Marco Gerbaudo’s Swan 53 sailing yacht Ondine took the top position in the IRC B fleet, Swan 45 yacht Mandolino placed second in the ORC A fleet, and the Yacht Club of Saint-Petersburg’s Swan 60 luxury yacht Bronenosec, sponsored by Gazprom, took third place in the IRC 0 fleet, following three days of intense inshore races at the Giraglia Rolex Cup in Saint-Tropez, France.

Swan 60 yacht Bronenosec at the Giraglia Rolex Cup 2012 Credit: Rolex/Kurt Arrigo

The final day of inshore races saw more windy weather before the fleet heads off on their 242 nautical mile race to Sanremo, Italy on Wednesday. With wind speed hitting 35 knots, Swan 45 yacht Earlybird remained consistent in the heavier air, coming 4th in the final race, leaving them third overall in the IRC A fleet. The IRC A fleet saw three more Swans within the top ten, with Club Swan 42 yacht Natalia taking 5th place, Swan 45 sailing yacht Jeroboam by Vertigo taking 6th place, and Swan 45 Thetis yacht in 10th place. Club Swan 42 Genapi and Swan 45 High Yield also competed, rounding out the Swan fleet.

The Swan Maxi’s showed good form within the top ten of the IRC 0 fleet with Swan 60 sailing yacht Bronenosec winning 3rd place, Swan 601 @robas coming in 6th place, and Swan 80 superyacht Alpina by Finimmo taking 7th place. Swan 65 Peak and Swan 60 Vertical Smile just missed out on the top ten, taking 11th and 12th place, with Swan 70 Flying Dragon and Swan 75 luxury yacht Kairos also competing.

Tuesday concluded the inshore section of the Giraglia Rolex Cup. The fleet now heads towards Sanremo, Italy, via La Giraglia Islet, for the 242 nautical mile offshore race. The competitors are expected to arrive in Sanremo between Thursday and Friday, when a prize giving will be held on Friday.