The 9th S&S Swan Rendez-vous, an event that takes place every two years and is reserved for the legendary ‘swans’ of the Finnish sea designed by the American studio Sparkman & Stephens, took place in Marciana Marina from June 23rd to 26th.
For the fifth time (the previous editions in Marciana Marina were held in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015) a conspicuous fleet of historic Swans met on Elban waters to give life to a series of regattas characterized as “friendly, but with a feeling of family-like competitiveness”. In fact the crews are often made up of entire families (from grandparents to the youngest grandchildren) and the boats must also follow special rules to limit any excesses (it is forbidden to lighten the boats by removing parts of the interior furnishings, cushions or various equipment).
“It was certainly the most successful edition ever organized. – commented Matteo Salamon, founder of the S&S Swan Association, which on this occasion celebrates its twentieth anniversary. Thanks to the valuable support of the Circolo della Vela Marciana Marina and Nautor’s Swan we managed to bring together twenty-two S&S Swans from all over Europe, all moored together along the quay of the club! “. The fleet from Italy, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland and Switzerland was divided into two classes: the Toremar class for yachts up to 44 feet and the Moby class for those over 44 feet. Nicola Sironi, Chief Measurer of the ORC, took care of the measurement checks.
The atmosphere of a large family gathering was palpable right from the beginning, and the health regulations and the protocols issued by the Italian Sailing Federation were fully respected.
On opening day the owners were gifted with a branded Sease vest by Vanni Galgani, representing Nautor’s Swan, who declared: “For Nautor, the Swan Sparkman & Stephens are not museum objects. They represent the inspiration, the referent point for the development of each new model built. Every Swan project that comes to life has a direct link with the deeply rooted S&S heritage”.
The three days of competition on the racecourse between Marciana Marina and the Scoglietto di Portoferraio were generally characterized by light winds from the north which forced the Race Committee, chaired by Andrea Bimbi, to reduce the distance by a few miles on the first day and then on the final day. Nevertheless, fun was had by all and all the competitors fully enjoyed themselves. And as it has always been the case in the history of the S&S Swan events, there were no protests this edition either.
Victory in the Overall classification went to the smallest of the fleet, the Swan 36Josian owned by Eugenio Alphandery, who also won first place in the Toremar class. Second place overall for Vanessa, the Swan 47 belonging to Matteo Salamon and helmed as always by his wife Giulia, with the partial results of 1-2-1, was victorious in the Moby class. In third place Overall was Mascalzone Latino XXXIII, Vincenzo Onorato’s Swan 38.
The 9th S&S Rendez-vous ended with the prize giving ceremony in Piazza Bonanno, where in addition to the institutional prizes, the best classified were given several special awards. In first Overall Josian won both the prestigious Rod & Olin Stephens Royal Thames Yacht Club Trophy and the Club Swan Award offered by Nautor’s Swan; Vanessa, first in the Moby class, was awarded the Zeppelin Trophy, reserved for the most beautiful and elegant S&S Swan and offered by Jonathan Todhunter; Un amour de Swan, Giandomenico Iannetti’s Swan 44 received the award for the Best Maintained Swan. The judge for the awarding of both these awards this year was the well-known sailor Lorenzo Loick.
The next appointment is now set for 2023 when the 10th S&S Swan Rendez-vous will return to the Circolo della Vela Marina di Marciana. “We are very proud to be back in full operation after this last year and a half of health emergency – said Enzo Daniellli, president of the yacht club – the occasion was more than propitious to welcome the prestigious S&S Swan fleet back to our pontoons. Given the excellent success of the event, we can’t wait for the next two years to go by for the 10th edition”.
The event took place under the patronage of the Municipality of Marciana Marina and thanks to the support of Acqua dell’Elba, Blakes & Taylors, Carboway, Moby / Toremar, Garmin, Nautor’s Swan, Rigoni di Asiago, Ronstan / Andersen, Sease, Siit Pharmaceuticals / MGK VIS, James Robinson Taylor (official photographer).
For the results please check here:
www.cvmm.it
www.classicswan.org
