Day 2 of the 2012 Giraglia Rolex Cup saw champagne competing, with spectacular sunshine as well as up to 30 knots of wind in the Gulf of St. Tropez. But the main thing that truly influences a sailor’s mood, regardless of the blue skies or azure seas, is the scoreboard. Today the sailors with the best dispositions would have comprised those on board the Swan 60 sailing yacht Bronenosec followed by their Giraglia success keeping them top of class 0 IRC, placing third.
Swan 60 sailing yacht Bronenosec competing in the Giraglia Rolex Cup 2012 Photo by Rolex/Kurt Arrigo
On the entry list there’s a healthy mix of consistent Giraglia campaigners such as Sir Peter Ogden’s luxury yacht Jethou which received the Rolex Trophy and Timepiece at the Rolex Volcano Race last month so is a definite force to be reckoned with. The previous line honours champion here in Saint-Tropez, Esimit Europa 2 superyacht is another heavy-weight challenger for Bronenosec.
For the crew of Bronenosec yacht, a brand new 60-feet, state-of-the-art yacht constructed using cutting-edge technology by Nautor’s Swan in Finland, the event provides a significant challenge in preparing a relatively untried yacht for such fierce competition. However, the team had yet another great result today as Tommaso Chieffi explains: “We had a very good first four legs. Just before the finish the wind died a bit as it went from south-west to west and back again to south-west. We survived the change although we lost a bit of ground.”
Due to its continued worldwide fleet growth the Yacht Club of Saint-Petersburg selected the Swan 60 yacht Bronenosec for her racing dimension. Built by Nautor’s Swan, this model was engineered to satisfy a growing demand for design centred around both performance and style. Using the latest technology, design and construction methods the model is associated with an ease of handling. Race teams enjoy unhindered movement around the boat at all times, with the helm experiencing a direct steering system producing a light responsive yacht in tight race course scenarios. The addition of carbon fibre spars and racing foils produce a consistent racing performance for the Swan 60 with an active international racing fleet.
The Giraglia Rolex Cup is organised by the Yacht Club Italiano, in conjunction with the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez and the Yacht Club de France.
