A total of 14 Swan yachts graced the Rolex Fastnet Race last week with Swan 80 Plis Play being the first Swan to cross the finish line in Plymouth, winning the coveted Swan North European Challenge Trophy.
After three days of racing, the Spanish Swan 80 Plis Play was the first Swan to complete the 611 nautical mile offshore race to Plymouth via the Fastnet Rock off Southwest Ireland; completing the challenging course in an elapsed time of three days 21 minutes. Plis Play took 2nd place overall in IRC Z Class and won the Swan North European Challenge Trophy.
The Swan Challenge Trophy is part of the Swan Challenge Series 2013, which consists of three further events and trophies; the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Transatlantic Challenges.
Oscar Ibanez, skipper onboard Plis Play thoroughly enjoyed the race: “The boat performed very well, the speed and performance of the Swan were fabulous and we didn’t have any problems. Everything worked perfectly which is so important in this type of race; this guaranteed reliability only comes from a Swan. Highlights include the start on the Solent and the upwind to the Needles, and the close reaching from Fastnet to Scilly islands. The boat was very fast in these conditions with 20 to 22 knots of wind. Rounding the Fastnet Rock was very exciting also.
We came over to race in the Rolex Fastnet Race as it is one of the most important offshore yacht races in the world, all sailors dream of taking part, Plis Play is starting to take part in some of the most remarkable races. We celebrated with a perfect onboard dinner with the all crew onboard with fantastic food and good Spanish wine and ham. This is the Swan philosophy, a great performance boat that can achieve good results in the races but you can also relax onboard with all the home comforts and facilities.”
Nautor's Swan
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