Owners in Japan and Australia are among the first 16 buyers of the Swan 48, a stunning sales figure confirmed three months before the sailing yacht’s world premiere at the Cannes Yachting Festival from September 10-15. The respective yachts will be on display at the Japan International Boat Show next March and the Sydney International Boat Show in August 2020.

The Swan 48 is the latest stunning new model from the Finnish builder

Olivier Decamps, Asia Pacific Regional Director for Nautor’s Swan, said: “The client in Japan is an experienced yachtsman who will enjoy fast, easy cruising within Japan waters. The Australian customer is a very experienced yachtsman who owns other yachts, too. He will do some cruising and also enter local races, plus offshore races like the Rolex Sydney Hobart.”

Following the 78 launched last year and the 65 that premiered
 at Boot Dusseldorf this January, the Swan 48 is designed by German Frers and is able to be comfortably managed by a couple. The standard layout includes a forward master suite with en-suite and two cabins aft – a guest to port and a VIP to starboard, by the shared bathroom.

“The model has many selling points including the size, below 15m, the amazing lines by German Frers, the generous sail plan that gives great sailing performance, and the inherent build quality of Nautor’s Swan,” Decamps said. “The most popular size in the APAC region is around 50ft and I think we’ll progressively see customers for larger models who will keep their yacht in the Med.”

The interior of the first Swan 48, which will have its world premiere at Cannes in September

Decamps was also delighted with the recent appointment of Shenzhen Hone Ocean Culture Communication as the Finnish yard’s new Chinese agent, confirming another important presence in the region.

Hone’s services include brand promotion, yacht management and maintenance, chartering, sail training and providing professional crew for regattas. It has branches in many coastal cities including Xiamen, Shenzhen, Sanya, Haikou, Dalian, Qingdao and Shanghai.

“We are delighted to welcome Shenzhen Hone Ocean Culture Communication to our growing network of agents in Asia-Pacific and worldwide. Hone has been in the yachting industry for over 10 years, developing the yachting market,” Decamps said.

“They have the expertise to position Nautor’s Swan at the very highest level in this huge, almost untouched market. Moreover, we believe the Chinese territory offers great opportunities to Nautor’s Swan, for all the lines of the fleet, either for cruising yachts as well as for the ClubSwan range for one-design racing.”

The new painting box in the expanded Nautor’s Swan Boatbuilding Technology Center

Back in Finland, the Nautor’s Swan Boatbuilding Technology Centre (BTC) entered its next phase in May following the completion of a €10.5 million investment in upgrading the existing building and create an additional 9,935sqm facility, work that started in 2017.

The new facilities are dedicated to new joinery and high-tech lamination operations, with an oven for post curing and halls for painting, grinding and polishing, as well as areas for warehousing and logistics.

Giovanni Pomati, Nautor’s Group CEO, said: “All manufacturing activities now located in the same place imply a better organisation and logistical operations, with a gain in efficiency and quality. In fact, the proximity between the engineering department and manufacturing enables an upgrade in our production.”

The original article appears in Yacht Style Issue 48. Email subscribe@lux-inc.com for print subscription enquiries or subscribe to the Magzter version at: www.magzter.com/SG/Lux-Inc-Media/Yacht-Style/Fashion/

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