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Nautor Swan restores Tarantella
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Launched in 1967, the first Swan 36 is preparing to sail in this year’s Rolex Swan Cup and Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, as well as Cowes Week 2027.
On September 23, 1966, Pekka Koskenkylä registered Koskenkylä & Co, the company that would become Nautor AB in 1970. From the outset, Koskenkylä commissioned Sparkman & Stephens to design fibreglass yachts at a time when the material was still considered a pioneering technology. In July 1967, the shipyard launched its first yacht, a Swan 36 named Tarantella.
In June 2026, the company displayed the 59-year-old yacht at its shipyard in Jakobstad following an extensive restoration. The iconic yacht was honoured during Nautor Swan’s 60th anniversary celebrations, which brought together authorities, employees, partners, sailing enthusiasts and members of the local community.
The special occasion featured outgoing CEO Giovanni Pomati, his successor Gianguido Girotti, and Massimo Perotti, Chairman of the Sanlorenzo Group, which acquired Nautor Swan in 2024.
Perotti said: “I am proud to be here and to see the first yacht carrying the wonderful Swan name. I could truly sense what makes the Swan world so remarkable: the emotion, the deep connection with the sea and the strength of an authentic legacy. I am proud to see our community continue to grow.
“Thanks to the refit team, all the partners and yacht clubs who supported this project, and everyone who helped transform this brand into a legend.”
North Sail, B&G (Navico Group) and Harken are among almost 20 technical partners involved in the project, while participating yacht clubs include the Royal Swedish Yacht Club (Sweden), Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (Italy), Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez (France) and the Royal Yacht Squadron (UK). The clubs will play a key role in Tarantella’s multi-year sailing programme.
Having bid farewell to well-wishers and departed to sail in the Gulf of Bothnia, as she did in 1967, Tarantella will sail to Sandhamn, east of Stockholm, to compete in Sweden’s Gotland Runt (Round Gotland) from June 28-July 1.
She will then head to the Nautor Swan Global Service base in Badalona, Spain, where, in early September, Nautor Swan founder Pekka Koskenkylä will join the project and sail aboard the yacht.
Later that month, Tarantella will compete in the Rolex Swan Cup (September 14-19) in Porto Cervo, Italy. She will be among a record fleet of more than 130 Swan yachts, exceeding the participation achieved during the brand’s 50th anniversary.
Following the regatta, Tarantella will stop in Bonifacio on her way to compete in the Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez (September 26-October 4). Her provisional 2027 schedule includes Cowes Week in the UK.
