The German Swan 45, Earlybird, raced by owners Hendrik Brandis and Christian Nagel has completed the double for the 2012 season. Having recently won the Swan 45 World Championship held during the Rolex Swan Cup at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo, the team clearly are in stunning form and also won the Swan 45 Mediterranean Circuit for 2012.
The Swan 45 Mediterranean Circuit was comprised of five events, starting earlier this year with the Trofeo Carlo Negri – Regate Pirelli in Santa Margarita followed by the Giraglia Rolex Race then the Copa del Rey in Palma, Majorca before the World Championship at the Rolex Swan Cup and then the season finale at Les Voiles de St Tropez.
With three events to count towards the final results, Earlybird were in a strong position going into the final event with two first places and a second to count from the first four events, but with the determination and skill set that won them the World Championship the team continued their dominance of the 2012 season taking the final event, Les Voiles de St Tropez. Second place at Les Voiles de St Tropez went to the team onboard Swanderful and the local French team onboard Axelle S took 3rd overall.
The Swan 45 Mediterranean Circuit finished with Earlybird in first place on 3 points, Swanted and Swanderful tied with 18 points with the tie broken in favour of Swanted with their first place finish at the first event of the season.
Hendrik Brandis, owner and helm of Swan 45, Earlybird commented:
“2012 has been another year of high class racing in the Swan 45 Class which we have enjoyed a great deal. The Copa del Rey and of course the Rolex Swan 45 World Championship in Porto Cervo were two events dominated by highly challenging up and down races. Whereas the two additional events, Giraglia Rolex Cup and Les Voiles de St Tropez with their beautiful coastlines offered everything that offshore racing can provide.”
“The Swan 45 demonstrated again its competitiveness under IRC (Giraglia, Les Voiles de StTropez) and RI (Copa Del Rey). It was a great season for Earlybird and we are very proud that we could win both the worlds as well as the overall classification of the Swan 45, Mediterranean Circuit”.
Thirteen teams from six nations competed in the Swan 45 Mediterranean Circuit during the 2012 season.