In 1966 the yacht ‘Tarantella’ was launched having been commissioned by Finnish boatbuilder Pekka Koskenkylä. At that time, no-one could have known that this yacht was the start of the Nautor Swan story, with 2,350 of the finest yachts now built by the yard.

Tarantella was the first Swan 36, designed by Sparkman & Stephens to both compete in the One Ton Cup as well as serving as a cruising yacht. It’s this crossover which became the hallmark of Nautor Swan, producing yachts to race at the very highest level, whilst also affording a level of comfort which others could only aspire to.

As a debut, the Swan 36 was a huge success, with a total of ninety produced over five years and the Finnish yard was up and running. This also proved to be the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership with Sparkman & Stephens, or S&S as they are widely known, leading to twenty yacht and motoryacht designs.

From early on Swan meant style. The fine craftsmanship and timeless, classical lines attracted connoisseurs of sailing who appreciated the finer things in life. Nautor Swan yachts turn the heads of sailors and non-sailors alike.

Nautor Swan yachts are built for the harshest conditions, and in 1973-74, the Swan 65 ‘Sayula II’ won the inaugural 27,000-mile Whitbread Round the World Race, which was the first-ever fully crewed race around the world.

The inaugural Swan World Championship was held in August 1980 at Porto Cervo, Sardinia, hosted by the iconic Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, forging a long-lasting partnership which exists to this day. With some of the finest sailing waters on the planet, owners mark the date of the event in their calendars long in advance to ensure they can attend, with over a hundred yachts regularly competing.

 This marked the start of Nautor Swan’s association with celebrated destinations, with events now being hosted at stunning venues such as Scarlino in Tuscany, Bonifacio in Corsica, Sorrento in southern Italy, St Barths in the Caribbean and Newport in the USA. 

 In 1999 ClubSwan was established, with the aim of enhancing the Swan community and racing experience, with the Swan 45 initially used to provide the first One-Design racing in 2002.

 ClubSwan moved from community to design with the launch of the ClubSwan 42 in 2005, in collaboration with the New York Yacht Club, to provide a One Design yacht for Corinthian sailing at the club.

More recently, the ClubSwan 50, a new era of high performance yacht designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian in 2015, took this concept global and led to a dedicated race circuit, and the development of the ClubSwan 36 in 2019, the mighty ClubSwan 125 in 2021, and the sporty ClubSwan 28 in 2024, which is raced in the Mediterranean and the USA.

There are Swan Cruiser Racer Series held around the world, including the Solent, North America, Asia, the Mediterranean and Nordics meaning, wherever you are in the world, you’re never far from a Swan community.

To this day Nautor Swan yachts compete and win at the very highest level, with the Swan 80 ‘My Song’ winning at the 2023 Regate dei Tre Golfi in the maxi class, and the Swan 75 ‘Maimai’ claiming line honours in the 2024 ARC - the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers.

The combination of style and high performance made it natural that Henri-Lloyd became the official sportswear partner to Nautor Swan and the official partner of ClubSwan, appreciated on the water for the very best technical sailing apparel, and finely tailored polos and jackets ashore.

In August 2024 it was announced that the Italian luxury yacht manufacturer Sanlorenzo had acquired Nautor Swan, bringing together two great brands, allowing them to develop advanced, innovative and sustainable solutions, while retaining the unique identity of Swan yachts.

The Nautor Swan story continues to evolve, as the most prestigious marque in the sailing world continues to lead the way in both racing and cruising. Longevity, quality and refinement remain the hallmarks which define the yachts in this diamond jubilee year, and will continue to do so for the years to come.