THE LATEST SENSATIONS IN BUILD AND SOON TO LAUNCH
Swan 128
Unveiled at last year’s Monaco Yacht Show, the Swan 128 is the second largest yacht ever for the Finnish yard and the largest in its current Maxi range. Construction is at an early stage, with the mould still being built around the finished plug.
The Swan 128 draws on the naval architecture of Germán Frers, exterior design of Lucio Micheletti and an interior by Misa Poggi. And the result is very much part of the Swan family – afamiliar, low-profile hull with a semi-raised coachroof.
This is an all-carbon yacht designed for long ocean voyages, but with the pace to hold its own at a superyacht regatta without any dramatic transformation. Frers commissioned a full CFD study from Cape Horn Engineering to optimise the shape of the canoe body in all conditions. ORC (Offshore Racing Congress) velocity predictions for the boat show it matching true wind speed up to 14 knots, and topping out around 17-18 knots – although Frers said the aim was to exceed this with careful engineering and optimisation.
A 6.2m telescopic keel and twin rudders as far outboard as possible offer good performance potential.
A full-beam owner’s cabin and bathroom fills the bow, and there are a further guest double and two twin cabins. A flexible lounge, office or dining area gives way to the saloon, which is raised a few steps with views out of the coachroof windows over low bulwarks.
The deck, coachroof and coaming are decked with wood. Swan’s characteristic long guest cockpit can be covered for shade and upholstery runs to seating and a pair of huge sunpads. There’s independent crew access to the twin helm stations further aft. A 4.5m tender can be carried inside the cavernous fold-down transom, which converts into a large beach club.
The boat is scheduled for launch in 2025.
LOA: 38.98m 127ft 8in
LWL: 35.94m 117ft 8in
Beam: 8.65m 28ft 3in
Draught: 4.70m 15ft 3in
Displacement: 122.8 tonnes
Wally 101
Full custom yachts don’t come much fleeter than this all-carbon flier from Wally, which is based on the famous Wallycento box rule. It will displace around 56 tonnes when finally delivered this spring, 40% of which is ballast – not bad for a 101ft yacht! The hull itself is a sandwich construction in pre-preg carbon fibre and was joined to the deck last autumn. The boat was recently painted snow white and sea trials will follow shortly.
Like most Wally yachts, the 101 will include Magic Trim and Magic Traveller systems for easy short-handed sail handling using hydraulic cylinders hidden inside the hull. The owner is a Wally veteran and loves to race, so the rig is designed for power. There’s a 110% genoa and square-top mainsail
