12m owner Don Woods

madforsailing look at one of yachting's most colourful characters, Don Wood, owner of Italia

In 1988 Don acquired a Swan 55 yawl which he renamed Gandalf Wight Sourcerer. Aboard her he quickly up the Trophy for the Round the Island race. Whitbread veteran and former Red Star Night Star crew Phil Wade (currently skippering the superyacht Timoneer at the America's Cup Jubilee) took a break from grand prix racing to run the Swan in the Caribbean for a season. Gandalf did 17 regattas there and filled Don's cabinets with Silver wear and Rolex watches before returning to England. Over the years Gandalf has participated in many Swan European regattas taking two seconds and one first. She will be competing at the America's Cup Jubilee.

Continued on page four...