Bronenosec, RUS

Swan 60, Bronenosec sails under Saint Petersburg Yacht Club, Russia which was founded by skipper Vladimir Liubomirov. He believed there were not enough marinas in Saint Petersburg or genuine yacht clubs; as a result of this he combined his architectural ambition and his love for the sea to design and build the Yacht Club of Saint Petersburg. Vladimir Liubomirov is now Commodore of the Yacht Club of Saint Petersburg and also the Vice President of the Saint Petersburg Sailing Union.

The club deals with real sport, everything from Olympic classes to the children’s sport school. It is important to Vladimir to create community and develop the children’s sailing academy at Saint Petersburg Yacht Club. The ultimate aim is to put Russian back on the sailing map.

After several years of sailing Dragon boats, Vladimir, wanted to try something new. He had experienced classic boat sailing but was craving for something a little more technologically advanced. He knew he didn’t want to be a professional sailor but he wanted a boat that combined top of the range technology with exceptional aesthetics and the right shape. The choice was simple, a Swan 60 fitted his criteria perfectly.

Bronenosec’s crew is a cosmopolitan mix of some of yacht racing’s most esteemed names, dominated by Russian and Italian sailors. Tomasso Chieffi, previously tactician aboard the Italian America’s Cup entry Azzurra, with Francesco Bruni, play a vital role on board Bronenosec for all of their races. Chieffi is backed up by Lorenzo Mazza also a seasoned pro on the America’s Cup circuit having raced with Alinghi and being part of the 1997 EF Language team for the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race.

The Russian sailors on-board have different racing backgrounds; Alexander Shalagin was Gold Cup Champion in 2010 and won the Dragon Russian Open Championship for the third time in 2012. Vladimir Liubomirov, along with crew member and colleague Igor Frolov, has also proved his worth in the Dragon Class. Kirill Vonogov was Champion in the Overall Russian Windsurfing Cup before moving into yachting where he sails Farr-30’s and Topcats and Vladimir Ikonnikov was the winner of the Star Class Finnish Championships in 2005.

The big-boat experience has been a steep learning curve for all. One of the goals has been to teach and educate the Russian sailors and bring them up to a standard where they can compete against the most experienced teams in the world. Events have included PalmaVela, Rolex Volcano Race, Giraglia Rolex Cup and Copa del Rey. The team have grown in confidence over the past two years and proved their capability of competing on the highest level by taking first place in the Mini Maxi Cruising division at the Rolex Maxi Cup, first place in the Maxi Class at the Rolex Swan Cup and first place in the inaugural Nord Stream Race 2012. The offshore race took crews over 750 miles across Baltic waters, racing in extreme conditions.

The Team are winners of the Gazprom Swan 60 Class Circuit 2013, having taken first place in the Delta Lloyd North Sea Regatta and first place in the Gazprom Swan 60 World Championship. The new World Champions took first place in the Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week and second place in the Nord Stream Race 2013. These fantastic results led them to win the Circuit overall.

The team also competed in the Rolex Fastnet Race 2013.

Swan 60 Bronenosec had a fantastic start to 2014, finsihing first in the Nord Stream Race and the Gazprom Swan 60 World Championship they now go on to compete in the 2014 Rolex Swan Cup