Photo: Nautor’s Swan / Studio Borlenghi
Nautor’s Swan is very grateful to the people at ACI who placed their trust in us when the ClubSwan 36 was still in the start-up stage. Together with ACI Sail, we are preparing many great things for the future.
Since its inception in 1966, Nautor’s Swan has become globally respected as a brand that has innovation, precision and elegance at its core. If only two words could be used to describe the Finnish manufacturer, they would be – nautical perfection.
The owners of Swans are members of a special circle of sailing enthusiasts, lovers of regattas and the tradition that is written into the name of Swan; and Enrico Chieffi, the company’s vice-president, has managed to strike a perfect balance between the past, present and future of this legendary brand.
The arrival of this great Italian sailor and businessman to Split for the European Star Championship was a perfect occasion to talk about Nautor’s Swan, the partnership with ACI in the ACI Sail project, America’s Cup, his love of sailing and so on.
What is Nautor’s Swan Experience and, for you, what defines a Swan?
The experience of sailing and owning a Nautor’s Swan is unique because it is the best brand in the world. Swan was initially a name for great and comfortable sailing boats performing like racing boats, but with the ClubSwan line, we also got the most modern sailing boats in the world that have actually won the most prestigious regattas. Today, we have the Swan line characterised by comfort and luxury, which is oriented towards people who enjoy being at sea, and the ClubSwan line, where we work and will work in the future on boats that push the boundaries of sailing design, modern sailing technology and sailing performance at sea. Defining Nautor’ Swan is very difficult because it’s not just a boat at sea, but a lot of other things that come with it. For me, Nautor’s Swan is emotion. Love of beautiful things and love of the sea. Every Swan sailing boat is a combination of beauty, style, performance, quality, great tradition and the art of boatbuilding.
What is your favourite Swan design?
A lot of Swan boats have come down in the history of the boating industry, but the Swan 45 is especially close to my heart because it was our first boat that evolved into a high-performance sailing boat. Even today, 20 years after that project, when I see it at sea, I can only say ‘Wow!’ The Swan 45 is one of the icons in the company’s history.
