After an exciting regatta that saw a constantly moving ranking, the first European Championship, organized by ACI Marina and YC Labud, dedicated to the ClubSwan 36 class, was won by Richard Thompson's Black Seal team. Racing in largely idyllic conditions off the historic Croatian port of Split, Black Seal's Anglo-Italian crew - which included Stefano Cherin and Jeremy Elliott - clinched the title without winning a single race. Instead, an incessant attention during navigation aimed at avoiding the penalties that hindered a certain number of competitors, saw the British flag monotype take the victory with a six-point advantage over Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio's G-Spot and Farstar. by Lorenzo Mondo, both in the lead since the start of the event. " It was a big win for us, albeit a bit of a surprise ," said Thompson, a member of the Guernsey Yacht Club in the Channel Islands. “Winning is not the most important thing, for me it is more important to grow the class and to have done some good races in wonderful places. "We had a fantastic week in Croatia, which turned out to be a wonderful place. It was fantastic to race for the first time with 12 boats in the fleet. It was a great thrill for us." And he added: " I'm looking forward to next season, it will be a very frustrating winter!" @aci_marinas @aci.sail #ClubSwan36Europeans #ClubSwanRacing 📸 ClubSwan Racing / Studio Borlenghi