After several months of US demo sails and low-key event in Miami this winter Nautor Swan put a five-boat US fleet of ClubSwan 28s on the starting line in Pensacola for the launch of its ClubSwan Nations League USA, the first of two planned events in the emerging Panhandle sailing center.
The entry list of early-adopting skippers showcased a few names of past one-design champions from other classes, including George Gamble, who’s My Sharona sailing team once dominated the J/111 circuit with a professionally run program. Gamble and team, according to event media, “claimed the inaugural title on home waters, prevailing in a regatta defined not by dominance, but by closeness across the fleet.”
Onboard with Gamble for the eight-race series was Quantum Sails’ Scott Nixon, J/70 World Champion Jeremy Wilmot, and multiple world champion Federico Michetti, the ClubSwan 28’s visionary, and Wilson Stout as the lone Cat 1 of the group. There was plenty of Cat. 3 talent across the fleet, so it’s no surprise that four of five teams won races, including runner-up Al Ramadan’s Play Bigger, Dan Cheresh’s Extreme 2, and Michael Kiss’ Bacio, third and fourth, respectively. Cheresh comes from the M32 catamaran world and Kiss was once a top regular of the Melges 20 class in its heyday. Skipper Billy Liberty, onboard Cool Breeze, was fifth.
“The fleet is unbelievably tight,” said Class President Al Ramadan in a post-event report. “There were moments where all boats arrived at the top mark at the same time. That’s exactly what you want as an owner…The boat feels like a dinghy and a keelboat combined. You have to sail it actively. But at the same time, it’s simple. No backstay, no runners. It’s very accessible.”
“There are no secrets right now,” said Gamble. “Everyone goes boat to boat, sharing, asking questions. That’s how the class grows.”
“We’re all on the learning curve at the same time,” said Kiss. “That’s what makes it so fun. And the racing is very close.”
After the next Nations League USA event in April, the fleet relocates to Newport, Rhode Island, for several summer regattas.
