Regatta success joy for Sloop John T
The Thomson family achieved a splendid double success at a major sailing regatta at the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes on the Isle of Wight.
Sloop John T, owned by Iain and Graham Thomson, won class one of the Swan European Regatta for the second time, after achieving the same success in 2011.
The yacht, a Swan 40, was crewed by members of the Clyde Cruising Club including Iain’s son John and Graham’s son James. They beat off the challenge of eight other boats over seven races held in four days of tough sailing to lift the Swan European Trophy.
The 18th edition of the biennial regatta was held earlier this month and the Thomsons’ boat was one of 18 Swan yachts which enjoyed the daily races.
Embraced
The challenging conditions of the Solent certainly embraced the fleet from the first race, providing all participants with great fun and demonstrating the beauty and variability of its conditions. Earlier the Swan fleet had kicked off its time at the Isle of Wight with another great edition of the round the island race with a nice breeze.
Iconic
This well-known event traces back to 1931 and is still an iconic rendezvous for Northern Europe. More than 1,340 boats were at the starting line and in this event Sloop John T fought off the challenge of 27 boats to finish on top of the IRC Division 2A.