition to the Swan 42 Med Circuit fleet, has exceeded expectations registering a second place in race 3. Embracing the Corinthian spirit of the Class with an all amateur crew, Miranta Papadopoulou’s entry has fought to keep up with an experienced fleet in their first regatta outside of Greece.

Carlo Perrone’s Atlantica Racing had anything but an easy win this week. With a difference of just four points across the top four Swan 45s, the international fleet showed their truly competitive side in testing conditions. Charisma's (NED) storming performance of two race wins on the penultimate day would have put them on notice of a serious challenge had a race transpired on the final day. As it is, Perrone leaves Capri with the win in the Swan 45 Class and a Rolex Submariner as his reward. "We're delighted because this was the first racing of this year, so we've started well,” remarks Perrone. Atlantica Racing is also preparing for its class world championship scheduled for the end of August in Argentario. Perrone puts this good start to the campaign down to keeping many of the same crew from previous years, "one of the key issues in our success was managing to keep the same sailing team for this year, including Lorenzo Bodini [Olympian in the Tornado Class] as tactician. We did not do much training this winter!"

"We're happy with Capri, we won here two years ago. The level of the Swan 45 class is getting higher and higher. It is always more difficult. All the boats here, especially the foreign boats, were very, very competitive,” concludes Perrone.

Both the Club Swan 42 and Swan 45 fleet will meet at the Giraglia Rolex Cup in Saint Tropez, in June, for the next of their Med Circuit events. This season’s series will also incorporate the Copa Del Rey, organised by Real Club Nautico de Palma, and a finale at Les Voiles de St. Tropez.

Final results

Swan 45 Class
1. ATLANTICA RACING Carlo Perrone (ITA) 1-4-1-2-4- Total 12.00
2. CHARISMA Nico Poons (NED) 4-1-6-1-1- Total 13.00
3. EARLYBIRD Hendrik Brandis (GER) 3-2-4-3-2- Total 14.00

Club Swan 42 Class
1. CUORDILEONE Leonardo Ferragamo (ITA) 2-3-1-2-1- Total 9.00
2. KORA 4 Enrico Scerni (ITA) 1-1-5-1-2- Total 10.00
3. KUUJJUAQ Ludovic de Saint Jean (FRA) 3-2-3-3-3- Total 14.00