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A global shop window of pre-owned Swans.

With an international network of specialized brokers, Nautor Swan Brokerage is a truly global operation. Wherever you are based – we have the contacts and the experience. By buying a yacht through Nautor Swan Brokerage you will have access to our know-how and experience, as well having the benefit and comfort of dealing with a team that has acquired fifty years of market leadership.

As specialists in all matters related to the ownership, charter, technical service, and operation of Swan yachts, our team can support you every step of the way.

FEATURED SWANS:

Swan 105-002

€ 7,950,000

2014 | 31.89 m (104.07 ft)

Swan 78-007

€ 7,800,000

2023 | 23.99 m (78.70 ft)

Swan 58-009

€ 2,800,000

2022 | 19.11 m (62.70 ft)

Latest News:

A new Maxi joins the family … behind the scene

This year’s Swan Maxi Talk was held at the prestigious Yacht Club de Monaco with an interesting panel that included Nautor Swan President Leonardo Ferragamo as well as CEO Giovanni Pomati.

The whole Nautor Swan world is at the Marina di Scarlino Oct. 10-15

There is a unique opportunity to enter the galaxy of Nautor Swan and discover all the different sides of the legendary Finnish shipyard. It is the Nautor Swan Experience, scheduled for Oct. 10-15, 2023 at the Marina di Scarlino (Grosseto, Italy).

Nautor Swan opens the new nautical year with big news

Since the brand was born in 1966, Nautor Swan has always been the synonym of Performance, Innovation, Quality, Elegance and Reliability and this year celebrates the 25th Anniversary of Leonardo Ferragamo’s ownership.

Nautor Swan Brokerage is confirming its presence to the main September Boat Shows

Nautor Swan Brokerage is confirming its presence to the main September Boat Shows, with a breathtaking line up, spreading its presence over multiple appealing venues.

ClubSwan Racing 2023 Calendar

The judges of the Boat International 2023 Superyacht Design Festival declared the ClubSwan 80 – My Song winner of the Naval Architecture and Interior design categories.

New ClubSwan 80 'My Song' awarded at BOAT International Superyacht Design Festival

ClubSwan Racing represents a new player in high-performance yacht racing organisation and events, with the aim of managing the entire racing world within Nautor Swan.

Address Nautor Swan Brokerage Mediterranean Yacht Management “Le Beau Rivage” 9 Avenue d’Ostende 98000 Monaco

E-mail [email protected], phone +377 97 97 95 07.

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The architect

Germ á n frers.

All of Nautor´s know-how and experience in racing and cruising yachts have been incorporated into this new blue-water Swan 78, a direct descendant of the original Swan 80 and 82 models of the past. She is slightly shorter overall – in order to meet the EC 24.00 metre length overall limitation – beamier and more powerful. The modern hull lines, including a wide stern above the waterline, twin rudders and racing oriented keel design, are a reflection of the rapid evolution of yacht design during the past years, propelled by the experiences made on round-the-world races and other offshore events. The new boat is faster, safer, easier to control and, as a result, more comfortable at sea. The keel options include deep telescopic lifting, fixed deep and fixed shallow possibilities yet maintaining stability, the same rudder configuration and standard sail plan. The same could be said of the deck with its modern design, uncluttered surfaces and straightforward, simple solutions to sail handling and life at sea. The appearance is that of neatness and efficiency. Centered around the main saloon and engine room, which maintain the same position facilitating weight distribution, planning of installations and flotation trim, presenting three cabins: one double berth VIP and two twin berth layouts. These allow for side by side bunks on the second and third guest rooms. Crew accommodations for two are ample and functional in both cases. This new Swan is, and will be, the best of her kind for years to come.

Square top main option

The deck is the one area of the yacht where owners, guests and crew spend the most time. Here is where the yacht is handled under sail, and here is where guests enjoy the seascapes at anchor. The Swan 78 deck layout is the most recent evolution of the “S” concept (Semi-raised Saloon), with the celebrated Swan coachroof, discreet and streamlined, with panoramic views from inside, due to the raised saloon. On the 78 Frers signature lines have given their very best, with sleek curves that create a volume capable of protecting the cockpit and creating more space below. The coachroof design is a masterly mix of curved lines and multifaceted surfaces, with 360 degree windows and a generous roof that doubles up as a sunbathing area. The recessed sprayhood and the full beam bimini keep guests always well protected in a cockpit/lounge that features two C shaped settees each with its own table.

All manoeuvres are at the centre of the cockpit and can be handled easily by a reduced crew. The five available winches are well placed around the helm stations with a central tower dedicated to the mainsheet. As an option, a captive winch for main sheet can be provided.

Further aft the deck is equipped for sunbathing and swimming, with a completely open space than can be equipped with cushions and access to the beach area, which also opens a full beam lazarette that can stow a rigid inflatable.

Forward of the mast the deck is completely uncluttered, an expanse of pure teak that ends at the forepeak with the large locker for the anchor.

The interior designer

Heini gustafsson.

To provide the most flexibility and satisfy any possible owners’ requirement, in the interiors configuration the Owner has a large suite forward, cooler and quieter. It is 4.5 m long, with an island bed that is completely accessible on three sides. A desk and dedicated bathroom, with large separate shower compartment, complete this luxurious apartment.

The accommodation also features three guest cabins with different layouts, all ensuite with separate shower compartments. The saloon is also over 6 m wide. It is raised to provide better panoramic views. Below, ample bilge volumes allow for a full beam engine room, totally soundproofed and large enough to accommodate a variety of systems and equipment. The crew quarters are separate, forward or aft according to the chosen layout, with an ensuite cabin. The galley is in the same area, with large cooking areas and refrigerated stowage.

The celebrated Nautor finish guarantees top quality both in the technical details and in the finishing, with a wide choice of veneers and accessories.

Sailing a Swan 78 is an experience that instantly explains the latest design trends for sailing yachts. The first feature that emerges is her extreme stability during sailing, made possible through her twin rudders. Indeed, as heel angle increases, the geometry in the water alters to adapt to the new position. The windward rudder lifts while the leeward one dips progressively, becoming more perpendicular and at the same time more efficient. Heeling stability is guaranteed – with the first few degrees of heel, the hull form facilitates prompt acceleration even in light conditions. Heel angle stabilises at around 20 degrees, remaining symmetrical and balanced throughout. Beyond this inclination, the hull shape contributes dynamically to the vertical force provided by the T-shaped keel, maintaining the optimal hull position.

All this translates into two fundamental and apparently opposite effects. These are that performance is optimised keeping the hull sailing to its lines and therefore all the naval architecture including keel and rudders at maximum efficiency, and at the same time the yacht remains comfortable and liveable, allowing life on board to continue normally even when sailing upwind for long distances. If her performance off-wind appears obvious, the new Swan 78 amazes even more upwind. Perfect balance translates into unexpected agility, with the helms remaining light. The rudders, almost always at centre, are only necessary for changing course. This allows those on board to play amongst the waves and promptly follow wind shifts. The Swan 78 allows her crew to sail at double digit boat speeds constantly and safely, easily managing manoeuvres from around the twin helms. At anchor, the various areas for relaxing, protected from or immersed in the elements, allows those on board to fully enjoy the surrounding scenery.

SPECIFICATIONS

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The motor yachts by Nautor Swan

In January 2021 Nautor Swan, the celebrated Finnish luxury sailing yacht constructor, pushed once again its limits by entering the motor boat market with Swan Shadow.

Born from the passion that Leonardo Ferragamo has for the marine world, the Swan Shadow is broadening the range of vessels the Finnish yard offers to its customers, perfectly aligned with the core elements of its brand DNA: Performance, Quality, Elegance.

These core elements, and the values of design and innovation deeply rooted in Nautor’s heritage, are also at the base of the concept of Swan Shadow, destined to become a timeless icon.

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Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

Visit Swan Shadow at Palm Beach Boat Show 2024

21-24 march, 2024 ramp 8 – 26 north stand.

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Nautor’s Storied Swan Yachts Set the Industry Standard—Here’s How They’re Made

From first sketch to final sail..

Danielle Cutler

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The Swan 78

Last year marked 20 years that the Finnish sailing-yacht builder Nautor’s Swan has operated under the ownership of Leonardo Ferragamo, passionate sailor and son of designer Salvatore Ferragamo, who bought the yard with a group of investors in 1998. Pekka Koskenkylä started OY Nautor AB in 1966 in Pietarsaari, Finland, by building a design by the noted naval-architecture firm Sparkman & Stephens: the 36-foot racing Swan 36 featuring a fiberglass hull. Nautor launched the first Swan 36 , Tarantella, in 1967. (The storied sailboat was moored at the yard’s docks on a recent visit.)

By 1968, British sailor Dave Johnson was winning races and garnering acclaim for the new shipyard, which to the present day has built more than 2,000 vessels between 36 and 131 feet, from performance cruisers to serious racers. New models include the Swan 78 shown here—which debuted just last year—as well as the ClubSwan 36, Swan 65, Swan 98, ClubSwan 125 and Swan 120, the last being the latest. All are designed and handcrafted at the renowned—and recently renovated and expanded—Boatbuilding Technology Center (BTC) facility in Pietarsaari.

Witness a Nautor racing yacht under sail at any of the races and regattas in the Swan brand’s ever-increasing lineup.

A Racing Resource

Sketching out the next model  Photo: Courtesy of Nautor

Germán Frers, who has designed Swan sailing yachts for 20-plus years, works with the rest of the Buenos Aires–based Frers Naval Architecture & Engineering team, shuttling among Argentina, Italy, and Finland. As we said goodbye at the airport last summer in Helsinki after a freezing-cold sea-trial in the Baltic Sea aboard the first Swan 78, which he designed, I asked where he was off to next. He replied, “Roma! For the regatta!”

The Swan 65’s deck  Photo: Courtesy of Nautor

You can see the size of this yacht in relation to the craftsmen standing on the wooden framework of the plug of the deck. Like the rest of the models in this series of yachts, the midsize Swan 65 is an oceangoing blue-water yacht that was conceived as either a family-crewed boat or one managed by a professional crew to be used as a racing, cruising or casual-use vessel.

Safety First

A Swan 78 foam-cored glass fiber hull  Photo: Courtesy of Nautor

The hull of this Swan 78 sailing yacht is made of foam-cored glass fiber, reinforced with epoxy as well as carbon-fiber unidirectional reinforcements. It stands at the ready in the shed for Nautor’s boatbuilders to start placing insulation, laying cable and fitting out the yacht. Nautor’s Swan vessels are known for their solid seafaring and safety record.

Go, Go Gadget

Sculpting the deck  Photo: Courtesy of Nautor

A robotic milling machine extends the reach and precision of the human arm to sculpt the plug of the yacht’s deck.

Easy Does It

Placing the furniture  Photo: Courtesy of Nautor

Craftsmen carefully hoist and place the hand-built furniture into the hull, which already has the system’s wiring and plumbing installed. Nautor employs a “teak hunter” who handpicks the wood that will be used for veneers, which are stitched onto the plywood, foam-core furniture.

Danielle Cutler started covering yachts, marinas, and the yachting industry in 2005. Besides writing and editing yacht content for Robb Report, Danielle has worked for Yachts International and the…

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Portrait of a building site / Nautor-Swan: the elegance and speed of the Finnish swan

Based in Finland, Nautor has been building Swan yachts for almost 60 years. Aiming since the beginning at a premium segment, the brand of the Finnish shipyard is synonymous with comfort, quality and speed.

Finnish know-how

The Finnish shipyard Nautor was founded in 1966 by Pekka Koskenkyla, an entrepreneur with a passion for sailing. After building his own boat in his father-in-law's garage, he decided to invest his personal assets in a small production facility. Convinced of the benefits of polyester , which was becoming more and more popular in boat building, he started to produce fast cruising yachts .

The yard is based in Pietarsaari, in the Gulf of Bothnia, where the sailing conditions are demanding for the sailors and their boats. True to Finnish know-how , Pekka focuses on high quality design and above average performance under sail .

The Swan 36, the first to be strung and the first success

Inspired by the Gaia class, which is characterized by a long keel design and a wooden hull, Koskenkyla, in collaboration with the architectural firm Sparkman and Stephens, imagined an evolution of this 36-foot hull. They integrated a rudder and an offset fin, all on a fiberglass hull. This solution, which reduces the wetted surface and improves the behavior of the sailboat , will become one of the foundations of modern naval architecture .

The success is immediate, and 90 Swan 36 will be manufactured between 1969 and 1971.

A victory over the first Whitebread

With this first commercial success, Pekka Koskenkyla develops his production tool to manufacture longer hulls. The young manager's wish was to confirm the growing reputation of his boats. In 1973, he launched the Swan 65, named Sayula 2, the largest fiberglass sailboat ever built. Led by a Mexican crew , the shipyard's flagship won the first Whitbread , a crewed round-the-world race, ahead of all the favorites at the time.

This victory reinforces the reputation of the Finnish shipyard for fast, comfortable and well-built boats.

A collaboration with great names in naval architecture

Faithful to the Sparkman & Stephens design for many years, Nautor produced nearly 1000 units in collaboration with the American architects. The Swan 38 and 47 will win numerous victories in regattas, while being acclaimed for their cruising comfort.

Between 1978 and 1981, another well-known architect, Ron Holland, designed the Swan 37, Swan 39 and Swan 42, of which nearly 300 were produced.

In the 1980s, German Frers coordinated the design of most of the Finnish shipyard's models. This collaboration allowed Nautor to maintain a modern image and to remain competitive in the face of an emerging competition.

A wide range for racing or cruising, sailing or motoring

Today, Nautor offers about fifteen models divided into three ranges:

• Swan Yacht: this division includes the 6 models manufactured in series from 48 to 78 feet

• Swan Maxi: this semi-custom range offers 4 models from 88 to 120 feet, and will soon be completed by the new Swan 128

• Swan Club: launched in 2001, this entity groups together a range of Swan one-designs, and organizes regattas and meetings all year round in the world's top yachting venues. Mainly dedicated to performance, this range includes 5 models from 36 to 125 feet, designed by German Frers or Juan Kouyoumdjian.

Since 2021, Nautor has added two 42-foot motor dayboats to its catalog, the Swan Shadow and the Overshadow, which follow the precepts of their sailing counterparts.

Good prospects for the Finnish swan

The yard has produced more than 2,300 units in almost 60 years of activity. Taken over in 1999 by the Italian Leonardo Ferragamo, Nautor Swan generates an average turnover of 70 million euros, boosted by the dynamism of a premium segment.

Production is carried out by a team of 400 people at three locations. Mould making, hull lamination and assembly of smaller yachts is carried out in Källby. The assembly of the 60 to 125 foot models takes place in Pietarsaari, while the workshop in Kronoby includes the carpentry and joinery.

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The history of Nautor’s Swan

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Nautor is probably the most iconic yacht manufacturer in Finland. Here is a short introduction to the history of Nautor’s Swan yacht lineup as seen by some of the people that made Nautor happen as well as some more recent glimpses of the yachts from Nautor’s 50th anniversary regatta in July 2016 in Turku.

Nautor was not born in a vacuum, a number of other boat yards had been building wooden racer/cruisers based on Sparkman and Stephens designs. Many of these yachts are still sailing in Finland. In the first video, Lars Ström, former design office manager at Nautor, discusses the role of S&S designs in Finland at around the time when Nautor was born.

The slides from the presentation can be found here:  slideshare.net/SailInFinland .

The history of Nautor started in 1966. The role of Pekka Koskenkylä, the founder of Nautor, is ofcourse undisputable, but one other person played a particularly important role. That person was Heinz Ramm-Schmidt, a Finnish industrialist and avid sailor. Ramm-Schmidt became Koskenkylä’s first customer. In the next video, Heinz Ramm-Schmidt (95 years old at the time of shooting the video) remembers how he became Nautor’s first customer.

The boat that Ramm-Schmidt ordered was the Swan 36. Koskenkylä did not make an idle promised when he told Ramm-Schmidt that he would build 100 boats, 90 Swan 36 were built and the model is still one of Nautor’s all time best sellers. Both the original Swan 36 as well as Ramm-Schmidt’s second boat, the Tarantella II are still very much going strong today. Tarantella II is even still in the family and is being successfully sailed by Heinz’s son Leif.

The original Nautor Swan 36 Tarantella

The second Swan owned by Heinz Ramm-Schmidt, still sailed by his son Leif.

In the next video, you can enjoy a bit of sailing zen on-board one of the earliest Swan 36’s, the Swan 36-014 Kajas. The video is shot during the pre-race for the Nautor 50th Anniversary regatta.

After the 36, the Nautor fleet quickly grew to include a growing range of bigger and bigger yachts. One of the reason for the success of the Swan’s was their technical quality. In the next video Lars Ström explores technical design aspects of the early Swans.  Lars Ström has earned the nickname “professor Ström” for his deep knowledge of all aspects of the Swan yachts and as you can see from the video, he indeed deserves the title.

The slides for the video can be found at  slideshare.net/SailInFinland .

Despite it’s age, a large part of the Swans ever built are still sailing. With some boats having seen up to 50 years of use, some of them are now experiencing a second life after extensive renovations. In some cases it is almost impossible to believe that the boats have logged so many nautical miles and years. Here is one of the proud owners of a newly renovated Swan, Charles Hill from the UK and happy owner of Runn, a Swan 43 launched in 1969.

And to round off the short look at the history of Nautor, let’s spend a few moments on-board the Swan 53 Lintu- Sit back and enjoy racing just outside Turku in the Nautor 50th Anniversary regatta!

Finnish swans take to the water

About 50 years ago, a Finnish entrepreneur mixed nature, design and business in a line of boats that’s still sailing strong.

Wild blue yonder: Swans of all sizes show up when Nautor organises a Swan regatta – this one in the archipelago off the southwestern Finnish city of Turku.

A dream that originated with one Finnish entrepreneur comes true whenever a Nautor Swan yacht takes to the water, combining three Finnish strengths: nature, design and business.

Finland’s winter sportsmen find it difficult to see the ice and snow melt away, but for Finnish boat owners, spring cannot come soon enough. Their euphoria becomes uncontainable when winter ends and the sea ice thaws. Boatyards along the country’s shores become hives of activity in preparation for the boating season as owners can’t wait to get out on the open water in the sun and the wind.

A distinguished Finnish member of the fleet of leisure boats that take to the water each spring is the sleek and graceful profile of Nautor’s Swan, a visual expression of all that is romantic and glamorous in sailing boats. The name forms a reminder of Finland’s national bird, the whooper swan.

Although Nautor has been under Italian ownership since 1998, the vessels still form a Finnish product, crafted at the Nautor yard in the west-coast town of Pietarsaari (known as Jakobstad in Swedish, the predominant language in the area).

A Finnish business vision

A Nautor Swan takes part in a competition off the coast of Sicily. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

Pekka Koskenkylä, a Finnish entrepreneur who dreamed of producing top-quality, high-performance sailing boats, founded Nautor Ltd in 1966, delivering the first in a long line of fibreglass yachts, the Swan 36. Heritage remains a central part of the luxury Swan brand, which retains tight links with Finland and its long and admired tradition of boat- and shipbuilding.

“It’s quite unique to make yachts of this kind in a place like this,” says sales director Marcus Jungell. “Pekka Koskenkylä had a very strong vision from the start. Part of his dream was to draw on the skills and experience of the excellent craftsmen that are still found in the region.”

The Swan 36 and subsequent yachts up to the late 1970s were designed by New York architects Sparkman & Stephens, and Nautor’s Swan reputation was sealed when the Swan 65 Sayula II triumphed in the inaugural Whitbread Round the World Race in 1973 and ’74.

Timeless design, global market

Yachts are associated with both the difficult and dangerous work of racing and the luxurious world of riches and recreation. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

“We offer something contemporary, yet the yachts have to stand the test of time, right through the range,” says Jungell. “The boats should always have great sailing performance and feel easy to handle, making good use of space and layout.” High quality, top technology and reliability attract sailing connoisseurs.

Luxury yachts may move further down the list of must-have items during times of economic uncertainty, and Nautor has experienced its own challenges. Yet Jungell says that a significant market nonetheless continues for Swans. You would expect someone with his job title to say that – but who is buying these boats, and how does Nautor stay on top of things?

“Our books have orders from all continents,” he says. “Traditional markets are Europe, especially the Mediterranean, but we have new markets in Russia, China, India, Mexico and the Philippines.

“We’re continuously developing our products. Cruising, for example, is a strong trend and we are responding to this to secure our position in that part of the market, having recently launched a range of performance cruising yachts.”

Jungell believes that part of Nautor’s Swan appeal is the Finnish-based connection with customers. The customer care team is headquartered in Pietarsaari, and the town’s yacht club also forms the official base for ClubSwan, which offers prestigious trophies for Swans competing in the most important regattas in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Baltic Sea and North America. ClubSwan includes all Swan owners, past and present.

By Tim Bird, April 2014

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First Swan 78 sailing yacht takes shape in Finland

Finnish yard  Nautor’s Swan  has revealed the first in-build photos of its new Swan 78 sailing yacht series. Developed in collaboration with  German Frers  this 23.99 metre yacht is proving popular already, with two hulls sold to first-time Nautor’s Swan owners in December 2016. Delivery is scheduled for spring 2018, and as these new images show, the first hull has left the mould.

Enrico Chieffi, vice president at Nautor’s Swan, added: “We can strongly affirm that more than ever, we are investing in developing new, innovative, beautiful, seaworthy yachts and the market is increasing quickly for us.”

The Swan 78 features a beamy hull form and a modern, uncluttered deck layout with simple sail handling solutions, such as five electric winches close to the helm stations — ideal for owners who enjoy cruising with a minimal crew.

The cockpit includes two C-shaped settees, each with its own table, and a wide sprayhood, while the large opening transom can create a swim platform measuring four metres wide.

The Swan 78 comes with twin rudders and a telescopic lifting keel, although the yard points out that fixed deep and shallow keels are also available.

The layout can be customised as well, with the owner’s cabin  situated either in the bow or in the transom. Both configurations include a spacious main saloon amidships, two twin cabins and a double cabin, allowing for a total of eight guests. Meanwhile, the ample crew quarters allows for a staff of two.

Headquartered in Jakobstad, Finland, Nautor’s Swan is led by group executive chairman Leonardo Ferragamo , who spoke extensively about his career during his keynote interview at the 2017 Superyacht Design Symposium .

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Swan | Pietarsaari, Kallby, Finland

Hundreds of years of Finnish boat building tradition, Nautor’s Swan was born out of an inspiration. Despite the challenging environment around the small town of Pietarsaari, where temperatures can fall to -30 C in the depths of winter and the sea can be frozen for up to five months of the year, Pekka Koskenkyla its founder had a vision to start producing high-quality and high performance sailing yachts, made for those passionate about cruising and racing, searching for the contact with the water and nature. Since 1966, Nautor’s Swan is proud of the unmatched quality in the production of the most loved sail boats in the world, a fully integrated in-house building process, from the design to the finest details and final testing before the handover of each yacht to its owners. Today, the advanced Boatbuilding Technology Center, known as BTC, marks the line of the company process of expansion. Started in 2017, Opened its doors after almost 2 years of extension on 9.935 sqm of facilities dedicated to the new joinery, high-tech lamination operations with an oven for post curing, halls for painting, grinding and polishing as well as areas for warehousing and logistics. All manufacturing activities are now located in the same place and imply a better organization and logistic operations with a gain in efficiency and quality. In fact, the proximity between the engineering department and manufacturing allows a proficiency upgrade in our production. In Kållby the Plug & Mould facility will still remain, most of our plugs and moulds are milled out in a huge robot milling line. The hulls of the smaller cruising yachts are hand laid-up and vacuum-infused, while the bigger models are made in foam-cored carbon, the attention to quality and weight saving here is extremely impressive. The composite constructions in Maxi hulls is a combination of pre-preg and Sprint material. The BTC is a modern, functional and captivating showcase for customers and prospects visiting Nautor’s Swan yard. All this will maximize the interaction among naval architect, engineers, and boat builders!

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Swan 48 – Beautiful, Brilliant and Born in Finland: Yacht Style Review

The new Swan 48 by renowned designer Germán Frers is brilliant, as Yacht Style contributor Guy Nowell discovered after flying to Finland to see for himself.

“Today is looking good,” says Vanni Galgani, Product Line Leader at Nautor’s Swan. “This could be the Finnish summer. I’ll tell you if it is, then you can take your jacket off. It’ll last about half an hour.”

Product Line Leader Vanni Galgani with the legendary designer German Frers at the helm of the Swan 48

There’s a sort of wry truth behind the flippant comments. We
are just about to step aboard the oh-so-new Swan 48 – hull number one, splashed just the day before I tested it – and the weather is just perfect for sailing, with blue skies, sunshine and 14 knots of breeze. But it’s not always like this.

The Nautor’s Swan Boat Technology Centre is in Jakobstad (Pietarsaari in Finnish) on the Gulf of Bothnia, just 330km south of the Arctic Circle.

In winter, the temperature drops below -10 ̊C, the sea freezes over and the countryside turns into a very chilly wonderland. Like Swiss watchmakers holed up in the mountains, the Swan craftsmen are indoors, building some of the very best production sailing yachts in the world.

The Swan 48 had already sold at least 25 units during its world premiere at the Cannes Yachting Festival

When the spring comes, it’s the birthing season. When the sea ice melts, the boats are launched. The sailing season here is brutally short – just six weeks or so – and all the boats that have been built over the winter have to be launched, commissioned and handed over to their new owners.

“It’s always a bit mad,” Galgani says. “Every year we plan for it, but still it’s a bit mad.”

SWAN 48, ROUND THREE

The Swan 48 is the newest addition to the Nautor’s Swan family. Except for the ClubSwan 36, which is a flat-out racing boat, the 48 is the smallest Swan to go into production for some time.

Giovanni Pomati, a recent addition to the Nautor’s Swan family himself, having been appointed CEO in September 2018, was delighted to report that 16 boats were sold before the first one was launched – and that one more was signed while we were out on the water! That’s cheerful news for Nautor’s Swan, which is reporting a full order book all the way through the size range.

Light on her feet, easy to manage, and with all the feature comforts you’d expect from the Frers drawing board, the Swan 48 is a compilation of good design

The new Swan is a Mk III version, the original 48 having been designed by Sparkman & Stephens in 1971 and the next one in 1995 by Germán Frers, who has also designed the 2019 version.

“You design to a brief,” says Frers, now 78. “Yes, it would be nice to start with just a line and a handful of imagination, but it is necessary to be more rational than that.”

He acknowledges that today’s materials allow a designer ever-greater freedom. “We can now build a great deal lighter for the same strength than ever before. Partly it is materials, partly it is engineering know-how. There is as much interior volume in this new 48 as there would have been in a 65-footer from 25 years ago.”

He looks rather pleased with himself, as if he had turned the Tardis into reality. So, what is it that gives this new Swan its appeal, even sight unseen? Pomati believes that it’s simply a matter of hitting a ‘sweet spot’ in the market.

With a place for everything, and everything in its place, the saloon works equally well when cruising or racing

“A 48-footer is a boat that can be easily handled by two people when cruising. It offers three seriously roomy cabins and two heads. It is designed as a quick boat to appeal to the ‘racer’ component of the racer/cruiser market,” says Pomati, who had previously worked in the automotive sector, spending 29 years with Pirelli Group.

“It speaks immediately to existing Swan owners looking for a replacement for an older Swan 44, 46, 461 or 48. It is attractive 
to younger customers wanting to move up the size and the quality spectrum, and is ‘right there’ for older Swan customers looking to downsize to a boat with less canvas, less load in the lines, and less hard work.”

COMPETITIVE RACER/CRUISER

At the time of testing, the boat was too new to have an IRC certificate, but Frers promises that it will be “very competitive”. Twin wheels and twin rudders means that optimum performance comes at 22-24 degrees of heel, when the ‘active’ rudder is vertical.

The Argentina-born designer also points out that “CFD analysis indicates that a smaller rudder, near vertical, and with the windward (trailing) rudder touching the water, produces significantly less drag than a single, bigger rudder at an angle. It’s just more efficient.”

The chart table disappears under the starboard sofa for extra seating room

The mast is positioned well aft on the deck, right over the keel, allowing for a big ‘J’ and an expansive foredeck. Forward of the mast, you can fly an a-sail off the end of the fixed bowsprit, or a Code 0, a jib or a staysail. The bowsprit neatly conceals a structural bracket that supports the anchor and retrieval system.

From the foot of the mast, all lines disappear into conduits leading aft to the winches, all immediately accessible from the helm. Rope tails vanish into immensely deep and capacious lockers – you’ll never have a line rolling underfoot on this boat.

All the line conduits, as well as the trench for the foldaway
 bimini, have lifting covers – no inaccessible tangles here. There’s
 no mainsheet traveller, defining this boat perhaps as a cruiser/racer rather than a racer/cruiser, but the sheeting point is lifted up on a pedestal that doubles as a leg of the cockpit table (when in use), which makes sheeting close to the centre line a good deal easier.

FINISH SUPREME

Drop down the elegant white-oak companionway into the saloon, and everything is in its proper place. There’s light – lots of light – coming in at three levels: hull windows, coachroof windows and deck hatches. There are no special surprises in the layout, no revolutionary rearrangements, but the boat looks just and absolutely right. And refreshingly, the showers are a proper size for burly sailors, too.

The beautiful forward cabin has an en-suite

There’s no sense in questioning the finish on a Swan interior, so we won’t. We have been in the factory and seen the layup of myriad interior components, and fully appreciate that these boats are constructed with an almost obsessive attention to detail and quality.

Furthermore, the Swan 48 hull is built as a one piece from glass, vinyl ester, Corecell foam core and a gelcoat finish, and then the bottom frame structure is installed in one piece. This is not only the strength and stiffening component of the boat but also the conduit for all the ‘services’ in the boat – principally water and electrical.

And then the interior is built in. Open any locker and you will find that the back panel is fabric, attached with Velcro, and all those wires hidden behind elegant joinery are in fact very easily accessible. Good design exemplified.

FRESH ON THE WATER

Out on the water, it’s a crisp summer’s day in Finland (keep your jacket on) and the boat heels to the breeze, leaning comfortably on her elbow – I could swear that it was between 22 and 24 degrees. Frers himself is on board and after a couple of tacks he pronounces himself satisfied.

Yacht Style contributor Guy Nowell takes the helm

“Of course, we are not trying to plane with a boat like this, so it’s important that both ends stay in the water, to maximise the waterline length. The fore-and-aft balance feels right, so I am happy there.”

For sure, there was some fine-tuning to be done, but sailing on flat water in nine knots of breeze and with sheets just eased, we were making 8.6 knots of boat speed.

The boat moves easily – there is no sensation of ‘loading up’, and the twin rudder set-up means that
the steering was light and responsive. In short, this boat is gentle on the helm, and any lucky owner is going to be able to eat up the cruising miles without any stress on the driver or the crew. A well-mannered boat, beautifully turned out, ready to please, and ready for adventures!

It’s €730,000 (US$820,000) for the basic model and no Swan is ever going to be described as cheap, but there are plenty of other boats out there that fit that category. For a few extra Euros, you can have a carbon mast and a 70cm crane at the top, and a v-boom that magically swallows up the main as it comes down. Owner of hull one ticked those boxes and won’t be disappointed.

The new Swan 48 is more than fit to assume the mantle of her famous predecessors, and is destined to be a boat that punches well above her weight in the competitive stakes. I’m putting my name down for hull 18. Now, where did I put my cheque book?

The original article appears in Yacht Style Issue 49. Email [email protected] for print subscription enquiries or subscribe to the Magzter version at: w ww.magzter.com/SG/Lux-Inc-Media/Yacht-Style/Fashion/

Yacht Style Issue 49: The 2019 ‘World Premieres Issue’ Out Now!

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• Digital Edition

Leonardo Ferragamo: The fashion magnate behind Nautor’s Swan’s remarkable rise

• Toby Hodges
• August 13, 2020

Fashion magnate Leonardo Ferragamo has cultivated Nautor’s Swan into the world’s most respected yacht brand. Toby Hodges find out how he did it...

Photo: Nautor's Swan

If there is one yacht marque that every sailor knows, and can probably recognise even at a distance, it’s Nautor’s Swan. This famous Finnish yard has been owned for more that 20 years by an Italian, Leonardo Ferragamo, who has not only taken it through choppy waters, including a recession and now a global pandemic, but he has helped expand it into the most ambitious, innovative yacht brand in the world.

Swan is as popular now as it has ever been, with an order book to envy. An aggressive investment strategy over recent years has revamped the firm and led to a broad range that now includes cruising and racing yachts from 36-125ft.

But how does someone whose business is in fashion come to own a yacht building company? Ferragamo insists there are strong ties between the worlds of fashion and sailing. “It is about branding, it is about international marketing, about a product that needs to be done because of the substance, the contents, the reliability and the beauty that you can put in a product.”

The ClubSwan 50 Cuordileone is Ferragamo’s eighth Swan. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

When he bought the controlling interest in Nautor’s Swan in 1998, his overriding desire was to create a high-end brand. So how and why did he do it?

I connect with Ferragamo via video, as is the custom during isolation times. He sits at a varnished table in his Florentine home, with books and family photographs backlit on the bookshelf behind him. He has a healthy glow and looks younger than his 67 years.

Leonardo is one of six children born into the Salvatore Ferragamo fashion kingdom. He admits it was a privilege, yet says it never seemed that way. “At all times it felt like we were being pushed to take the hard route in life and always working for your own result,” he says.

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Leonardo’s father Salvatore established a legacy when he became known as the shoemaker of the stars – Marilyn Monroe famously wore his 4in heels in the movie Some Like It Hot . He opened his Hollywood Boot Shop in the 1920s and, after the Wall Street Crash, he founded the headquarters of Salvatore Ferragamo in Florence in 1938, where it remains today (including a museum housing Ferragamo patents). Salvatore died in his early 60s when Leonardo was just seven years old.

Family first

Leonardo is quick to credit the success of the present day Salvatore Ferragamo business to his mother: “My mother had been the driving force of the era after my father’s passing away in 1960, having been left with six kids from 18 years old to two-and-a-half, and a company that was based only on my father, my father’s personality, his creativity, his ability to do business.”

His mother, Wanda Miletti, was over 20 years younger than Salvatore and despite having no practical experience of the business she took control of it, expanding it into the global luxury goods retailer we know today.

Ferragamo empire founder Salvatore Ferragamo, shoemaker to the stars

At this point in our discussion Ferragamo leans in towards me in considered, happy reflection: “She was left with this and she took it in a wonderful way, with modesty, but with a lot of strength, and she was able to be a fantastic mother and a great driver in the company.”

Family is important to Ferragamo. His father was one of 14, he is one of six, and he has four children of his own. He paints a picture of family unity and business acumen from an early age.

“I was number five out of six, with the rest of the family entering into the business as soon as they were out of high school. So the business environment was very dominant in my growing up and I remember that I couldn’t wait until I got out of high school too and start giving a contribution to my family activity.”

Learning the trade

Ferragamo began working in the family firm in 1973, after studying business administration. [As a time reference, this was also the year that the Swan 65 Sayula II ’s triumphant campaign in the first ever Whitbread Round the World Race began]. “I started as an assistant to my cousin who was technical production director – a fantastic person, he is now 90 years old and he puts the same passion in his business as he did when he was a young guy.”

Ferragamo has always been driven. He describes a period 40 years ago when he was helping to create a men’s line of shoes for the American market. “It was a fantastic time because we always felt the challenge of bringing to the world what was inside us, like the style, the sense of quality, the Italian aspect.”

In the late 1980s Ferragamo pushed for the international development of the family company. Up to 85% of turnover was through wholesale in the US. “So that’s when I came up with the proposal to my family ‘let me take care of the rest of the market’. I was basically living on a plane and travelling the world, which I did constantly for at least 15 years,” he explains.

Ferragamo at the helm of Cuordileone . Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

After achieving his export goals at Salvatore Ferragamo, in 2000 Leonardo moved to the family’s other holding company, Palazzo Feroni Finanziaria, which is focussed on real estate, hospitality and a chain of boutique hotels. He remains the CEO today, while he and his siblings are still directors in the Salvatore Ferragamo group. His attention was also being drawn to Nautor’s Swan.

“And then on my personal side I got involved in the nautical sector, acquiring the company that I respected the most, by far,” he stresses. “I was in love with what they were doing and I had the ambition and took the challenge of taking it through difficult times that they were facing….”

In 1998 the challenge was to build up the Nautor’s Swan brand and, says Ferragamo, take the struggling company into the third millennium.

Victory at Copa del Rey in 2019. Photo: Martina Orsini

Ferragamo the sailor

Although his family is originally from Naples, Ferragamo was born and raised in Florence. He started sailing in his teenage years with his older brother Ferruccio on a Flying Dutchman. “I just loved the racing,” he recalls, something which has repeatedly shown itself throughout his custodianship of Nautor’s Swan.

“Thereafter started a period of cruising in a very leisurely way, until I boarded a Swan for the first time.” His first yacht was a secondhand Swan 51, and that was the beginning of his infatuation with Swan yachts. “I became more and more close to the company and the strong desire to get involved in it came up very sharply,” he explains.

Buying a shipyard because you like the product could be likened to buying a restaurant after enjoying the food. And if your experience is in fashion, why gamble with something as far removed as yacht building?

The Nautor’s Swan main factory on the Gulf of Bothnia at Pietarsaari, Finland

“I felt that there were so many areas of improvement and bringing this yard the branding reputation which I thought it deserved. So after a few years thinking about it, it happened.”

“Out of a yard I wanted to create a brand,” Ferragamo explains. “Becoming a brand means you want to control all the key ingredients that are around your product.” Ferragamo placed immediate emphasis on product development.

“It was about modernity, new systems, new constructions, new materials – product is always key. But at the same time it’s also about taking care of your customers… being close to all your customers is very important,” he believes.

Ferragamo with long-time Swan designer German Frers

Ferragamo was also quick to establish a bond with someone he felt critical to the continuity of the yard. German Frers had been the primary designer for Nautor’s Swan since the early 1980s (and remains so today).

“There is no [greater mark of] success for a product than to be recognised, identified when you see it at a distance, when you don’t read the brand name but know it is a Swan. To preserve that identity, that quality, it was paramount to do it with one [designer].”

Strength in the brand

Ferragamo presided over the yard with a respectful approach. Change was not abrupt. He moved Nautor’s main offices in Finland to its current facility by the water in Pietarsaari in 2002. He also looked to strengthen the Swan ‘family’, which he has achieved through events, racing and the development of the ClubSwan line.

He explains how they built on the bedrock of the existing Swan Cup, with other Swan branded events including the Swan European and American regattas.

Ferragamo still enjoys handicap racing, but during his more recent tenure there has been a steady shift towards one-design racing within Nautor’s Swan. He argues that this makes for an efficient purchase and higher resale price – and lower running costs for a high level of racing.

He also champions an owner-driver rule. “Maybe it will take him some time to perform at the best but there is so much pleasure in doing it your own way, learning from your own mistakes and challenging yourself.”

Ferragamo and the Nautor’s Swan founder, Pekka Koskenkylä. Photo: Linda Tallroth-Paananen

Nautor’s Swan’s robust return to the one-design world came in 2016 and for Ferragamo personally this was a second lease of racing life. He wanted to mark Nautor’s 50th anniversary in an appropriate way and rather than just look back at the past, they sought an innovative new product to take them forward. No one can deny that they developed one in the ClubSwan 50.

Together with the ClubSwan 36 , which launched last year, Swan and designer Juan Kouyoumdjian have produced two of the boldest, most radical production yachts to date.

Ferragamo has been actively racing his own ClubSwan 50 Cuordileone and clearly remains besotted. When developing the project, he particularly wanted to introduce a special competition for Swan owners to enjoy. This has become the biannual Nations Trophy, around which a whole league of racing has formed. It had 41 One Design yachts from 14 countries participating in the second edition held last October in Palma.

The names of Ferragamo’s yachts are a reference to, or amalgamation of, his children’s names, including his cruising yacht, the Swan 115 Solleone . Photos: Carlo Borlenghi

I can’t help but to wonder how the racing side equates financially, particularly when we have seen a rapid decline in yacht racing in recent years. Ferragamo concedes that the majority of the Swan business is in cruising yachts, but feels that the racing format they have developed is “something we owe to the sailing industry.”

Nautor’s Swan today

In the past few years Ferragamo and his shareholders have invested heavily in Nautor’s Swan. They have pumped over €10m into the waterside Boatbuilding Technology Centre (BTC) in Pietarsaari, which involved relocating three manufacturing plants to create a more efficient production system.

Its range is perhaps the broadest of any manufacturer, with six new models in production and turnover has responded accordingly, rising by 55% last year thanks to a €120m order book and the delivery of 28 yachts.

Swan 115 Solleone ’s grand saloon

It’s abundantly clear that Ferragamo’s enthusiasm for Swan remains as fervent as ever. “There are areas I feel tremendously at heart and I will always be present in those,” he says of his personal input today.

“One is product development, which is something I feel extremely strongly about. I just love to be involved and try to give a contribution in what is developed.”

Ferragamo sees the secret to his success as growing up in a challenging family: “It was very important – challenging with serious and very deep values and principles.

Victory at the Rolex Swan Cup Caribbean in 2017. Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

“And I feel my Neopolitan blood has given me the passion and determination to pursue the things I believe in. I only move when I have a strong feeling about what I am supposed to do.

“We say ‘throw your heart over the obstacle’ – so let your determination, your vision, your passion, move you forward.”

Ferragamo in brief

Alle Querce College, Florence, graduated in 1972 University of Imede, Lausanne, Switzerland, Business Administration Degree, graduated in 1980

Current titles

CEO Palazzo Feroni Finanziaria Chairman of Lungarno Alberghi Director of Salvatore Ferragamo, Ferragamo Finanziaria and Executive Vice-President of Fondazione Ferragamo Honorary chairman of Altagamma Founder and chairman of Associazione Partners Palazzo Strozzi Chairman of Nautor Holding, which owns Nautor’s Swan, Camper & Nicholsons and Marina di Scarlino Honorary Member of Academy of Fine Arts of Florence Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland Honorary Consul General of Finland for the regions of Tuscany and Umbria Member of Fondazione CR Firenze

Career highs

“I like to think that I’m a good father, which is an important thing that I will treasure.”

Career lows

“Sometimes you should learn from mistakes and do it again in the proper way rather than moving to something else.”

Favourite yacht

“At the moment it is the ClubSwan 50. It has given me the same passion and adrenaline I had when I was racing the Flying Dutchman. I also have the privilege of my cruising yacht, a 115ft Swan, which I adore.”

Sailing hero

“Olin Stephens. We met when he was in his mid 90s and he had his laptop under his arm with all the files of all the boats he had designed. And of course he was the first designer of Swans.”

Business icon

“As a person? Enzo Ferrari.”

First published in the July 2020 issue of Yachting World.