The 14th edition of the biennial Swan European Regatta will take place on the Isle of Wight from Saturday 11th July to Friday 17th July 2009.   The event aims to provide enjoyable and competitive racing for all Swan yachts of whatever design or vintage, their owners, their families and friends and to provide a varied and entertaining social programme ashore.

Nautor’s Swan, are pleased to announce the  five day programme of Solent racing organised by the prestigious Royal Yacht Squadron along with a customary programme of social events.

The Swan European Regatta started its life in 1983 in Cowes, Isle of Wight hosted by the Royal London Yacht Club, returning to the same venue in 1985. In 1987 the regatta moved to St Peter Port, Guernsey where it remained until 1995 when the regatta returned to its origins in Cowes.

Since 1995 the regatta has been hosted by the prestigious Royal Yacht Squadron and 2007 will once again see the Swan fleet welcomed by the Royal Yacht Squadron, Nautor’s Swan and the residents of Cowes for a week of competitive sailing in the challenging waters of the Solent.

The objective is to hold ten races in all, of which the minimum to count for the championships and regatta will be one. If more than eight races are completed, one discard will be permitted. It is hoped that the events will include one longer race.

• More details HERE: Swan Racing Classes:
• Swan Maxi Class – www.swanmaxiclass.com
• Swan 45 Class – www.swan45class.com
• Club Swan 42 Class – www.swan42class.org

The Swan European Regatta is famed for attracting talented skippers with a strong knowledge in tactically challenging tidal Solent racing, and the Highland Fling trophy for ‘highest placed owner driver’ will be hotly contested on the water with predicted close racing.  The biennial regatta has a loyal following with yachts such as the Swan 48, Elan having competed in three consecutive Swan European Regattas.  Entry to the regatta is still open through the Royal Yacht Squadron website.

Swan yachts from 36 to 65 feet have confirmed entry as well as a healthy interest from Swan’s newest racing class, the one-design ‘Club Swan 42’.  The class continues to grow in strength with the successful Club Swan 42 Mediterranean and US Circuits in place.  2009 has seen the introduction of the ‘Club Swan 42 Northern European Circuit’ with events being held in the Netherlands, Germany and UK.  The new four event circuit kicks off during the last weekend of May in Scheveningen (NL) at the North Sea Regatta and the Swan European Regatta is included as the all important non-discardable series counter to covet the title of ‘Club Swan 42 Northern European Circuit Champion’. 

The Club Swan 42s will be racing at Cowes under one-design IRC ratings in the Swan European Regatta Racing Class along with the additional successfully established Swan 45 fleet.  All eyes will be on John Lango’s Club Swan 42 Lusso Lupa from Norway which claimed victory over a fleet of varying Swan models at the most recent edition of the Swan Baltic Sea Challenge in Flensburg, Germany.  Lango will be racing against Belgian and Dutch entrants; it will be interesting to follow these overseas teams’ tactics in mastering the peculiarities of the Solent tidal system.

The Club Swan 42 section of the European Regatta fleet has also received interest from high profile Yacht Club teams who are preparing for the inaugural ‘New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup’, starting in September 2009 at Newport, Rhode Island, USA.  This is an invitational fleet-racing regatta developed around the Club Swan 42 with all competitors racing this one-design model.  The concept of the regatta is to bring together amateur yacht-club teams to compete against others from around the globe.  High profile international Yacht Club teams that are due to participate include; Yacht Club Costa Smerelda, Yacht Club Italiano, Royal Thames YC, Yacht Club de Monaco, Royal Hong Kong YC, Royal Sydney YC, Royal New Zealand YC, Royal Cork YC, Royal Danish YC and the Royal Ocean Racing Club.

The Club Swan 42s will be back in Cowes again during August 2009 with Cowes Week also counting in the Northern European Circuit.