ClubSwan World Championship: "Earlybird" wins World Championship gold - Brandis crew "incredibly happy"

The ClubSwan Racing Nations League held its season summit in the dream regatta area of Porto Cervo. The regatta included the ClubSwan 50 World Championship as well as strong and growing fleets in the ClubSwan 42, ClubSwan 36 and ClubSwan 28 classes.

ClubSwan 50: World Championship gold for "Earlybird"

The ClubSwan50 yachts formed the largest group among the 35 small and large Swans competing in all four classes with sailors from 30 nations. Twelve crews competed for titles and medals. But one was unstoppable in this exciting week. Hendrik Brandis' "Earlybird" won World Championship gold with three daily victories in eight races one race before the end of the series.

The red ClubSwan with the bow number 5 was unstoppable in the waters of the host Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. The Brandis team relegated Ros Warburton's British "Perhonen" to silver. Bronze went to Graeme Peterson's "Moonlight". Leonardo Ferragamo's "Cuordileone" missed out on the podium by one point in fourth place. The Austrian "Stella Maris" took fifth place ahead of the Italian "Giulia" and Marcus Brennecke's "Hatari", which was unable to shine as brightly as usual off Porto Cervo.

We are incredibly happy to finally be ClubSwan 50 world champions!" Hendrik Brandis

For Hendrik Brandis, the title signalled a golden milestone. The 61-year-old co-founder and partner of venture capitalist Earlybird said in Porto Cervo: "We have been working towards this goal for many years since the class was founded. We were second three times, but never made it to the top - until now. This year everything just fell into place perfectly: a fantastic team, ideal conditions and a flawless performance. We are absolutely thrilled and ready to celebrate!" Here you can see the Earlybirds' World Cup luck.

VMG queen "Earlybird": 0.2 knots faster

With the title, Hendrik Brandis and his crew reaped the rewards for years of perseverance and their own concept. Brandis explained the morning after the triumph: "We have rejuvenated ourselves considerably in recent years and rebuilt the team. They are all incredibly hungry. We celebrated accordingly." Brandis sailed his first Swan regatta in 2006, has been active in the ClubSwan 50 since the class was founded in 2018 and had one of the first two boats alongside Leonardo Ferragamo. Arnd Howar was at his side as team manager from the very beginning.

Looking back on the current World Championship series, Hendrik Brandis commented on the strengths of "Earlybird" and the crew at these world title fights: "There were eight races, two per day. On the second day, it was super easy in parts, we crossed the finish line with the last momentum, while Ferragamo, who had been in second place until then, drifted into the pin end. That was tough. The third day was spectacular with 13 to 18 knots of wind. That was also our day. We took two wins on that day. The boat was simply extremely fast."

The crew later looked at the analyses and were amazed to discover "that we were 0.2 knots faster than all the other boats in the VMG," reported Hendrik Brandis. He said: "That happens very rarely. We had made the perfect settings." The competition only saw the fiery red "Earlybird" from behind that day. On the final day, "Earlybird" then only contested one race, mastered the task of securing the title early after the outstanding previous performances and skipped the last race. In this race, the crews on "Perhonen" and "Moonlight" fought for silver - the Earlybirds no longer wanted to be the deciding factor without necessity. Click here for the World Cup results.

Nikolai Burkart's "Goddess" narrowly misses out on the podium

This also applied to the twelve-strong crew of team manager Arnd Howar, Nick Beulke, Manu Weiler, Pierluigi Felice, Lorenzo de Felice, navigator Shane Elliott, Taavi Valter Taveter, Elliot Willis, Robin Jacobs, Maximilian Stein and Elisa Mangani. The GER 5005 was on top form in this Sardinian World Championship week.

In ClubSwan 36, Nikolai Burkart's "Goddess" narrowly missed out on the podium, finishing three points behind bronze. Haakon Lorentzen's "Mamao" (Brazil) won ahead of the Hungarian "Black Battalion" and the Italian "Fra Martina". In the smallest ClubSwan class 28, Keisuke Suzuki's "Swing" took gold ahead of Philippe Ligot's French "Marcello" and the American "Play bigger".

Also noteworthy in the ClubSwan 28 fleet was the "Nox Oceani - YCPR", which started with a very young and promising crew. The boat was skippered by 13-year-old Giorgio Nosella, who impressed the entire fleet with his maturity and strong racing instincts. Victory in the ClubSwan 42 went to José Maria Meseguer's Spanish "Pez de Abril" ahead of his compatriots on "Nadir" and the Italian "Canopo".

First ClubSwan World Cup, then Lake Garda and Copa del Rey

The event ended with the traditional and well-attended award ceremony on the Piazza Azzurra in front of the host Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. YCCS Commodore Andrea Recordati said: "The relationship between Nautor Swan and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda is very special. Just last year, during the Rolex Swan Cup, we celebrated the 40th anniversary of our fruitful collaboration. I would like to thank all the participants for their presence here in Porto Cervo. And Nautor Swan for choosing us as the venue for this edition of the Nations League - Swan One Design Worlds, which also hosted the first Gold Cup for the ClubSwan 28."

Andrea Recordati continued: "Our regatta course once again offered a variety of conditions over the four days - from light breezes to mistral winds - and made the event an all-round successful and exciting event. Congratulations to the winners and all participants. We look forward to welcoming you back to the Rolex Swan Cup in 2026." The season continues with the ClubSwans 28 at the Swan Lake Garda Challenge (24 to 26 July). This will be followed by the major classic Copa del Rey in Palma de Mallorca from 28 July to 2 August.