CLUBSWAN 80
THE LATEST MY SONG IS THE FIRST NEW CLUBSWAN 80, A MAXI-SIZED ONE-DESIGN RACER-CRUISER. MATTHEW SHEAHAN GOT THE FIRST SAIL IN SARDINIA
As we slipped our lines from the dock in Porto Cervo I was trying to conceal my disappointment.
After being present at the original launch of the design for the new ClubSwan 80 at the Düsseldorf Boat Show back in 2019 I’d been looking forward to the opportunity to climb aboard this super sleek, no holds barred, full carbon racing machine. Now it was a reality, but as we headed out through the rocky entrance to this famous harbour, I was cursing my luck as the forecast light and fickle breeze had arrived and showed every sign of refusing to climb into double figures. Instead, the 8 knots that was currently on offer was hardly great testing weather for a boat that promised so much.
Yet, minutes later, with no increase in the breeze or change in the calm-looking sea state, there were suddenly 14 pairs of legs draped over her windward topsides and 14 heads had popped through the guardwires. Our keel was fully canted and visible for all to see as our upwind boat speed sat at 9-10 knots. Now the apparent wind speed was in the high teens.
In just a couple of minutes the act of setting sail and sheeting in had transformed the feel of the day and provided the first clue as to what the ClubSwan 80 is about. But it had also shown why it was best not to jump to any early conclusions.
WHY ONE-DESIGN?
The route from concept to reality had been a long one for the ClubSwan 80, thanks in part to the challenges that the global pandemic presented. The long gestation period had also allowed plenty of speculation as to why one of the biggest and best known quality builders in the world had decided to create a one-design class at the Maxi end of the scale.
Whatever the size, creating a new one-design class nowadays is a bold call and yet the motivation for creating a fleet of identical boats is clear.
For a builder, a one-design fleet makes sense from a financial point of view by spreading the development costs across the fleet you’re about to create. And if the class takes off and the build routine is established, the spreadsheet can look even better.
For owners, having the assurance there’ll be others to play with is also a strong incentive and helps to reduce the need to gamble on whether the boat will be as quick
