Because of the pandemic, avid sailors had to wait until this past September to see a highly anticipated new series from Nautor’s Swan. The Swan 98 debuted at the Cannes Yachting Festival in the form of hull number two, Drifter Cube. Better yet, Drifter Cube realized a significant accomplishment several short weeks later, being the fifth yacht to cross the finish line in the ARC Rally. Furthermore, she took top line honors in the cruising division. The footage here is from her 2,700-nautical-mile journey, completed in 13 days.
The ARC Rally is the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, an annual race across the Atlantic that typically takes about three weeks. Its inaugural event in 1986 drew about 200 yachts, and the ARC Rally has attracted close to that amount pretty much every year since. The founder, Jimmy Cornell, wanted to create a transatlantic event for amateurs, adding enjoyment to the long ocean crossing and thereby forging new relationships between sailing enthusiasts. That spirit continues to this day.
Drifter Cube certainly embraced this spirit. Initially, she intended to participate in the ARC Rally in 2020, but the pandemic convinced the crew otherwise. So, a long year’s wait finally ended in Spain on November 21, 2021, when she and the full fleet departed. Within a week, this Swan 98 sailing superyacht was leading cruising overall. In fact, she was the lead in a fleet counting more than 141 yachts from 38 countries.
Rather than simply showing scenes of the yacht powering through waves, which are typical transatlantic images, the Drifter Cube crew provide you with a few “slices of life aboard” moments in this video. So, for instance, you’ll see them enjoying meals together, and a particularly phenomenal bird’s-eye view from atop the mast. Though, plenty of ocean scenery is here as well. The Drifter Cube crew even had a big pod of dolphins playfully accompanying them at one point. Finally, the sunsets looked pretty spectacular.
The yacht pulled into St. Lucia in early December, and is spending the rest of the winter season enjoying the Caribbean. If you happen to encounter the crew, be sure to congratulate them.
Nautor’s Swan nautorswan.com
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