With all of the major international yacht shows finally back, more yachting clients are getting first-person looks at projects whose progress they’ve been following the past few years. Among these is the Swan 98, which premiered at last week’s Cannes Yachting Festival. She’s a combination high-performance cruiser and competitor in keeping with Nautor’s Swan history. Simultaneously, she offers enough choices for buyers of this semi-custom series to feel as if they have a sailing superyacht uniquely their own.
At Nautor Swan’s invitation, Misa Poggi created three design packages from which to choose. Unlike the first Swan 98, Be Cool, which has the Traditional Navy interior package, this Swan 98, hull number two, has the Timeless Classic décor. Therefore, natural linen fabrics, white cottons and leathers, as well as light-, brown-, and putty-toned leathers set the color scheme. So, too, does light durmast wood. (The third décor package, the aptly named Wine Cowes, features shades of wine and red with white, plus Canaletto walnut.) “The design philosophy is based on the fact that the past and future are tradition and innovation that merge together,” Poggi explains, “without any useless extremism or virtuosity.” It was important to use natural and traditional materials, as well as the shipyard’s craftsmanship. She continues, “All this contributes to creating aesthetic value which goes beyond fashion and trends, interpreting a client’s dreams and requirements.”
With three guest staterooms and a full-beam master—either forward or aft, your choice—the Swan 98 has togetherness at heart. The open-plan saloon and dining area makes for a seamless transition between conversation time and meal time, for instance. It also gets plenty of natural light from the coachroof. Outside, meanwhile, the open foredeck can be the perfect sunning spot in a quiet anchorage. While sailing, the crew can use it for line handling. You and your guests can soak up the sun or dine amid the settees in the aft cockpit, too. Alternately, a sprayhood can extend out from the coachroof if you’d prefer a little shade. And, yet another sunning area is further aft, sheltered by the coamings. While the Swan 98 is underway, the same space aids the crew in line handling.
Together with Germán Frers of Frers Naval Architecture and Engineering, Nautor’s Swan offers several performance-impacting options. Firstly, the Swan 98 can have a telescopic keel, if you’d like to cruise in some relatively shallow waters. If you’re a competitor at heart, request the racing package. It incorporates a square-top mainsail with running backstays. You further get a double-length bowsprit for fast reaching with masthead gennakers. Top it all off with push-button sailing, and the oceans of the world await.
Frers Naval Architecture & Engineering germanfrers.net
Nautor’s Swan nautorswan.com
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