ClubSwan-36-EM: "Goddess" sails to fourth place with two gold boys

Strong series with a heavy burden

In the still young ClubSwan 36 racing class, the rules are tough: There were seven races in the picture-book area off Split without a single strike. It was painful to experience a crash like "Goddess" in the third of seven races and receive a "Black Flag" disqualification, which weighed extremely heavily at 16 points.

With 2nd, 1st, 5th and 2nd place, skipper Nikolai Burkart and his team climbed back up the rankings. However, they were four points off the podium in the final standings of the ClubSwan 36 European Championship. The last chance for the "Goddess" to catch up again came to an end with the cancelled races on the final day. Even two gold medallists on board couldn't change that: 470 Olympic champion Šime Fantela and his brother Mihovil Fantela. Together, the talented Croatians won the 2018 49er World Championship. This year, they came third at the World Championships and are heading for the 2024 Olympics in France in the skiff.

Richard Thompson's British team on "Black Seal" secured the title at this ClubSwan 36 European Championship ahead of Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio's Monegasque "G Spot" and Lorenzo Mondo's Italian "Farstar". Edoardo Ferragamo's "Cuordileone" (meaning "Lionheart") had to settle for fifth place behind the "Goddess" from the Dettingen Yacht Club. Click here for the final results of the European Championships.

Many German sailors at the European Championships

Alexander Kudlich's Berlin-based "Bracing Breeze" sailed to ninth place at the premiere of the ClubSwan 36 European Championships with twelve starters from eight nations. The team from the Seglerhaus am Wannsee association was in action with the future ocean race sailors from Offshore Team Germany: Robert Stanjek, Phillip Kasüske and Annie Lush used the European title fights for a joint regatta assignment, while their French ocean race co-skipper Benjamin Dutreux is preparing for his solo at the Route du Rhum with Imoca from 6 November.

Moritz Bruns, Karl Gurgel and Johannes Polgar were also part of the European Championship party on the "Bracing Breeze" in Croatian waters. Daniel Kipp's "Tracing Perfection" (SCSz) took twelfth place ahead of Split.

See you in 2023

Marina Split and the Labud Yacht Club were the exciting hosts of the ClubSwan 36 European Championships. The return of the still young but rapidly growing ClubSwan 36 fleet to Split is already planned for next year. According to the organisers, 15 yachts have already registered for the Swan Croatia Challenge 2023.