[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Tra i velisti c’è un vecchio modo di dire: una barca bella è anche una barca veloce. La bellezza, l’eleganza, la sensazione visiva di armonia ed equilibrio diventano quindi gli indicatori esteriori delle qualità intrinseche della progettazione e della costruzione di uno yacht a vela. Se questa fosse una definizione scientifica si chiamerebbe Swan Theorem.
The shipyard was born in 1966 from the passion of a Finnish gentleman, Pekka Koskenkylabegan its activity with the mass production of a 36-foot hull designed by what were then the greatest yacht design gurus, Sparkman&Stephens. The boat's commercial success was immediate. It was elegant, well-built, solid and above all seaworthy. That is to say, able to sail in perfect safety even in the weather conditions typical of the seas of Northern Europe. Even today there are still dozens of Swan 36 models still sailing in the seas halfway around the world.
The somewhat magical thing about the history of this site is that from the outset its production was characterised by uncompromising quality at all levels: yacht design, construction materials, deck equipment, plant engineering. And that this quality was immediately perceived, almost guessed - one might say - by many ship owners on both sides of the Atlantic. If we think of the many MBAs that teach how to produce business plans to start successful companies, which then fail miserably, we have to laugh a little. Pekka Koskenkyla did not need no school of managementHe only followed his own ideas on how boats should be made. And he continued to follow them until his death. I wonder if they teach the subject Coherence in the prestigious MBAs.
The owner of the first 36-footer, named Tarantellawas a British racing enthusiast. As mentioned above, it surprised hardly anyone that this elegant boat also proved to be damn fast. The excellent racing results immediately expanded the client base of the fledgling Finnish yard, which also put into production a 37-footer and a 41, also designed by the New York studio.
Shortly before Christmas 1969, production came to a halt due to a serious fire that destroyed much of the plant and hulls under construction. But the founder did not lose heart, sold part of the shares to gain liquidity and rebuilt everything. In the following years Swan production focuses on the high-end of the marketboats of up to 55 feet. Boats with luxurious interiors, made of high quality materials and which despite this - because of the weight involved - reaped frequent success in regattas around the world. We recall here by way of example the victory of the Swan 65 Sayula II he first Whitbread Round the World Race in 1974.
The Frers era begins
In 1979 the history of the shipyard experienced another highlight, the new Swans were designed by a young Argentinean naval architect who would shortly become one of the global stars of yacht design: German Frers. The Swan's peculiar combination of elegance, sportiness and build quality finds new ways of expression, more in line with the new demands of the time, in a historical phase in which yachting is no longer a matter for wealthy aristocrats or financial tycoons, widening its pool of enthusiasts.
In 1998 the Nautor shipyard was acquired by Leonardo Ferragamofashion entrepreneur. At first the international yachting industry, especially on the Anglo-Saxon side, turned up its nose. It is feared that it is an operation that aims only at branding, penalising the intrinsic quality that has always distinguished the Finnish shipyard's production. Instead, the Italian entrepreneur brings a new air into the yard by promoting a number of commercial innovations, increasing the number of production facilities and expanding the Swan range. Ferragamo's main contributions, Passionate sailor and Swan owner since boyhoodwere essentially twofold: to push even harder on the sportiness of Swans, creating one-design classes in which owners could compete on an equal footing without the hassles and distortions of various ratings; to focus on a very high level commercial segment, that of the fully customised hulls of 30 metres and morei.e. not standard but created specifically for a specific owner.
Nautor's Swan: where the swan flies
Today Nautor's Swan is an even stronger brand than yesterday, fully embedded in the contemporary world. A company that generates profits and employment, and demonstrating that Italian entrepreneurship is capable of exceptional resultswhen it is not held back by hypertrophic bureaucracy and inadequate legislation.
The yard's latest extraordinary success marks another turning point in yacht design. The new Club Swan 50 is designed by another Argentinian yacht designer with an outstanding pedigree in ocean racing: Juan Kouyoumdjian. The young talent, a graduate of the prestigious University of Southampton, has created a boat that has succeeded in combining typical Swan elegance with the naughtiness of a true racer, leaving all enthusiasts open-mouthed and snatching from many commentators definitions such as "the new hot thing" and "the most sexy sailing boat in the world". The Swan never ceases to excite, today as yesterday and, we are sure, as tomorrow.
Sources: Marinamagazine.co.uk[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][mk_button dimension=”outline” corner_style=”full_rounded” size=”medium” icon=”mk-icon-home” url=”/” align=”center” margin_top=”30″ margin_bottom=”0″ margin_right=”0″]Torna alla Home[/mk_button][/vc_column][/vc_row]
