High Octane One Designs

Photography: Dan Nerney-Rolex

The New York Yacht Club today announced that Nautor’s Swan has become an official sponsor of the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup. Theregatta, scheduled for September 15-19, will feature world-class, Corinthian sailing among 19 yacht club teams from 14 countries aboard one-design NYYC Swan 42s. Nautor’s Swan, recognized as a manufacturer of luxury sailing yachts of unrivalled quality, joins previously announced official sponsors Rolex Watch U.S.A. and Sperry Top-Sider in supporting the regatta.

“The agreement is a natural extension of a pioneering partnership between NYYC and Nautor’s Swan to develop a one-design for racing,” said Event Chair John Mendez explaining that in 2005 the NYYC joined with Nautor’s Swan and yacht designers German and “Mani” Frers to produce the NYYC Swan 42 – the 8th one-design class created by the NYYC since 1900. “It is the perfect boat for this competition as it allows the emphasis to be placed on tactics and boat handling by each team.”

Nautor Group Marketing Director Enrico Chieffi echoed Mendez’s comments. “For us at Nautor’s Swan it is a great honor to build the Swan 42 as the NYYC One Design of the 21st Century,” hesaid. “The Invitational Cup enhances the spirit of the partnership between NYYC and Nautor’s Swan. To have the most prestigious yacht clubs in the world competing aboard Swan 42s reflects the Corinthian spirit of both the Swan 42 Class and the event, as well as Nautor’s Swan philosophy of sailing and racing.”

Initially, 25 NYYC Swan 42s were sold to NYYC members and since then a total of 53 have been built. The first NYYC 42 Conspiracy went to the Cahoots Syndicate, a longtime partnership of NYYC Commodore David K. Elwell Jr., past Commodore George R. Hinman Jr., Richard Werdiger and Donald Elliman. (Conspiracy is currently vying for the opportunity to represent the NYYC at this event.)

“The Invitational Cup would not have been possible without the support of the Swan 42 Class and its owners who made their yachts available for charter,” said Mendez. “The regatta reflects perfectly the philosophy of the NYYC Swan 42 Class: to foster high level sailing competition between predominantly amateur yachtsmen.”

Racing in the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup will take place on Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound, the same waters where the New York Yacht Club hosted the America’s Cup – a trophy it first won in 1851 – from 1930-1983, or from its 14th Defense in 1930 to the 25th Defense in 1983. (Prior to that, it had been hosted in New York Harbor.) The sailing is expected to be tough and demanding, while the on-land activities will celebrate the camaraderie so revered in the sport.

The following clubs will be competing:

Japan Sailing Federation (Tokyo, Japan)

New York Yacht Club (New York, N.Y., USA)

Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (Hamburg, Germany)

Nyländska Jaktklubben (Helsinki, Finland)

Real Club Nautico Barcelona (Barcelona, Spain)

Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (Hamilton, Bermuda)

Royal Canadian Yacht Club (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

Royal Cork Yacht Club (County Cork, Ireland)

Royal Danish Yacht Club (Hellerup, Denmark)

Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (Hong Kong, China)

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (Auckland, New Zealand)

Royal Ocean Racing Club (London, England)

Royal St. George Yacht Club (County Dublin, Ireland)

Royal Thames Yacht Club (London, England)

Royal Yacht Squadron (London, England)

St.Francis Yacht Club (San Francisco, Calif., USA)

Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy)

Yacht Club de France (Paris, France)

Yacht Club Italiano (Genoa, Italy)

For more information, visit the NYYC Invitational Cup website or contact Event Chair John Mendez at Jmendez@nyyc.org, +1(401) 862-5202.

About Nautor’s Swan A leader in the luxury sailing yacht market, Nautor’s Swan is globally recognized as the producers of exquisitely crafted yachts, capable of offering the perfect balance of style, performance and comfort, ideal for both high-performance racing and relaxed, luxurious cruising.  The company was founded in 1966 by Pekka Koskenkyla in Pietarsaari, Finland. The hundreds of years of Finnish boat building history inspired the vision of the founder to start production of high-quality and high-performing sailing yachts. Today Nautor’s Swan continues to push forward a whirlwind of innovations and changes that firmly place the Swan yachts at the forefront of the international sailing world. www.nautorswan.com

About Rolex Watch U.S.A. Since Rolex Watch U.S.A. first presented timepieces to America’s Cup defenders in 1958, the company has consistently recognized and encouraged excellence in every important arena of competitive sailing, including elite athlete preparation, US SAILING championships, disabled sailing, and offshore, one-design and women’s events. The New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup joins the Rolex Yachting Portfolio that includes over 20 world-class sailing events taking place around the world including the Rolex Miami OCR, Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, Rolex Fastnet Race, Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, Rolex Big Boat Series, Rolex US-IRC National Championship, Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship, Rolex Osprey Cup and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. www.rolex.com

About Sperry Top-Sider Since 1935, Sperry Top-Sider has been the leading brand of footwear for those with a Passion for the Sea. From its introduction of the world’s first siped rubber outsole for non-marking traction, to advanced technical fabrication to combat the elements, Sperry Top-Sider remains the vanguard of high-performance amphibious footwear. Sperry Top-Sider is the official footwear of US SAILING, National Safe Boating Council and sponsor of several US Sailing team athletes. Based in historic Lexington, Massachusetts, Sperry Top-Sider supports a wide-range of water-related activities through its sponsorships, including ACURA Key West Race Week, Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regattas and the Salt Water Sportsman seminar series. Sperry Top-Sider is a division of The Stride Rite Corporation, a subsidiary of Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE:PSS). For more information, please visit www.sperrytopsider.com.