A new Maxi joins the Swan family... Behind the scenes
by ClubSwan 30 Sep 2023 00:29 PDT
A new Maxi joins the family.. © ClubSwan
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, CTOO Michelangelo Casadei, and Head of Product Marketing Vanni Galgani. Also present were the Project Managers Anders Bertlin and Kim Sundkvist and the owner's reps Odo Giordo, Ulysse Harin, Daniel Calascione and Andrea Ratti who worked on the latest Swan Maxis. The designer and naval architect Germán Frers and the architects Lucio Micheletti of Micheletti and Partners and Misa Poggi were present as well. The talk was moderated by the journalist Clare Mahon.
"This year's talk included an overview of behind the scenes at Nautor - after the previous talks featuring our designers, we wanted to give the stage to those working behind the scenes, making these beautiful boats a reality". Says Giovanni Pomati, Nautor Group CEO. "Having a great team you can rely on, is something wonderful and certainly makes the job easier. Having an international team working together with their cultural differences makes a project unique, makes a Swan a Swan!".
The talk opened with some words from President Leonardo Ferragamo who explained his unique viewpoint as both a shipyard President and the owner and passionate sailor of a long series of Maxi yachts on what sparks the desire for a new Maxi yacht. Considerations on larger dimensions and different deck and interior layouts were mentioned, but in Ferragamo's words the real catalyst for the desire to build a new yacht lies in technological innovation.
CEO Giovanni Pomati went on to explain the process that lies behind the creation of new Swan Maxis such as the 108 on display at the Monaco Yacht Show and gave some news about the second hull in the Swan 128 that has now been sold, with a hybrid propulsion.
The talk was also the occasion to present the latest addition to the Swan Maxi Family: the Swan 100. As Pomati pointed out in his closing words, no other shipyard today offers as complete a gamma of Maxi sailing yachts as Nautor Swan with four models for owners to chose from: the 88 including its full electric version, the 108 on display at Monaco, the 128 and now the 100. Pomati spoke in depth of the new Swan 100, created by what he called "a dream team" composed of Frers, Micheletti and Poggi, plus the internal Engineering Team, pointing out how every innovation implemented on a Swan Maxi is more of an evolution than a revolution.
"Every project has its own story and when I started working on the Swan 98 I can always remember the good moments, even though we had some trying times". Commented Odo Giordo, Swan 98 Be Cool and Swan 128-001 Owner's rep. "When we launched the Swan 98, because of the pandemic we needed to transfer her from Finland to the Med on a cargo ship and when she arrived in Sardinia we were sailing in 28 knots of Mistral without any problems. Unusual for a brand new boat. This experience made me think I wanted to start another project with Nautor...and here we are, the Swan 128".
Nautor's know-how and experience in building both racing and cruising yachts has been incorporated into the Swan 100 to create a sailing yacht with full carbon fibre construction and lines that speak of performance.
The Swan 100's hull lines, designed by Germán Frers, are an evolution on previous Swan Maxis. The bow is straight with a low bowsprit for easy sail handling and safe anchoring and the low coach roof is set behind the mast for a balanced yet aggressive look with a long, clean foredeck area. The opening transom forms a combined beach club and toys storage area that is a focus point of on board lifestyle.
"I'm working with Nautor Swan more than ever and never making a revolution, but always an evolution to give continuity to the heritage of the brand." Said Germán Frers, Naval Architect.
Lucio Micheletti and his studio Micheletti + Partners have created a light, easy to use and safe deck setup that features a large and well-protected guest cockpit and a harmonious combination of wooden decking and white hull areas balanced by glazed surfaces to let light into the interior.
Interiors designed by Misa Poggi show how Swan updates and tailors its offerings to every new hull model. While several layouts are in development, the first Swan 100 will have a full beam en suite owners cabin fore, two further guest cabins and a VIP cabin with its own entrance just off the light-filled companionway. A galley adjacent to the saloon is designed for owners who enjoy cooking and a lobby space off the galley can also be used for batteries in case a hybrid propulsion system is chosen. Crew quarters aft are spacious so that crew can live comfortably on board for the duration of an entire charter season.
The aesthetics of the entire project are highly refined and come as a result of Nautor Swan's constant process of Maxi yacht evolution. The talk concluded with Pomati mentioning a new Maxi project under development at Nautor Swan, the 148 that will be the shipyard's new flagship.