This year a total of 97 boats 18 countries took part with the fleet split into seven classes. The Swan one-designs provided the whole fleet of four classes with the
familiar ClubSwan 50, Swan 45 and ClubSwan 42 fleets that were joined for the first time in the Rolex Swan Cup by the ClubSwan 36 class. The one-design racing circuit
during 2022 has been particularly successful with their world championships taking place in Valencia earlier in the season where the fleets enjoyed a spectacular event and where the combination of intense racing and convivial socials made for an unforgettable regatta. But while the One-Design Worlds
may have set the bar high, the Rolex Swan Cup takes it onto another level. This is an event that is not simply about the latest racing machines. Indeed, the classic designs from the Sparkman & Stephens era that established several of the cornerstones and foundations of the Nautor Swan brand are raced as competitively today as they have ever been. The Swan 36 Josian may have
been the oldest boat in the fleet but there was no holding her back in the Classic S&S Class B where her crew were squaring up to some impressive and considerably larger competitors. By the end of the week the crew of Josian, led by owner Eugenio Alphandery, were on the podium finishing third. The overall winner in this class
was Vincenzo Onorato's 1974 Swan 38 Mascalzone Latino XXXIII finishing a point ahead of fellow Italian Giuseppe Puttini's Swan 65 Shirlaf. The message was clear, with just three points separating the top three boats, the racing in the classic classes was every bit as intense as anywhere else in the fleet. But there was more drawing
attention to this class than the high standard of racing. History and pedigree were also key factors with no less than five of the iconic Swan 65s, arguably the most famous of the classic and influential designs in Swan’s history including the Swan 65 sloop King’s Legend that came
Above: there is closely matched and extremely competitive racing in the one design classes and especially in the large fleet of ClubSwan 50s. Right: 2022 was the Rolex Swan Cup debut for the new ClubSwan 80 My Song, owned and helmed by Pierluigi Loro Piana. The maxi class enjoyed some of the tightest racing of the week
second in the 1977-78 Whitbread Round the World Race. These yachts were another reminder of the rich heritage and plentiful stories that abound within the fleet that make the Swan Cup as much a celebration as it is a regatta. But there will always be a focus
on the latest, hottest machines, and this year there was no question that the new boat that was stealing the show in this department was Pierluigi Loro Piana's brand new ClubSwan 80 My Song. This was only her second event since her launch earlier in the season. The first had been the Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup a few days earlier where she had turned many heads not just for her stunning looks, but for delivering an impressive overall result. Her remarkable early performance had seen the crew arrive at the Rolex Swan Cup confident and race ready. After six days the competition in the Maxi class had been intense and delivered some of the tightest racing during the week. When it came to the final
reckoning it was the Swan 90 Freya that took the class on countback from Vicente Garcia Torres' Swan 80 Plis-Play with the ClubSwan 80 My Song in third by just a single point. For Freya's owner Donald Macpherson, while victory was sweet, the week had been about more than the silverware alone. ‘Success in sailing, the Rolex Swan Cup, Porto Cervo, the YCCS, there is nothing better.’ In theMiniMaxi class, the route
to victory had been a simpler affair for Stephen Cucchiaro's Flow as he and his crew delivered a clean sweep of four victories to win ahead of Swan 601 sisterships Arobas and Les Amis. But while the celebrations were
the focus for many, the event had a personal twist. ‘My passion for sailing, always present as part of my love for nature, increased at the last Rolex Swan Cup in 2018 when I was entranced by the beauty of the
September sea and the Sardinian coastline together with the competence and sportsmanship of the competition,’ says the owner of the Swan 48 Mia Luigi Stoppani. ‘Having been a charterer I wanted to transform that sentiment into a new reality. So, I got Mia – Mine – and set off on a journey to regattas, (from 2020 Middle Sea Race to 2022 ORC World Championship) and cruises which have brought me to Porto Cervo for the Rolex Swan Cup.’ Others have attended several
times to the point that the event has become a special and significant occasion. ‘We took part in our first Rolex Swan Cup in 1994 and then in 1996, and after a long break we returned in 2016 and 2018,’ says Vittorio Ghizzoni, owner of the classic Swan 43 Kokkola. ‘The Rolex Swan Cup was a great motivation to keep Kokkola looking her best and ready to race. It is one of the great joys that we still have the same crew of family and friends. Kokkola turned 50 in 2020 and we couldn’t wait to get back to Sardinia and give it our all out on the water with our friends in the Sparkman & Stephens class.’ ‘The Rolex Swan Cup holds a very
special place in the Nautor Swan calendar,’ says Giovanni Pomati, CEO of Nautor Group. ‘It is a true gathering of the whole Swan family and a cherished opportunity to celebrate the camaraderie that is at the heart of the Swan experience, highlight the range and diversity of the Swan brand, and meet the passionate owners and sailors who have travelled to Porto Cervo.’ So, whether it’s the excitement of
taking the very latest launch out on to the racecourse, or revisiting and recreating a special moment it is clear that for the Swan family of owners and crew, there are some events in the sailing calendar that are key cornerstones in any given sailing season. The Rolex Swan Cup is one of those.
www.nautorswan.com
❑ SEAHORSE 65
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