Nigel Young of Crosshaven and Will Byrne of Dun Laoghaire are “Sailors of the Month (International) for May

1st June 2023

Who can remember when a Swan 36 didn’t look like this at all? Black Seal evoking visions of a Swiss Army knife, on her way to winning the Sardinia Challenge

Time was when the name “Swan 36” meant a semi-classic Olin Stephens design that introduced one of the world’s most famous yacht marques, way back in 1967. These days, a Swan 36 is a white-hot day-racing boat that looks totally functional, and competes in a series of international semi-private regattas, which are the very opposite of the publicity-seeking logo-splashed razzmatazz which seems to pervade much top-level contemporary international sailing.

Yet when somebody does achieve an outstanding win in this rarefied yet extremely intense corner of world sailing, the news does seeps out. And the victory by Richard Thompson’s Black Seal in May’s Swan 36 Sardinia Challenge confirmed that Nigel Young of Royal Cork YC and Will Byrne of the National YC were in the crew, and very worthy winners as “Sailors of the Month (International) for May.

Right at the heart of it. Neil Young and Will Byrne in the midst of Black Seal’s victorious crew at the Sardinia Challenge prize-giving

Published in Sailor of the Month, Royal Cork YC, National YC

Published in Sailor of the Month

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