The Swan 56 sailing yacht Clem is celebrating being the first Swan yacht to cross the ARC 2011 finish line in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia after the 26th ARC finished in fine style on Saturday 17th December with a spectacular prize giving ceremony at the Gaiety Nightclub. S/Y Clem victoriously finished the 2,700 nautical mile race from Las Palmas to St. Lucia to become the highest placed Swan yacht and also win the Swan Transatlantic Challenge.
Swan 56 sailing yacht Clem, was the first Swan yacht to cross the ARC 2011 finish line - Photo Credit Kurt Arrigo
A brisk northerly wind and blue sky provided the perfect conditions for a downwind start in Gran Canaria. Classic trade wind conditions provided excellent downwind sailing for the first part of the passage across the Atlantic. Most of the fleet experienced a ‘wind hole’ as they closed in on Saint Lucia but it still managed to be the fastest passage since 2006. S/Y Clem completed the ARC crossing in 15 days, 21 hours on corrected time to finish in second place in the RORC IRC Racing Division Class A.
The final evening of the St. Lucia programme saw a packed house at the Gaiety Nightclub in Gros Islet Town for the ARC 2011 prize giving ceremony. All boats that did not divert en route made the finish line in time for the festivities. The 2011 Swan Transatlantic Challenge has been an immense success with 17 entries successfully completing the race. Yacht Clem took home the esteemed silver Asprey trophy.
Jaime Olazabal, Owner and Skipper, of the Clem sailing yacht commented; “We had the best crossing imaginable, great sailing, great food and above all great company, we even managed some fishing! The icing on the cake has definitely been the Swan Transatlantic Trophy, it means a great deal to us to be the proud custodians of this beautiful trophy for a year. Our boat Clem has once again behaved herself impeccably…. I am a very happy Swan owner.”
Part one of the prize giving also included some special awards which included ARC’s youngest skipper award presented to Lucy Reynolds, 24, of Swan 51 sailing yacht Northern Child.
