Marwin christened

Former Miss Switzerland pours the bubbles on Flavio Marazzi's GC32

A good day on the water for Flavio Marazzi's new GC32 Marwin began with the red catamaran being christened by former Miss Switzerland Jenny Ann Gerber.

The former Swiss Olympic Star sailor then led a fleet of more than 120 boats in the Zürcher Segel Club's race from Zurich to Rapperswil, or 'Züri-Rappi', one of Switzerland's most popular long-distance races.

Thanks to clever tactics and remarkable boat speed, it took 3 hours and 22 minutes for Marwin to complete the course, despite extremely light and challenging conditions, taking line honours. After an ultra-light start, Marwin Sailing Team got the upper hand by sticking close to the shore as dozens of boats got stuck in the dying breeze in the middle of the lake.

In the final stretch to the finish line, Marwin reached its top speed of 19 knots, more than twice that of the true wind speed.

Despite this being the team's  second regatta, crew coordination and boat handling improve by leaps and bounds, setting the  foundations for a season that will include a number of races and record-breaking attempts.

The next challenge for Marwin Sailing Team is coming up shortly - over 30 May until 2 June Marazzi and his team will compete at the Rund um Bodensee on Lake Constance where Marwin Sailing Team will aim at taking line honors once again and, if conditions are favourable, breaking the current race record.