Nautor’s Swan has launched its first Swan 115 sailing yacht, which is soon to be test sailed and delivered to her owner Leonardo Ferragamo, director of Salvatore Ferragamo and chairman of Nautor's Swan.
Boat International stepped on board the new launch Swan 115 at the yard in Pietarsaari, Finland and spoke with Nautor’s Swan VP Enrico Chieffi about the success of the new flagship.
The newly launched Swan 115 S is the first of four sister ships in build with Swan. Impressively, all four of the 35.2 metre Swan 115 sailing superyachts were ordered within six months of one another.
“The most exciting thing [about the 115] is it’s really a step forward in yacht design,” Enrico Chieffi told Boat International. “Its success with very prominent owners in the industry is really telling of how successful and forward-looking this concept is.”
The first Swan 115 will launch in time for the summer sailing season, after having had the deck installed over the winter. Hull No 1 is a 115 S, a semi-raised saloon version designed for cruising. The second Swan 115 hull, sold by the yard in January, is an FD, or flush deck model, with sporty lines and configured for high performance and cruising capabilities. Swan 115 hull No 2 is due to launch in September 2015.
Hulls 3 and 4 will be designed for even higher performance; these stripped down racers will forgo live aboard accommodations and even windows to save weight and be real contenders on the racecourse.
“The goal of Swan is to always be on the forward edge of design, even though we never try to ‘test’ on our customers,” Chieffi said. “The 115 is probably the most modern yacht we design at the moment.”
Designed by German Frers, the Swan 115 sailing superyachts are to be constructed in carbon from a female mould and built completely in-house at Nautor’s. The Swan 115 series features a wide stern, twin rudders an a high grade steel keel blade with a T-bulb. She is also offered with a lifting keel option.
Options also abound for the interior arrangements; offering the owner’s cabin aft or forward along with three of four guest staterooms and an option for a separate dining area from saloon. She will accommodate up to six crew members.
While the Swan 115 is just hitting the water, plans are already in the works for a new flagship – a Swan 130 – which will be revealed fully at the Monaco Yacht Show this year.