Rome: Translated 9, the Swan 65 now completely refitted, has set sail for the Southern Ocean to finish selecting its crew (70 percent non-professionals) and start training for the Ocean Globe Race 2023.
The process of refitting the yacht took a year of hard work at a shipyard in Fano, Italy led by the Malingri team with the support of architects, designers, engineers and – most importantly – some of the crew.
“We need the crew to know and understand every single detail of the boat, because in the middle of the ocean we won’t have any external assistance,” said Marco Trombetti, the yacht’s owner and co-skipper.
“A very important part of the refitting and race preparation process concerned the deck,” explained Vittorio Malingri, co-skipper and technical manager of the project.
“Our boat is fifty years old and she needed to be repaired, restored, and prepared for the race.”
The team also had to fix corrosion and rust, reinforce the boat’s structure, replace the electrical and hydraulic systems, and restore the rudder and the engine.
Trombetti explained: “We chose the Swan 65 because she was the strongest boat and, in refitting her, we wanted to return her to the same strength as when she was built”.
The Ocean Globe Race 2023, a retro regatta to be undertaken without any modern technology onboard, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Whitbread Round the World Race and the bravery of humans.
Last week, the boat was set in the water in Marina dei Cesari (Fano), the masts were assembled, and the last few details were refined.
Marco Veglia, Translated 9’s architect and designer, said: “For me, the most interesting part of this whole adventure has been working with the amazing design conceived 50 years ago by Sparkman & Stephens, and having the opportunity to use modern technological tools to return the boat to her former glory and prepare her to tackle a round-the-world race again.”
On Saturday, October 22nd local time, Translated 9 finally set sail for the Southern Ocean.
On the first few days of her journey, in the Mediterranean, the Malingri team will now have the opportunity to fine-tune the Swan 65. She was built in 1977 and first skippered by Clare Francis in the second edition of the Whitbread Round the World Race.
To reach the ocean, the yacht will first stop in Bari, Reggio Calabria, Cagliari, Mahón and Alicante. During these legs, 40 shortlisted applicants will take turns to try out for an official place in the Translated 9 crew.
“Sailing around the world is a dream that all of us have had at some point in our life and we wanted to give the opportunity to make this dream come true for as many people as possible,” Trombetti said.
“Now we come to the final stage to choose who will be part of the official Translated 9 crew. It’s a tough selection process. Out of over a thousand applications from all over the world, one hundred and fifty people took part in the first part of the process. forty of them made it to the final stage. Every applicant onboard has proved themselves to be brave, optimistic, a wishful thinker, a hard worker, and a team player.”
After a short stop in Alicante, the crew will be announced and will begin training in the Southern Ocean.
