Swan 45 Match Race Regatta
Day 1
The 12th edition of the Swan Cup, organised
by theYacht Club Costa Smeralda, started today with the Bvlgari
Swan 45 Match Race Regatta.
Former World Number One match racer
Ed Baird (USA) (above) sailing on Tom Stark's Rush, today
defeated Ben Ainslie (GBR) steering Tony Mack's McFly in the
one race sailed. Both yachts had high profile guests as Francesco
Trapani, CEO of Bvlgari, joined the crew of Rush, and Nautor's
Swan Chairman Leonardo
Ferragamo on board McFly. The victory, in front of a packed
spectator fleet, earned Baird and Stark, previously a partnership
at Young America special Bvlgari Scuba Chrono - ClubSwan Limited
Edition watches.
A 27 knot breeze provided challenging
conditions for the regatta, with the course set just outside
the harbour entrance. Due to the rough conditions, the regatta
was limited to a one-race contest.
As the new yachts entered the start
box, it was Ainslie that managed to wrestle control. The British
Skipper, entering from the port end of the line, sailed underneath
Baird as the boats crossed, to earn the right hand side. However,
it was the American boat that demonstrated superior pointing
ability and halfway up the first beat, closed the gap on McFly,
forcing Ainslie to tack off. Baird extended on each leg, with
Rush reaching 14 knots on the first downwind leg.
Stark gave credit to his helmsman and
crew: "Every time I step on a boat with Ed I'm impressed
with his manner and his skill set, he's very talented.He is
always very calm on the boat, and the guy is really fast.
"As a crew we've sailed together
for 17 years, and this is Rush number nine but we've never
sailed in such a beautiful venue. We have spent lots of time
training and working on the boat for this event, and we had
good boat speed today.".
Ainslie gave his impressions: "It
was a great race in tough conditions, I was really impressed
by the boats and their response. I was happy with the start,
but we just weren't quite as quick upwind."
Tomorrow sees the Bvlgari Race Day,
with America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race sailors from throughout
the world joining a host of amateur sailors as crews
of the 112 yachts for an Island Race. America's Cup legend
and winnin skipper of the 1997/98 Whitbread Round The World
Race Paul Cayard (USA) heads the list of high profile sailors,
joining Enrico Scerni's Swan 80 Kora. Leonardo Ferragamo has
enlisted the support of one of his Nautor Challenge crew,
Stefano Rizzi, on board his Swan 82RS Solleone. Rizzi will
be competing against other crewmembers from the Volvo Ocean
Race, as Stuart Bettany from the victorious Illbruck team
and Jeff Scott (News Corp/Djuice Dragons) are among the competitors.
