Swan 128 Yacht Topping Nautor Swan’s Maxi Range

Performance sailing superyachts are a specialty of Nautor Swan. If you thought that the ClubSwan 125 yacht was one of the more impressive racers and cruisers in one, the Swan 128 yacht should equally impress. Construction is well underway for delivery of hull number one next year.

The carbon-composite model, adhering to RINA classification, stands out for several reasons. Firstly, and significantly, the Swan 128 yacht will be the largest of the Swan maxis when she launches next year. If you really want to get technical, though, she’ll be the second-largest maxi in its history. Nautor Swan built a Swan 131 in 2006.

Secondly, this 128-footer (39-meter) continues a design direction started with the Swan 88 and Swan 108. In brief, she features a semi-raised deck saloon, yet remains low in profile. Further picking up from these smaller maxis, she dedicates the forward area below to owners. And finally, she’s optimized for performing in various conditions, including light winds.

In terms of styling, Lucio Micheletti penned the deckhouse with large windows to let in abundant light. Even with that, the deckhouse remains sleek and unobtrusive. It additionally he played with light and shadow to lend her what he calls “quayside speed.”

The cockpit, meanwhile, has the same three-section layout that you’ll find aboard all Swans. Guests get the forward area, by the deckhouse, with a sprayhood and bimini. (A rigid retractable bimini is optional.) Owners can arrange this area as they so wish, if the standard configuration doesn’t appeal. It features two C-shaped settee facing each other across tables, adjacent to an aft-facing sunbed. The second of the three cockpit sections is the steering and control area, with direct access to the crew’s quarters below. The last, and aft-most cockpit section is the beach club. Request the optional opening transom platform for a bigger beach club experience.

Since the forward area below decks aboard the Swan 128 yacht is for owners, you get a full-beam suite. Join your guests in the central elevated saloon. Keep it as a typical conversation and dining area, or take up the offer for day beds by the windows (below). A further idea: convert the TV lounge off the saloon into a formal dining area for 10. Just as flexible are the three guest staterooms, capable of including double beds, twins, and pullman berths. All that’s left to choose are the décor materials, including woods like oak, with Nautor Swan’s in-house team and Misa Poggi.

Layout choices extend to the crew area, too. The double crew mess, for instance, can instead be a single mess and an adjacent stowage area. Either way, the galley, with an island and sizable for a sailing superyacht, is separate. Nautor Swan has a dedicated laundry room as well, near the aft companionway. A handy workshop is at the crew’s disposal as well, adjacent to the engine room, which is beneath the saloon.

In true Swan tradition, the Swan 128 yacht can go from cruising long distances to racing without having to undergo modifications. German Frers has engineered her for a 20-degree heel in optimal conditions and to perform well at different speeds. In fact, velocity-prediction program calculations predict top speeds well upwards of 17 knots. Overall, Frers and Nautor Swan anticipate the sailplan delivering excitement in light winds and still being controllable in challenging conditions. Your crew also should find she responds quickly to the wheel even for her LOA.

One last fact is among the most remarkable of all. Hull number one of the Swan 128 yacht series will be the 1,400^th Nautor Swan for Frers’ studio. The shipyard and design team have been working together for 40 years. Significantly, the last decade has seen 13 entirely new models, seven of which exceed 80 feet (24 meters). The 80-foot mark is the starting point for all Maxi Swan series.

Frers Naval Architecture & Engineering germanfrers.net

Nautor Swan nautorswan.com