swan yacht 108

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

First look: Swan 108 – new maxi-era Swan

• Toby Hodges
• October 11, 2023

The New Swan 108 looks to be another stunner from Nautor Swan with sleek lines and a powerful hull shape combining to deliver top-notch performance

Product Overview

Nautor’s latest model – billed as being the first in the yard’s new Maxi Swan era – was launched in June this year and underwent sea trials in Finland’s Gulf of Ostrobothnia, ahead of the Monaco Yacht Show (September 27-30).

The yacht is the result of a collaboration between naval architect German Frers, interior designer Misa Poggi, and Lucio Micheletti who was responsible for exterior styling. The first images emphasise stunning sleek lines and a powerful twin-rudder hull shape, with a wide transom and soft chines aft.

Hull and deck are of full carbon, while the four spreader rig sets a near 350m2 (6,977ft2) of upwind sail area. Yet the high form stability hull is designed to limit heel angles to under 20º, even when close-hauled, for comfort at sea. Two principle keel options are offered: a fixed 4.9m (16ft 1in) draught fin, or a telescopic keel with 3.4m draught when raised and 5.2m lowered.

Hull No2 is already under construction.

Swan 108 specifications

Hull length: 33.0m / 108ft 3in Beam: 7.55m / 24ft 9in Draught (std keel): 4.90m / 16ft 1in Displacement: 83,000kg / 184,900lb Builder: nautorswan.com

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams. Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

View all 9 photos

When Nautor Swan first announced the Swan 108, the Finnish shipyard ushered in a new era of Maxi Sailing. The Swan 108 represents an evolution of an already successful range with a longlist of new additional features.

The dual-action transom door, which converts the stern into a large 18 square-metre waterfront beach club, is novel and doubles the space on comparable Maxis, while also allowing easier tender operations. The Swan 108 also has wider coaming on the aft part of the cockpit, allowing an alternative outboard position for steering stations without compromising on helm protection.

Social space is also generous and multiple cockpit configurations. As standard, the Swan 108 has a layout with two sofas and tables facing each other, a U-shaped settee can be fitted if desired. The interior layout can be reorientated to preference. It’s multilevel and completed with a generous saloon and galley, up to four staterooms and a dedicated crew area.

Misa Poggi worked air, light and space into the interior design, balancing this commitment against rich, natural materials and darker tones to provide a warm intimate atmosphere. The overall design theme is open for interpretation.

The Swan 108 represents a powerful sailing yacht with the credentials to compete in world-class regattas, without any sacrifice to comfort. This is a no-compromise superyacht that can travel the world in comfort at speed.

Fuel Capacity (l)

Fresh water capacity (l).

LIVING ON CLOUD 9

Life on Cloud 9

Seafaring Luxury

Similar yachts, enquire about this yacht, newsletter sign-up, keyword search, how can we help, cookie consent.

Please choose which cookies you want to consent to.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.

• Calendar of Events
• Grenada Sailing Week
• Barbados Sailing Week
• Caribbean Multihull Challenge
• RORC Caribbean 600
• St Maarten Heineken Regatta
• St Thomas International Regatta
• St Barth’s Bucket
• BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival
• Les Voiles de Saint Barth
• Antigua Sailing Week
• ORC Mediterranean Championships
• Multihull Cup
• Les Voiles de St Tropez
• Rolex Swan Cup
• Club Swan Events
• Tre Golfi Sailing Week
• Copa del Rey Regatta
• Palermo – Montecarlo
• Rolex Maxi Cup
• Loro Piana Giraglia
• Rolex Middle Sea Race
• Women's Open Keelboat Championship
• Royal Southern Summer Series
• Round the Island Race
• Taittinger Regatta
• Dartmouth Regatta
• Little Britain Challenge Cup
• Rolex Fastnet Race 2025
• Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland
• SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race
• RORC Baltic Sea Race
• Gotland Runt – ÅF Offshore Race
• Newport Bermuda Race
• NYYC Annual Regatta
• Hamilton Island Race Week
• Rolex Sydney Hobart Race
• NYYC Transatlantic Race
• Atlantic Rally for Cruisers
• Cape 2 Rio Race
• RORC TransAtlantic Race
• Eastbound TransAt
• Regatta Concierge
• Crew Spaces
• America’s Cup
• Charter my Yacht

Swan 108 – Fancy

Nautor Swan shipyard, with a high-end specification from a passionate owner, built the 108-foot sailing yacht FANCY. This innovative hull is the result of precision work, quality and attention to detail, offering outstanding performance, elegant design and luxurious comfort. 

This latest Swan maxi yacht has been designed and engineer for high speed sailing in all wind and sea conditions. She offers all her guests breath-taking sensations in comfortable and safe conditions, allowing the whole family to full enjoy their charter.  FANCY can accommodate up to 9 guests in 4 separate cabins. she has a large saloon, bathed in light through exceptionally large potholes, invites guests to relax in a refined and intimate atmosphere.

On deck, FANCY has an exceptional swimming platforms, as well as spacious relaxation and dining areas, always elegant and preserving a high quality of service.

The crew have their own quarters and service entrance, which maintains privacy for guests.

• Specifications

Additional information

How much should I tip the boat captain/crew?

The crew will work hard to ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable time on board. If you have enjoyed your charter we would suggest a 10% is customary.

How do I confirm a yacht charter?

To confirm a charter we will send you a charter agreement for signature and invoice for a deposit. The owner will counter-sign the charter agreement and then your charter will be confirmed

What else will I need to pay for?

In addition to the charter fee you will pay an Advanced Charter Allowance (ACA) from which the cost for all food and drink for the duration of the charter, fuel, marina and any other additional expenses will be deducted.

What happens once I have booked?

Once you have booked a cruising charter we will be in touch to gather your charter preferences including dietary preferences, meal times and itinerary. We will liaise with the chef to arrange a proposed menu for the charter and put you in touch with the crew via Whatsapp chat.

What are high and low season dates for Caribbean cruising charters

High Season includes the Christmas and New Year period (approx 28th December – 7th January) and 2 weeks around Easter

Can I charter a yacht for a corporate event?

Yes, we offer corporate yacht charters that are perfect for team-building exercises and other corporate functions.

What insurance will I need?

The yacht is fully insured but you will need your own personal insurance that covers yacht racing

Do I need an owners rep/boat captain and what role will they have?

Most of our yachts have to come with a boat captain / owner’s representative; this person isn’t there to be the skipper and they can fit into your team wherever you need. There knowledge of the boat can help you get the best performance from the boat and minimise avoidable damage.

Eating out as a crew?

If you decide to venture out as a group and wish to include the permanent crew, please remember that what is your holiday is their job. If you would like to show your appreciation for all their hard work in making your holiday a success by asking them to join you for a night out, then please be kind enough to pay for their expenses.

What is racing yacht charter?

Racing yacht charter is a unique opportunity that allows you to charter a race prepared yacht with your team and participate in regattas around the world. We can cater for race charter opportunites from a group of friends wanting a fun regatta in the sun to a professional team looking for silverwear.

Do I need sailing experience to participate in a racing yacht charter?

Sailing experience requirements varies according to yacht and regatta of choice. Some yachts like a Volvo 65 require more sailing experience than joining the team on a 40′ racer cruiser. When arranging your charter with you we discuss any pre-requisite experience with you.

What is the duration of a racing yacht charter?

For most racing charters your schedule will include 2 training days prior to the event start date, for offshore races a third day for boat preparation will also be included.

What additional costs should I expect?

In addition to the charter fee you may pay a security deposit and an Advanced Charter Allowance (ACA) to cover charter related costs including race entry, berthing and other charter related costs.

Can you arrange accommodation?

Yes, we offer a regatta concierge service which means that in addition to arranging your race entry and berthing we can also recommend and book accommodation ashore, flights, transfers and restaurant bookings as well as much more.* * 10% service charge applies for regatta concierge services

Once you have booked a charter we will be in touch to gather crew information in order to handle the race entry on your behalf. As the regatta date approaches we will connect you with the Boat Captain via Whatsapp chat and provide useful information on both the event and on the location. We are available at any time via phone or email to answer any other questions or queries you may have.

What is the security deposit for?

The security deposit is to cover damage to the yacht, that is more than just general wear and tear that would be expected when racing. In the worst case scenario it will cover the excess should there be the need for a claim on the yacht’s insurance. However, it is also there to cover less serious damage that does not warrant an insurance claim like damages to sails. If there is no damage then we will refund the security deposit in the week following the charter. If there are any damages the value of these damages will be assessed and the balance of the security deposit refunded after these costs have been deducted.

Get In Touch

Call: +44 (0) 20 3920 6261 Email: [email protected]

Privacy Policy

Privacy Notice – Crew Form

STAY IN THE LOOP!

Sign up today to receive regular news, updates and offers from lv yachting.

© 2024 LV Yachting | All Rights Reserved

YOU ARE WATCHING

RECOMMENDED VIDEOS

The first and only international luxury TV channel dedicated to superyachts and life onboard. Watch for free, anytime, anywhere.

Made with 🤍 by WEB AVALANCHE

The first and only international luxury TV channel dedicated to superyachts and life onboard.

Watch for free, anytime, anywhere.

Please use a modern browser to view this website. Some elements might not work as expected when using Internet Explorer.

• Landing Page
• Luxury Yacht Vacation Types
• Corporate Yacht Charter
• Tailor Made Vacations
• Luxury Exploration Vacations
• View All 3697
• Motor Yachts
• Sailing Yachts
• Classic Yachts
• Catamaran Yachts
• Filter By Destination
• More Filters
• Latest Reviews
• Charter Special Offers
• Destination Guides
• Inspiration & Features
• Mediterranean Charter Yachts
• France Charter Yachts
• Italy Charter Yachts
• Croatia Charter Yachts
• Greece Charter Yachts
• Turkey Charter Yachts
• Bahamas Charter Yachts
• Caribbean Charter Yachts
• Australia Charter Yachts
• Thailand Charter Yachts
• Dubai Charter Yachts
• Destination News
• New To Fleet
• Charter Fleet Updates
• Special Offers
• Industry News
• Yacht Shows
• Corporate Charter
• Finding a Yacht Broker
• Charter Preferences
• Questions & Answers
• Add my yacht
• Yacht Charter Fleet
• Yacht Builders
• Nautor's Swan Yacht Charter

Swan 108 Charter

• Other Nautor's Swan Ranges:
• ALL Nautor's Swan
• Swan 76 Extended
• Swan 100 FD
• Swan 115 FD

Try Before You Buy

Contemplating a purchase? Why not charter the Swan 108 for a 'try before you buy' experience?

1 yachts found

• GBP £
• Expedition Yachts
• Open Yachts
• Sport Fishing
• Gulet Yachts
• Summer 2024
• Winter 2024/2025
• Summer 2025
• Highest Price
• Lowest Price
• Shortest Length
• Longest Length
• Newest first by Year
• Oldest first by Year
• Length min length 15m 20m 30m 40m 50m 60m 75m 100m 50ft 65ft 100ft 130ft 160ft 200ft 250ft 300ft max length 20m 30m 40m 50m 60m 75m 100m+ 65ft 100ft 130ft 160ft 200ft 250ft 300ft+
• Guests & Cabins Guests: Cabins:
• Price $ USD € EUR £ GBP min price $0 $10k $100k $250k $500k $750k $1m max price $50k $100k $250k $500k $750k $1m+
• Amenities Beauty Room Gym Conference Room Helipad Deck Jacuzzi Elevator Movie Theatre Sauna Spa At-Anchor Stabilizers Swimming Pool Beach Club Steam Room Wheelchair Accessible Commercial Helipad Show all Amenities
• Toys Diving Kayaking Sailing Seabob Bicycles Wind Surf Submarine Helicopter Sport Fishing Wakeboard Inflatable Water Slide Trampoline Inflatable Waterpark Kite Surf Surfboard Floating Pool Paddleboard Amphibious Car flyboard Hoverboard Wakesurf Wakeskate golf Foilboard Show all Toys
• Mediterranean
• French Riviera
• Ligurian Riviera
• Amalfi Coast
• The Balearics
• Virgin Islands
• Saint Martin
• New England
• Indian Ocean
• South East Asia
• Philippines
• Myanmar (Burma)
• South Pacific
• French Polynesia
• New Zealand
• Central America
• South America

33m   Nautor's Swan

from $128,000 p/w eek

Added to Shortlist

• My Yacht Shortlist
• Save My Search

* Not offered for charter to US residents while in US waters.

♦︎ Approximate price conversion

All yacht particulars are believed correct but cannot be guaranteed.

Featured Luxury Yachts for Charter

This is a small selection of the global luxury yacht charter fleet, with 3697 motor yachts, sail yachts, explorer yachts and catamarans to choose from including superyachts and megayachts, the world is your oyster. Why search for your ideal yacht charter vacation anywhere else?

136m | Lurssen

from $4,446,000 p/week ♦︎

115m | Lurssen

from $2,895,000 p/week ♦︎

85m | Golden Yachts

from $1,000,000 p/week ♦︎

88m | Golden Yachts

from $1,223,000 p/week ♦︎

84m | Feadship

from $1,111,000 p/week ♦︎

93m | Feadship

from $1,556,000 p/week ♦︎

Maltese Falcon

88m | Perini Navi

from $490,000 p/week

122m | Lurssen

from $3,000,000 p/week

As Featured In

The YachtCharterFleet Difference

YachtCharterFleet makes it easy to find the yacht charter vacation that is right for you. We combine thousands of yacht listings with local destination information, sample itineraries and experiences to deliver the world's most comprehensive yacht charter website.

San Francisco

• Like us on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter
• Follow us on Instagram
• Find us on LinkedIn
• Add My Yacht
• Affiliates & Partners

Popular Destinations & Events

• St Tropez Yacht Charter
• Monaco Yacht Charter
• St Barts Yacht Charter
• Greece Yacht Charter
• Mykonos Yacht Charter
• Caribbean Yacht Charter

Featured Charter Yachts

• Maltese Falcon Yacht Charter
• Wheels Yacht Charter
• Victorious Yacht Charter
• Andrea Yacht Charter
• Titania Yacht Charter
• Ahpo Yacht Charter

Receive our latest offers, trends and stories direct to your inbox.

Please enter a valid e-mail.

Thanks for subscribing.

Search for Yachts, Destinations, Events, News... everything related to Luxury Yachts for Charter.

Yachts in your shortlist

Sailing yacht SWAN 108

• Inspiration

Related News

Popular news this week, popular news this month, latest news.

• Yacht Charter & Superyacht News >

Written by Rachel Kelly

This image is featured as part of the article First 35m sailing yacht SWAN 108 is launched by Nautor Swan .

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "Sailing yacht SWAN 108".

• Charity & Fund Raising
• CharterWorld News
• Classic Yachts
• Coronavirus
• Cruise Ship
• Ecological Yachts
• Expedition Yachts
• Expert Broker Advice
• Feature Superyachts
• Interior Design
• Legal & VAT Yacht Issues
• Luxury Catamarans
• Luxury Gulet
• Luxury Phinisi
• Luxury Trimarans
• Luxury Yacht Design
• Luxury Yachts
• Marinas & Harbours
• Marine Ecology
• Marine Electronics
• Marine Equipment
• Mega Yachts
• Modern Yachts
• Motor Yachts
• New Launch Yachts
• New To Charter
• Open Style Sports Yachts
• Private Jets
• Sailing Yachts
• Social Media
• Sports Yachts
• Superyacht Crew
• Superyacht Photographers
• Superyacht Products & Supplies
• Superyacht Refits
• Superyacht Reviews
• Superyachts
• Uncategorized
• Yacht Builders
• Yacht Charter
• Yacht Charter Destinations
• Yacht Charter Picks
• Yacht Charter Specials
• Yacht Delivered to Owner
• Yacht Designers
• Yacht Events & Boat Shows
• Yacht Fashion
• Yacht Industry News
• Yacht Photos
• Yacht Racing
• Yacht Racing & Regattas
• Yacht Safety Equipment
• Yacht Support Vessels
• Yacht Tenders
• Yacht Videos
• Yachting Associations
• Yachting Awards
• Yachting Business
• Yachts For Charter
• Yachts For Sale

Quick Enquiry

Superyacht news:.

Email Your Yachting News to: news @ charterworld.com

Nautor’s Swan Launch the Swan 90S sailing yacht FREYA – the 2,000th Swan sailing yacht

New Sailing Yacht Swan 115-001 S splashes at Nautor’s Swan

First Swan 115 S Yacht to be launched at Nautor’s Swan in July 2015

New J Class Sailing Yacht TOPAZ (J8) splashes at Holland Jachtbouw

Late summer special offer on board 72m superyacht ARBEMA in the Western Mediterranean

The International SeaKeepers Society will host its 2024 annual Founders Event in October

Special offer for remaining weeks of September on board 51m sailing yacht RED DRAGON

A luxury charter yacht is the perfect way to encounter New England’s fall foliage display

Navigating the World of Luxury Yacht Charters: Your Guide to the Perfect Getaway

OCEA delivers 33m motor yacht ARAOK II to her new owner

39m sailing yacht LINNEA AURORA launched by SES Yachts

A first look at 55m superyacht PROJECT AGNETHA from Heesen Yachts

44m superyacht ORION ONE reaches a construction milestone

44m charter yacht JEMS offers 9 days for the price of 7 in August in Italy

Heesen Yachts introduces superyacht SANTOSHA, the new name for Project Akira – a yacht designed for those who appreciate the finer things in life

37m luxury explorer yacht OCULUS brand new to the charter market on both sides of the Atlantic

Fast, safe, easy to control and comfortable at sea: Milling of the Swan 78 deck

Yachts division

Nautor swan is continuously raising the stakes by building new models and pushing its boundaries, meeting its customers’ needs and fulfilling the expectations of the market with seaworthy, elegant, performing and timeless performance yachts..

The Swan Yachts division represents heritage and handcraftsmanship, with products characterised by elegant and timeless lines that have made Nautor Swan an icon in the sailing world. The yachts are reliable against the hardships of the sea and the performance hulls guarantee both comfort and competitiveness during regattas. The design team is led by German Frers the renowned Argentinian yacht designer who started working with Nautor in the 80s.

The history of Swan Maxis begins early on, a few years after the establishment of Nautor. An expert client asked for a 17m Sparkman & Stephens. It was the year 1970, and the magnificent Swan 55 took shape. At the time, it was one of the largest yachts in the world to be produced in series and in fiberglass.

The Swan Maxi, from 88 to 128 feet, offers the highest expression of seaworthiness in any conditions combined with elegance, comfort, performance, style and modernity. The world class designers behind these beautiful yachts are maestro Germàn Frers with Misa Poggi on the interiors, while from the launch of the latest projects, Lucio Micheletti’s pen joins the team for the exterior design.

With the launch of ClubSwan yachts, Nautor marks the beginning of a new chapter in the Finnish boat builders’ remarkable history. ClubSwan Yachts is the high-performance division of Nautor Swan, offering a conceptual vision with the emphasis firmly upon the values of speed, technology and competitive sailing potential. Innovative solutions focused upon maximising these qualities are at the heart of ClubSwan Yacht development, designed by Juan Kouyoumdijan, the French-Argentinian naval architect specialised in ocean racing yachts.

Born from the passion that Leonardo Ferragamo has for the marine world, the Swan Shadow broadens the range of vessels the Finnish yard offers to its customers, perfectly aligned with the core elements of it brand DNA: Performance, Quality, Elegance. The three models mark the completion of the Nautor Swan portfolio and product line up with three multipurpose motor yacht concepts able to meet Nautor’s customer’s needs.

Privacy Overview

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

Mystery behind Bayesian yacht tragedy as black swan waterspout is 'only half the story'

Body bags have been taken to shore after expert divers retrieved missing passengers from sunken superyacht the Bayesian. Questions have swirled about how the tragedy unfolded

• 09:36, 23 Aug 2024
• Updated 09:37, 23 Aug 2024

Mystery surrounds the sudden sinking of doomed luxury yacht the Bayesian as Italian police continue their desperate search for Mike Lynch's daughter.

The 183ft superyacht, anchored off the coast of Sicily, had 22 people on board before it was struck by a tornado in the early hours on Monday, which caused it to capsize. Fifteen managed to survive the harrowing ordeal, including business tycoon Mr Lynch's wife, Angela, who is believed to be the owner of the vessel, after a nearby boat acted quickly to rescue them from the water.

One body was recovered from the sea on the day of the tragedy, which was confirmed to be that of Recaldo Thomas , the yacht's chef. Ever since, expert divers worked to locate the six missing passengers and one by one, bodies were taken to the shore after being retrieved from the wreck.

The Italian coastguard on Thursday identified the bodies of five people found on board the sunken £30million, including 59-year-old Mr Lynch - but his 18-year-old daughter Hannah was not among them. Heartfelt tributes have poured out in memory of the billionaire tech tycoon, who was dubbed Britain's Bill Gates.

Morgan Stanley Bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judith Bloomer, lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo have also been named by rescue teams. While Hannah tragically remains missing, questions are also left unanswered about how such a magnificent yacht could have quickly failed in a violent storm and how exactly the incident unfolded.

The sinking is being blamed on a freak waterspout, but could more have been done to allow the boat to right itself? Witnesses reported seeing the terrifying tornado-like phenomenon hit the Bayesian superyacht at sea before it went down. Talking to The Times , marine experts told how the horrifying event - dubbed a 'black swan' on account of its rarity - would have battered the £14million boat.

Matthew Schanck, chairman of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, said: "Looking at the extreme weather , if it was a waterspout, which it appears to be, it's what I would class as like a black swan event. And if the waterspout ends up dumping a load of that water on board the vessel, that's going to cause significant damage."

Tornadic waterspouts, which develop downward in a thunderstorm, can either form over water or move from land to water and have the same characteristics as a land tornado, according to the US National Ocean Service. Many storms have swept through Italy in recent days, with floods and landslides causing severe damage in the north of the country after weeks of scorching heat.

The Bayesian was fitted with a 75-metre mast, the world 's second-tallest, which would have made the vessel particularly vulnerable to getting caught up in a fatal waterspout. Dr Peter Inness, a meteorologist at the University of Reading, explained: "The majority of waterspouts are quite weak, resulting in a short burst of gusty winds, which although momentarily quite strong cause little damage because they are over the sea.

"But at the more intense end of the scale, winds of above 100kmh are possible, although actual wind measurements from inside waterspouts are very rare indeed. Winds of this strength coinciding with the location of a boat are capable of causing damage or capsize, especially because the wind direction varies very rapidly within a waterspout which could cause a boat to rock violently."

But one yachting expert, who wished not to be named, raised a similar incident in New Zealand which had a very different outcome, reports MailOnline. Video footage shows a tornado flipping a catamaran in a marina in Auckland in 2019, however a superyacht of similar size and make-up of the Baysian, possessing multiple tiers of metal 'spreaders' from its huge mast, is shown to be flattened by the weather event, before heroically returning to its upright position.

It could be down to the position of the yacht's lifting keel - the main structural backbone of the ship filled with heavy material - which has an impact on the boat's stability. Divers reported that the Bayesian's keel was not fully lowered.

According to state broadcaster, RAI, the keel was lowered to a depth of 4 metres instead of the full 7.5. Dan Green, 51, Research & Investigations lead at eSysman SuperYachts - a team made up of yacht crew who share insights on the vessels - said the combination of the 75m mast and the position of the keel could have caused issues in extreme weather .

"With bare poles (meaning no sails), the wind could have blown against the rig sideways to her anchor position causing the vessel to heal over (or lean) heavily," Dan told the Mirror . Talking about the lifting keel, he added: "When these vessels are at anchor, especially in shallow areas, the keel is lifted to increase the draft (depth) to allow them to anchor or dock in marinas.

"The keel when lowered increases the stability of the vessel. Especially when the yacht is underway using sails, as it counters the effects of the wind trying to push the vessel over. However it increases the draft (depth) of the yacht making it hard to get into some marinas (without hitting the sea bed/marina bottom).

"The lowered keel can increase the yacht's draft (depth) by 100 per cent. So, the keel is designed to be lifted up into the hull of the yacht. This allows them into more shallow water and marinas - however when raised, this reduces stability as the centre of gravity is raised, as the keel is also weighted with lead.

"It has an adverse effect on the stability of the yacht. Another effect of the keel being in the up position is the vessel will not self-right if it leans far over. If you add to that the possibility of hatches being opened on the vessel that would explain why it's saying so quickly."

Had these been closed, which is usually the case when crew set sail, then it could have stopped the 'river of water' that flooded the boat. Similarly, if the keel had been fully extended, the yacht may have had a better chance of stabilising itself.

Meanwhile Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group - the company which built the Bayesian yacht - claimed the model is "unsinkable". He said the boats built at his firm are "safest in the most absolute sense".

"This incident sounds like an unbelievable story, both technically and as a fact," he told Sky News. An unnamed engineer from the yard which built the yacht is convinced the tragedy cannot entirely be blamed on the freak weather.

Speaking with state television he claimed: "The Bayesian yacht most likely sank due to human error, an unsuitable attitude to the possible arrival of a disturbance." The expert also claimed that although passengers were most likely asleep in their cabins when the violent storm began its attack, crew members could have acted.

"Even with the whirlwind arriving, there was plenty of time. Fifteen minutes would have been enough to activate all the safety measures," he argued. Reports also suggest that the lower dock space, housing the boat's tender - used to ferry passengers and crew ashore - was not fully closed when the boat sank. It is believed members of the party had returned to the yacht from a trip late at night and it has not been confirmed whether this was a crew errand or a passenger transfer.

One expert told RAI: "They had partially pulled up the tender". The Bayesian yacht's captain, New Zealand-born James Cutfield, has already undergone extensive questioning for two hours by police.

On the third day since the yachting trip disaster, a special sub-aqua drone continues to scour the wreck while experts from the fire brigade and police take it in turns to perform the extremely difficult 10-minute dives. The investigation is now in the hands of the Italian authorities and it could take several weeks or months to provide a conclusion to this seemingly unfathomable tragedy.

MORE ON Mike Lynch Bayesian yacht

Get email updates with the day's biggest stories.

trending now in World News

AI recreates 'face of Jesus' from the controversial shroud of...

Investigators probe whether subtle mistake could have caused...

All about the $40M Bayesian yacht that capsized, leaving 6 dead...

Mike Lynch's wife describes cutting her feet on broken glass as...

Lawyer's chilling text to father revealed after surviving...

The rare weather phenomenon that may have sunk Bayesian yacht,...

Negotiators are 'showing weakness' in cease-fire talks with...

Kyiv ups drone attacks as mass evacuations begin over Russia's...

‘black swan’ weather phenomenon may have sunk bayesian yacht, experts say.

A rare and unexpected “black swan” weather event may have led to the Bayesian superyacht’s speedy demise , maritime experts claim.

The spontaneous formation of a tornado-like waterspout would have given the 22 passengers and crew aboard the luxury vessel little to no time to react to the violent storm Monday before the ship capsized and sank, killing one and leaving six others missing.

Marine experts believe the large waterspout — a slim column of spinning air below a thunderstorm that occurs over water — was a “black swan event” or a weather phenomenon characterized by its extreme rarity and severe impact, similar to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, they told the Times UK.

“That water carries significant weight,” Matthew Schanck, chairman of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, told the Times. “And if the waterspout ends up dumping a load of that water on board the vessel, that’s going to cause significant damage.”

The Bayesian is believed to have sunk within minutes after being struck by the early morning storm. Six people, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and top New York City lawyer Christopher Morvillo, remained missing Wednesday as Italian officials investigate the ship’s sudden sinking.

One expert, Andrea Ratti, a nautical design professor at Milan Polytechnic University, suggested the ship may have sunk so quickly because its windows, portholes or other openings may have been broken or smashed open by the powerful waterspout, allowing the vessel to quickly fill and sink.

However, a UK industry expert said sinking a ship of that size should have taken hours.

“I don’t think the industry has ever faced anything like this. It’s a horror story,” the unnamed expert declared.

Meteorologists told the outlet the weather conditions that led to the ship’s demise were consistent with a waterspout and that a lot of unpredictability comes with tornado warnings.

“There was a big thunderstorm just to the north of Sicily, a lot of lightning activity, lot of heavy rain, very strong signature of what we call ‘cold cloud tops’ on the satellite pictures. All of those things would add up to a thunderstorm that could easily spawn a waterspout,” said Dr. Pete Inness, a meteorology lecturer at the University of Reading in Berkshire, UK.

Inness noted that with tornado warnings, officials can estimate when and where they will happen, but until one forms, they don’t know all the details, including how strong they will be.

Additionally, like tornadoes, waterspouts are short-lived weather events that go undetected on radars. Along with the fact that it was dark out during the storm, it would’ve been difficult for the crew to realize what was happening, Inness said.

There were 18 confirmed waterspouts off the coast of Italy on Aug. 19, according to the International Center for Waterspout Research.

Other experts questioned why the crew wasn’t paying closer attention to various weather warnings ahead of the tragedy.

“I don’t know if there was anyone on board consulting the radar. Let’s say that if I had been on board, at the first sign of a thunderstorm, I would have woken up all the occupants and been ready and alert with lifejackets on until the storm was over,” one of Italy’s leading climate experts, Luca Mercalli, told the outlet.

Even if they had been paying closer attention, it was unlikely the crew could have been prepared for such a “high impact, low probability” weather event, Schanck added.

“I’ve reviewed the forecasts. There was nothing other than thunder. There was nothing that jumped out to me that made it a dangerous decision to anchor there,” he said.

The experts also squashed a theory shared by American entrepreneur Scott Painter , who suggested the ship’s 240-foot-tall mast — the tallest of its kind — may have made the vessel more vulnerable in the powerful weather event.

One rescue diver told Italian media the yacht was “practically intact” underwater, and Tom Sharpe, a former Royal Navy commander, said the idea that the mast would make the ship unstable was “just incorrect.”

“That mast is designed to have a massive sail hanging off it. So on its own with no sail, that’s not what has caused the boat to go over.”

An official investigation into the incident will likely take months, prosecutors in Sicily said.

Advertisement

• AROUND THE SAILING WORLD
• BOAT OF THE YEAR
• Email Newsletters
• America’s Cup
• St. Petersburg
• Caribbean Championship
• Boating Safety
• Ultimate Boat Giveaway

Sporty and Simple is the ClubSwan 28

• By James Boyd
• August 20, 2024

With its long history producing good-looking fast cruisers, in recent years, Nautor Swan has consolidated its performance yachts into its ClubSwan range, spanning the giant 125-foot Skorpios and the 80-footer My Son g to their fleets of ClubSwan 36s and 50s. All designs by Juan Kouyoumdjian, the latter saw 11 and 15 compete in their respective five-event annual championships (Nations Cup) in 2023 and are set to be joined by the ClubSwan 43 this year. But Nautor Swan has another new development: While its smallest boats have been the ClubSwan 36 (plus the original Swan 36 back in 1967), its latest launch is its smallest ever, the ClubSwan 28.

This new model is not surprising given that Swan is sailing’s most prolific premium brand, with more large performance sailing yachts in existence than any other manufacturer. Its range firmly extends into the superyacht stratosphere, so why not lure new owners into the fold, earlier, with a modest offering? Federico Michetti, head of sports activities and product manager at Nautor Swan, explains, “The concept of the 28 is to have an entry-level Swan that allows owners to enjoy the journey with Nautor and our events.” He expects that the 28 will entice younger sailors, even those new to sailing, into the ClubSwan realm.

Among race boats today, 28 to 30 feet is the cusp between sportboat and yacht, and the ClubSwan 28 is more the former, given its light weight (displacing sub-1,200 kg versus 1,600 kg and 1,800 for the more yachtlike Farr 280 and Cape 31, respectively); outboard engine rather than inboard; and low freeboard and minimal interior, accessed via the foredeck hatch. The ClubSwan 28 is neither an excessively high-end carbon race boat nor a high-­volume J/70, but rather somewhere between. “Our aim for it is to race well in 6 knots or 20. It is a powerful boat but not extreme,” Michetti says. 

Kouyoumdjian adds: “We incorporated everything that modern boats have to perform very well but didn’t go extreme on any of them.”

Fundamental to the boat’s ethos is simplicity, and for it to be fun to sail, but as Michetti puts it, “at the same time being safe, a boat that can fit the needs of everyone from ­beginner to expert.”

Aside from its performance, the best demonstration of this is that while most sportboat crews must hike and hike hard (it being so vital to stability on boats of this size), the 28 is a “legs-in” boat.

“We would like to avoid a ­hiking contest. It is much more social too; sailors can enjoy what is happening around them,” Michetti says. Everything is optimized for this—the sheerline and cockpit arrangement to make maximum use of the weight of the inward-facing crew, while keel draft and ballast make up righting moment lost due to no hiking and crew not moving fore and aft.

Compared with the ClubSwan 36’s advanced hull shape and fixed-keel/C-foil combination, the 28 is far more conservative. The hull has a low wetted surface area and rocker aft to minimize bow burying. Its modest 8-foot beam means it can be towed legally throughout Europe without having to be inclined. It also allows the boat and trailer combined to fit into a 40HQ container for shipping farther afield.

The hull shape is quite ­complex, with flared topsides at the stern, above a substantial chine. Going forward, the topsides turn vertical and then evolve into a deck chamfer ­forward of the mast. The bow has a slight reverse sheer and a retractable sprit.

The rig breaks new ground, but again, simplicity is the focus. Developed between Kouyoumdjian, Southern Spars’ Steve Wilson and mast-builder Axxon Composites, it is skifflike, with no backstay or runners, and with swept-back spreaders and a GNAV (inverted vang) to keep the cockpit clear. “Imagine a 49er rig that is set up by the headstay,” Kouyoumdjian says. “The prebend and the tension you have in that kind of rig usually comes from presetting the headstay and then you deal with it with the vang and cunningham. But we wanted something variable that could simulate what you could otherwise do with the runners.”

The solution is to have a ­permanently attached mast ­ram that can be operated while ­racing via a pump in the pit area. “It brings a lot of things together—not only the tension on the headstay, but also the tension on the rig,” Kouyoumdjian adds. “And when you tension the rig, you bend the mast.”

Therefore, powering up the rig comes with just two or three pumps and an inch of movement of the ram. “Everything on the rig is simple and has been done before many times successfully,” Kouyoumdjian says. “We added the mast up-and-down function. I imagine crews using it on medium-light days: When you get into a luff and you’d ease the runner, instead you’d drop the mast, or anticipating a puff, you’d pump it up. As soon as the wind gets to 10 to 12 knots, then you’d be maxed up, like you would be at ­maximum runner on a typical boat.”

The ClubSwan 28 will be a strict one-design class. Like the ClubSwan 36, it is being built in Cartagena, Spain, by Sinergia Racing Group. Tooling for the 28 is CNC milled to fine tolerances, and like most other boats in this size, it is a glass boat, built with vinylester resin, although naturally its mast, bowsprit and rudder are full carbon. The keel fin is stainless steel.

What appears to be a 1990s retro feature is the 28’s L-configuration keel, as featured on many vintage 1990 one-­designs and early VO60s. Aside from positioning bulb weight aft, this lengthens the keel’s leading edge by 15 to 20 percent, increasing its efficiency and improving, for example, lift to windward. Kouyoumdjian is enthusiastic about this and says that he would readily recommend L-keels on other race boats, but warns that the shape of the bulb’s front must be correct. To enable easy trailering, the keel can be raised, and the rudder assembly lifts out within its own box. A full derig, from water to motorway, is expected to take around three hours.

Production for the ClubSwan 28 will be modest, initially at least, with the yard in Cartagena expected to roll out two per month, with the ready-to-sail price forecast to be around 200,000 euros. The aim is to have international fleets, with boats built by local yards. After Europe, Michetti says, its focus will be the United States, although as yet there is no time frame for this. At the time of this writing, six 28s had been sold, with the first boat due for launch in late May, with all six expected to compete at the Rolex Swan Cup in Porto Cervo in September.

The advantage of the 28 is that the owner is buying into the ClubSwan world, with its established circuit, Michetti says. “If you are building a new class, people need to trust you. You need to create momentum, you need to have sponsors and find locations and organize regattas,” which the ClubSwan management already has, with its comprehensive circuit, mixing established regattas and ClubSwan’s own in the Med, UK, Baltic and US. Aside from enticing new sailors and teams into the ClubSwan family, Michetti also imagines that some teams with larger race boats might acquire a 28 for crew training.

There is currently no class crew-weight limit, which risks enticing larger muscle-bound types on board, but Michetti explains: “We want to avoid this crazy ‘saunas before the regatta’ thing” (in other classes, crews typically duck just below maximum weight at weigh-in). ClubSwan 28 crews will ­comprise four or five with a World Sailing Group 1 (amateur) owner-­driver and probably one mandatory female or youth crewmember.

For the 28 this year, there are a number of events, including a kick-off event from Nautor Swan’s base in Scarlino, Italy, in July, plus September’s Rolex Swan Cup and the Nations League 2024-ClubSwan 28 Invitational Sardinia Challenge, taking place in Villasimius, Sardinia, in early November. Given its trailerability, the ­likelihood is that the 28 will also race inland, for example, on Italy’s famous Lake Garda. Naturally, as numbers grow, there will also be the opportunity for the ClubSwan 28 to get its own start in the world’s top ­multiclass regattas.

• More: ClubSwan 28 , One Design , Print Summer 2024 , Sailboats
• More Sailboats

Nautor Swan Has A New Pocket Rocket

Pogo Launches its Latest Coastal Rocket

A Deeper Dive Into the Storm 18

2024 Boat of the Year Best Recreational Racer: Z24

Hot Summer Scrimmages In Barcelona

The Caribbean’s Hot One-Design Fleet

Cole Brauer’s Voyage of Influence

New Extremes On the Horizon

• Digital Edition
• Customer Service
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use
• Cruising World
• Sailing World
• Salt Water Sportsman
• Sport Fishing
• Wakeboarding

Everything We Know About Tech Tycoon Mike Lynch's Superyacht Disaster

British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch's private superyacht, Bayesian, was sunk off the coast of Sicily on August 19 due to damage caused by an unusually violent storm. Rescue efforts began shortly after and 15 of the 22 people who were onboard at the time of the storm were rescued. Early reports said that one body had been recovered, but that six people were still missing — and that as of late Tuesday, rescuers were still struggling to recover bodies from the sunken yacht due to many barriers blocking access.

On Wednesday, two days after the tragic event, rescuers were able to recover the bodies of four of the individuals who had died during the storm, two of whom were Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, according to AP . At the time of writing, the body of a fifth missing person had been located but not yet recovered, and the sixth person is still missing. While many questions remain unanswered, information has trickled in over the past few days, shedding some light on what has taken place.

Lynch was celebrating a legal victory

Mike Lynch was a co-founder of the Autonomy Corporation, the founder of Invoke Capital, and the co-founder of cybersecurity company Darktrace. His presence in the tech industry was so widespread that many referred to him as "Britain's Bill Gates." One of his most infamous business dealings involved Hewlett-Packard's acquisition of Autonomy Corporation in October 2011. Only a few months after the deal took place, HP discovered that Autonomy had been claiming hardware sales as software revenue, allegedly making it seem as though it was making more money than it actually was. 

This forced  HP to devalue the company it had just acquired by $8.8 billion and led to a string of lawsuits. HP  replaced Lynch as Autonomy's CEO  in May 2012, and only a few months later, multiple government agencies in the U.S. and U.K. began their own investigations into the matter . Several years later in November 2019, Lynch faced up to 25 years in prison in the U.S. — he was extradited from the U.K. in May 2023, kicking off a legal case that was resolved only weeks ago.

In early June 2024, Lynch was cleared of all fraud charges in the U.S. related to the HP-Autonomy acquisition, ending 13 years of litigation. "I am elated with today's verdict and grateful to the jury for their attention to the facts over the last 10 weeks," Lynch said to The Guardian shortly after the verdict. It seems Lynch may have been celebrating the legal victory during the trip on the Bayesian.

A 'Black Swan' storm may have sunk the Bayesian

The $18 million Bayesian was a large vessel, so you'd think it wouldn't be particularly easy to sink — and you would be right. The storm that sank the superyacht happened at night, and so there weren't many people observing it at the time, but the brunt of it seemed to be largely centralized in the area immediately surrounding the ship.  The Independent reports that CCTV footage from a nearby dock shows the moment the yacht went down — though the footage is murky, due to the weather, you can clearly see the lights on the ship rapidly go under.

Luca Mercalli, president of the Italian meteorological society, told Reuters that the fatal damage could have been caused a type of tornado on water known as a water spout, but it also may have been due to a downburst. Mercalli also claimed that the rising frequency of these kinds of storms can likely be attributed to climate change. Matthew Schanck, chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, reportedly referred to this kind of weather as a "Black Swan event."

At least six people died onboard the Bayesian

There were 12 passengers and 10 crew members onboard the Bayesian when it sank; 15 people on the ship's manifest have been recovered at the time of writing including Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares. This left seven of the ship's passengers unaccounted for: Mike Lynch, Hannah Lynch, Morgan Stanley International Director Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, attorney Chris Morvillo and his Neda Morvillo, and the ship's chef, Recaldo Thomas.

Thomas' body was recovered on Monday, and another five bodies were located on Tuesday, four of which were recovered from the wreckage and a fifth that would be recovered on Thursday. The bodies of Lynch and his daughter were reportedly found inside the hull of the ship. Not all of the bodies that were recovered have been identified yet, but this accounts for six of the seven missing passengers. At the time of writing, the search for the final passenger is still ongoing, and it seems unlikely at this point that they may have survived.

Part of the reason the recovery efforts have taken so long is the 150-foot depth of the wreckage and the hazardous nature of the ship itself. "We are trying to advance in tight spaces, but any single thing slows us down," Fire Rescue service spokesman Luca Cari said to AP News . "An electric panel could set us back for five hours. These aren't normal conditions. We're at the limit of possibility."

Recommended

Bayesian yacht sinking 'a black swan event' says maritime search and rescue expert

Posted: 21 August 2024 | Last updated: 21 August 2024

Matthew Schanck, chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council said that the Bayesian had been the victim of freak weather conditions: 'So we've got this high impact, but low probability event. And even outside of the maritime industry, all industries struggle with the black swan events' A 'black swan' event refers to an unforeseen occurrence that typically has extreme consequences.

More for You

Brisbane mum found as winner of $100 million Powerball jackpot

Here's what really happens to your pension when you die

‘It was big:’ 5.0 earthquake rocks region

Why you should never use bleach to remove mould

Think you're an ethical pet owner? Perhaps you should think again

Can Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump? Latest poll updates

Disney Pixar most iconic characters, ranked

Win for millions of home owners as major bank slashes rates

This is how long it takes for alcohol to leave your system

Russian Army Surrounded: Moscow Troops in Dead End

Retirement regret: What 1 in 4 Aussies wish they'd done after quitting work

Maggie Beer set out to revamp the food served in aged care homes and the results are in

What happens if RFK Jr drops out? Where polls say his voters will go

Albo hits back over ‘shameless’ joke

13 things you should do before putting a load of laundry on

Aussie influencer's fashion brand collapses into administration

8 ways you can identify if someone is a toxic person – or if you are

What is long service leave, who is entitled to it and how do you access it?

How much superannuation should I have at 50?

How first Bowing 737 to crash in Australia was salvaged by locals

Pershing 108 yacht for sale

Overall information

PDF brochure

Yachts by Pershing

Yachts sale Pershing

Pershing 108

Swan Lake  is ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was composed in 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette , a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger. The ballet was premiered by the Bolshoi Ballet on 4 March 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, billed as The Lake of the Swans . Although it is presented in many different versions, most ballet companies base their stagings both choreographically and musically on the 1895 revival of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, first staged for the Imperial Ballet on 15 January 1895, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. For this revival, Tchaikovsky's score was revised by the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatre's chief conductor and composer Riccardo Drigo

Many critics have disputed the original source of the Swan Lake story. The Russian ballet patriarch Fyodor Lopukhov has called Swan Lake a "national ballet" because of its swans, who originate from Russian lyrically romantic sources, while many of the movements of the corps de ballet originated from Slavonic ring-dances. According to Lopukhov, "both the plot of Swan Lake , the image of the Swan and the very idea of a faithful love are essentially Russian". The libretto is based on a story by the German author Johann Karl August Musaus, "Der geraubte Schleier" (The Stolen Veil), though this story provides only the general outline of the plot of Swan Lake . The Russian folktale "The White Duck" also bears some resemblance to the story of the ballet, and may have been another possible source. The contemporaries of Tchaikovsky recalled the composer taking great interest in the life story of Bavarian King Ludwig II, whose tragic life had supposedly been marked by the sign of Swan and who—either consciously or not—was chosen as the prototype of the dreamer Prince Siegfried.

It is difficult to understand these days how it could have happened that the first show of the “Lake” in 1877, in Moscow’s Bolshoi, was a flop, and that it took many years for the ballet to achieve its worldwide cult status. The composer, Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky, never lived to see the ultimate success of his creation.

The story begins in 1875, when Bolshoi commissions a ballet score from the young but already famous composer. It was not yet customary practice –despite Tchaikovsky fame and previous successes, which included four symphonies, the now famous Piano Concerto and “Eugene Onegin” opera, the Imperial Theatres of the time would normally employ the composers on Imperial payroll, such as Cesare Pugni, Ludwig Minkus, and Riccardo Drigo. Keeping that in mind, Tchaikovsky did not embark on the course of a revolution in the Russian ballet, and studied the classic ballet scores assiduously, planning to produce a score that would be in tune with the established tradition but at the same time would sound new and interesting. The task of composition occupied him from May 1875 to April 1876. The story was a knightly fairy tale, and historians still debate the literary origins –some opt for Heine, some for Musaeus, a German fairy-tale writer, some for Russian folklore fairy tales, some even for Pushkin.

The first show took place on February 20, 1877, and was a flop. The critics reviled the chief choreographer, Wentsel Reisinger, and were short on praise for Polina (Pelageya) Karpakova, the first interpreter of the main female part. The failure of the first show was detrimental for the immediate reputation of the ballet itself, and for quite some time nobody dared to stage it again.

The situation changed after Tchaikovsky’s death. In 1893, Mariinka decided to revive the “Swan Lake”. A new version of the libretto and the music was to be produced by Modest Tchaikovsky, the composer’s brother, Ivan Vsevolzhsky, the director of the Imperial Theatres himself, and by Riccardo Drigo. The latter used the original music as a source material for a completely new score. The choreography was supervised by Marius Petipa and his pupil Lev Ivanov. The tradition claims that while Petipa was the father of the unique choreography of the new ballet, its truly Russian singing character is there thanks to Ivanov. The lake and swan scenes, famous for their perfection, are undoubtedly his alone. It was Ivanov who came up with the idea of enchanted ladies with their criss-crossed arms and heads tilted to one side, which every spectator immediately recognized for birds that sit with their wings folded. The very magical world of the swan lake was created by Ivanov. Petipa’s are the scenes of courtly dances and festivities and their intricate lace of waltzes and various dances – Spanish, Hungarian, Polish. Petipa also created an antipode for Ivanov’s White Queen of Swans –its black twin Odile, and its beautiful black pas-de-deux of the second act.

It was this particular stage version that came to be admired as the pinnacle of Russian ballet. This production, as none other, was the perfect setting for many famous dancers to showcase their art. The Swan Lake is a unique and perfect creation, and despite the changing musical and dancing fashions, the performance of Odette and Odile parts is still considered a touchstone for the mettle of any serious dancer. The White Swan is truly a symbol of Russian Ballet, of its beauty and magnificence. 

Act l Scene 1 In an old German castle, the birthday of Prince Siegfried is being celebrated; today he comes of age. He is congratulated by his mother, the Princess Mother, friends and courtiers. In a majestic ceremony, Siegfried is made a knight. From this day on a sense of duty, valor will be the guiding principles in his life. The last toasts are pronounced in his honor, young girls, his contemporaries, try to attract his attention, but Siegfried is overcome by emotions of a different order. He dreams of a pure, ideal love. The festivities draw to an end, the guests depart, leaving the prince alone with his thoughts in the gathering dusk. Night falls. Siegfried is conscious of the presence of a shadow at his side, it is as if some mysterious force is beckoning to him. It is the Evil Genius, or Fate itself, who has come to reveal some perturbing secrets to the Prince. Submitting to the powerful pull of his invisible companion’s presence and full of anxious foreboding, Siegfried succumbs to the ideal world of his dreams... Scene 2 Lured by the Evil Genius, Siegfried finds himself on the banks of a mysterious lake. In the shimmering patches of moonlight on the water, visions of bewitched swan maidens rise up before him. Siegfried catches sight of Odette, the most beautiful of the maidens. He is spell-bound, deeply struck by her beauty. At long last, he has found his romantic ideal of love. He swears to Odette that he will love her forever and be faithful to her. Act II Scene 3 Prospective brides-to-be are arriving at the Princess Mother’s castle. The Prince must chose one of them to be his wife. But Siegfried can think of nothing but Odette and his meeting of her. He dances in an offhand way with the well-born maidens. Not one of them can compare to his ideal. Suddenly, a mysterious knight arrives at the ball accompanied by a ravishingly beautiful young girl and a suite of black swans. It is the Evil Genius and Odile, Odette’s double. Struck by their resemblance, Siegfried hurries towards Odile. The Evil Genius is putting the Prince’s sentiments to the test. Siegfried is enchanted by the perfidious Odile who manages to disarm him of all his doubts. He announces Odile to be his chosen bride. At this very moment, the throne room is plunged in darkness and a vision of the beautiful Odette appears before the assembled company. Siegfried realizes that he has become a plaything in the hands of Fate. Hoping to atone for his betrayal, he rushes in despair after the receding image of the white swan. Scene 4 Night-time. A deep gloom overhangs the lake. Odette brings the tragic news; the Prince has broken his vow of faithfulness to her. Siegfried’s conscience is deeply troubled; he hurries towards Odette begging for her forgiveness. Odette forgives the youth but she is no longer mistress of her own fate. The Evil Genius summons up a storm which disperses, plays havoc with, the heroes of our tale, making it impossible for them to unite. Made weak by his single combat with Fate, Siegfried tries in vain to hold on to the vanish image. As dawn breaks, he finds himself alone on the empty banks of the lake of his dreams.

© wikipedia

© Text 2010 Art and Culture Magazine "St Peterburg"

To make an order, please use mobile version of our website - buy tickets from any smartphone

Instrumentation

The ballet is scored for an orchestra comprising piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (in A, B-flat, C), 2 bassoons + 4 horns (in F), 2 cornets (in A, B-flat), 2 trumpets (in D, E, F), 3 trombones, tuba + 3 timpani, triangle, tambourine, castanets, military drum, cymbals, bass drum, tam tam, glockenspiel + harp, violins I, violins II, violas, cellos, and double basses.

Composition

The ballet was commissioned from Tchaikovsky by the Directorate of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow during the spring of 1875. Nikolay Kashkin [6] recalled that the composer was persuaded to write a ballet on a mythical subject from the time of medieval knights, but there is very little reliable information on the process of composition. Kashkin insisted that the composer began to work on the ballet in the spring and that the first act "was already written by the end of the conservatory examinations", although he mistakenly dates this to the spring of 1876 (by which time the ballet had been completely orchestrated).

Tchaikovsky himself first mentioned the ballet in a letter to Sergey Taneyev of 14/26 August 1875 written from Verbovka , where he had arrived on 18/30 July and finished his Symphony No. 3 (completed on 1/13 August): "I have written (in outline) two acts for a ballet The Lake of Swans ". In this same letter he mentions that he is tired, adding: "After my exertions of the last few days, I really intend to take a break before returning to Moscow . I don't want to think about music this coming term" [7] . On 10/22 September he wrote to Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov from Moscow : "I spent the summer in various provinces staying with friends and relatives. I worked rather diligently and, apart from the symphony , I wrote (in outline) two acts of a ballet . At the behest of the Moscow Directorate I am writing the music for the ballet " Lake of the Swans ". I took this work on partly for the money, which I need, and partly because I have long wanted to try my hand at writing this type of music" [8] . On 14/26 August the composer reported to Modest Tchaikovsky : "I am diligently writing the ballet" [9] .

It is not possible to ascertain exactly when the sketches were completed and the instrumentation was begun. On the fair copy of the manuscript, after Act I, No. 3 is the autograph date: "13 October 1875 [O.S.] . Moscow ". Evidently at this point the rough sketches had already been completed, and the composer had embarked on the instrumentation of the ballet.

Besides composing Lake of the Swans , Tchaikovsky had to attend to a number of other tasks. On 12/24 November 1875, in a letter to Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov , we read: "I am drowning in a flood of work. Besides a ballet, which I am rushing to finish as soon as possible so that I can start on an opera, I have a mass of proofs and—worst of all—a commitment to write some musical articles" [10] . On 11/23 December the same year, the composer wrote to Anatoly Tchaikovsky : "If only you knew how after writing articles, scoring the ballet, conservatory classes, and so forth, how difficult it is for me to find the time to carry on a discussion with you" [11] .

On 20 December 1875/1 January 1876, Tchaikovsky went abroad, where he began to write his String Quartet No. 3 . On 10/22 February 1876, the composer told Modest Tchaikovsky : "After the quartet I want to take a break, i.e. just finish the ballet, and not write anything else" [12] . The quartet was finished on 18 February/1 March (according to the date on the manuscript score).

On 17/29 March, in a letter to Anatoly Tchaikovsky , we read: "I'm up to my neck in the instrumentation of the ballet , which must be ready without fail by St. Thomas's Week. Since I still have 2½ acts still to work through, I've decided to devote Holy Week and Easter Week to finishing this endlessly tedious process. And in order to work properly, I need to leave here for two weeks, otherwise nothing will get done" [13] . In the same letter he reported that he was going to see Konstantin Shilovsky at Glebovo .

On 24 March/5 April, Tchaikovsky wrote to his brother Modest : "At the end of this week I am leaving to spend the whole of Holy Week and Easter in Kostya Shilovsky 's village [at Glebovo ]. I want to get away from all the bustle and clamour of the festivities in Moscow , and to work properly on the ballet, which has to be finished as soon as possible. Yesterday in the hall of the Theatrical School there was a rehearsal of a few numbers from the first act of this ballet". And below he added: "The whole theatre was delighted with my music" [14] .

Tchaikovsky remained at Glebovo from 28 March/9 April until 12/24 April, and then returned to Moscow with the completed full score of The Lake of Swans . The author's date at the end of the manuscript reads: "The End!!! Glebovo 10 April 1876".

Evidently the full score of Act I was in the hands of the theatre before Tchaikovsky left on his foreign travels. This would seem to be a contradiction between his letter of 17/29 March, stating there were "2½ acts still to do", and his subsequent letter of 24 March/5 April, where he referred to rehearsals of the first act having taken place. In a report from the inspector of music, Yury Gerber, to the Directorate of the Moscow Theatres, we read: "I have the honour of informing the Directorate that on this day I received from Mr Tchaikovsky the remaining 3 acts of the ballet Swan Lake— Mr Tchaikovsky asked me to petition the Directorate for payment of the balance of his fee". This report was received by Pavel Kavelin on 12/24 April 1876 [15] .

After finishing the ballet, Tchaikovsky was asked to write two supplementary numbers. The first of these pieces is described on the manuscript score as: "Russian Dance for the third act of Lake of the Swans (for Madame. Karpakova )". This dance was performed by the principal ballerina in all productions of the ballet during the composer's lifetime. The second number, Pas de deux , was apparently written at the request of another ballerina, Anna Sobeshchanskaya, whose benefit took place on 28 April/10 May 1877. The origins of this Pas de deux are described in Pavel Pchelnikov 's recollections of Tchaikovsky [16] . The former was told the story by the conductor Stepan Ryabov. Without naming the ballerina, Pchelnikov reported that she went to Saint Petersburg to ask the balletmaster Marius Petipa if he could furnish her with a Pas de deux . The number was set to music by the composer Ludwig Minkus. Not wanting to allow music by others in his ballet, Tchaikovsky wrote his own Pas de deux , preserving the length and divisions of Minkus' piece [17] .

According to Pavel Pchelnikov 's account, up to the end of the 1878/79 season the ballerina Pelageya Karpakova danced a Pas de six in Act III, and later a Pas de cinq or Pas de dix (from 1878), while the ballerina Anna Sobeshchanskaya always danced a Pas de deux after a Pas de cinq . Furthermore, ballerina Yevdokiya Kalmykova, who performed the role of Odette in a new production by the balletmaster Joseph Peter Hansen (1880), danced the Pas de deux in Act III [18] .

Arrangements

The Introduction alone was arranged for piano solo by the composer in 1875 or 1876, and this was published with Nikolay Kashkin 's arrangement of the rest of the ballet, which had been made at the request of Tchaikovsky himself. On 16/28 September 1876, Tchaikovsky wrote to Pyotr Jurgenson : " Kashkin will be coming over today to play the first and second acts of the ballet. Would you like to hear it? Albrecht will be there as well" [19] . Nikolay Kashkin wrote about his work on the arrangement in his memoirs: "The principle objective of my arrangement of the ballet was, where possible, to preserve all the main lines in the full score, which was not a particularly easy task. When he came to review it, the author simplified a few places of little musical importance, while elsewhere he even added a few grace notes. These additions could not be played on the piano, but, probably imagining the printed orchestral score of the ballet, the composer inserted these details simply because he took it into his head that the music would read better that way" [20] .

In 1882, Tchaikovsky considered creating a suite from the music to Swan Lake , but it was only seven years after his death that such a suite was finally published, and it is unknown who made the selection of numbers.

Performances

Original version.

The first performance of the ballet took place in Moscow , on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre, on 20 February/4 March 1877, at a benefit for the ballerina Pelageya Karpakova, choreographed by Julius Reisinger, and conducted by Stepan Ryabov. The soloists were: Pelageya Karpakova ( Odette/Odile ), Olga Nikolayeva ( Princess ), Stanislav Gillert ( Siegfried ), Wilhelm Vanner ( Wolfgang ), S. G. Nikitin ( Benno ), Sergey Sokolov ( Von Rothbart ), Kuznetsov (Master of Ceremonies), Fyodor Reinshausen ( Baron von Stein ), Polyakova ( Baroness von Stein ). The production went well, and it remained in the repertoire until the 1882/83 season [21] , after which it was not performed again in Russia during the composer's lifetime. There are few surviving accounts by Tchaikovsky concerning his ballet. In 1877, after seeing Delibes ' ballet Sylvia in Vienna , the composer wrote to Nadezhda von Meck that Swan Lake was poorer by far than Sylvia [22] .

None of Tchaikovsky's other stage works were subject to such changes and misrepresentation in productions as Swan Lake . Unfortunately, up to the present time it is still not possible to find materials which would show conclusively how the ballet was performed during the composer's lifetime. Some information can be gleaned by comparing posters from the first three productions of the ballet on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow . Judging by the list of dance numbers, Julius Reisinger did not introduce any significant changes to the full score. It is impossible to tell from the titles of the individual dances whether the music was authentic. Nevertheless, bearing in mind the history of the Pas de deux , we might suppose that at the first production the music was performed in accordance with the author's full score, apart from small changes in the order of numbers and, possibly, some cuts (evidently a Pas de cinq and Pas de dix dances replaced the Pas de deux discussed above). When the ballet was revived in 1880, the choreographer Hansen took greater liberties with the score. It is not known whether he introduced new music, but in any case much of the music was cut, including the Pas de six in Act III. It seems that the plot of the ballet was also changed, judging from some annotations to the list of dances performed. Thus, Odette was transformed from a good fairy in the original version into a Queen of the Swans, and the appearance of the magician Rothbart in Act IV was not preserved from the first version. At the time of the third production, in 1882, Hansen introduced further changes, and added a new dance in Act III for the ballerina Lydia Geiten— Cosmopolitan , to music by Cesare Pugni, which had no relevance whatsoever to the ballet.

On 4/16 April 1886, in reply to a letter from Pyotr Jurgenson , in which the publisher reported that Ivan Vsevolozhsky wanted to present an act from Swan Lake in a partially open-air performance, and asking which act would be best, Tchaikovsky wrote: "Out of the four acts I must choose the second , and not the fourth as you suggested. So don't forget: the second " [23] .

On 9/21 February 1888, Act II of Swan Lake was performed on the stage of the National Theatre in Prague , in the presence of the composer. The conductor was Adolf Čech , and the balletmaster was Augustin Berger, with Giulietta Paltrinieri-Bergrova as Odette, and August Berger in the role of Siegfried (renamed "Prince Jaroslav" in this production). This was the first production of a Russian ballet outside its native land, and it was repeated at the National Theatre a further seven times before the end of April 1888 [24] .

Posthumous Version

Although the version of the ballet widely promulgated in the 20th century originated after the composer's death, it still played an important part in popularising Tchaikovsky's music and revealing the musical dramaturgy of his first ballet.

On 17 February/1 March 1894 in Saint Petersburg , there was a memorial performance for Tchaikovsky, at which Act II of Swan Lake was staged by the balletmaster Lev Ivanov , and conductor Riccardo Drigo . In the same year, Ivan Vsevolozhsky decided to produce the complete ballet, and asked Modest Tchaikovsky to rewrite the libretto [25] . In a letter to Modest Tchaikovsky of 17/29 August 1894, Ivan Vsevolozhsky wrote: "I am eagerly awaiting the refashioned libretto of the ballet. I hope that you have managed to leave out the flood in the last scene... and later on the Prince taking the crown from the head of his beloved swan and destroying it? All this is confusing. I cannot order the scenery until the story is decided upon, but there is plenty of time" [26] . In a subsequent letter to Modest Tchaikovsky of 28 August/9 September the same year, Vsevolozhsky thanked him for sending the "refashioned libretto", and stated that he had passed it to the balletmaster Lev Ivanov "for consultation with R. Drigo " [27] . In a letter of 31 August/12 September 1894, the conductor Riccardo Drigo told Modest Tchaikovsky that he expected to return to Saint Petersburg to meet with Ivanov and Petipa , and discuss with them the musical setting of each number in the ballet, "taking pains to ensure that as far as possible, I hope, you will be satisfied with the outcome" [28] .

The production of the ballet in this version with new music took place on 15/27 January 1895 on the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg , at a benefit performance for the ballerina Pierina Legnani (who performed the roles of Odette/Odile), with choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov , and conducted by Riccardo Drigo . Other soloists included: Pavel Gerdt ( Siegfried ), Stanislav Gillert ( Wolfgang ), Aleksandr Oblakov ( Benno ) and Aleksey Bulgakov ( Von Rothbart ). For this production, three piano pieces by Tchaikovsky were inserted into the ballet, namely Nos. 11, 12 and 15 from the Eighteen Pieces, Op. 72 , orchestrated by Drigo . In Moscow , this version of the ballet was staged on 5/17 May 1896. As in the 1880 production, and in all subsequent ones, Swan Lake was never performed in its entirety (i.e. as in the autograph full score).

The ballet was only performed with the music intact for the first time on the stage of the Chernyshevsky State Opera and Ballet Theatre in Saratov (1955/56 season).

An abridged version of Swan Lake by Mikhail Fokine was performed at the Hippodrome Theatre in London on 3/16 May 1910. The first complete performance in Great Britain took place in the Sadler's Wells Theatre in London on 29 November 1934, with balletmaster Nicholas Sergeyev, and Alicia Markova ( Odette/Odile ) and Robert Helpman ( Siegfried ).

In the United States, an abridged version by Mikhail Mordkin was performed in New York on 6/19 December 1911, with Ekaterina Gelster as Odette, and Mikhail Mordkin as Siegfried. The ballet's first complete production was in San Francisco, on 27 September 1940, with soloists including Jacquelin Martin ( Odette ), Janet Reed ( Odile ), Lew Christensen ( Siegfried ), choreographed by William Christensen.

Related Works

In parts of Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky used music from his earlier destroyed operas:

• Act II, No. 13. In the Dances of the Swans , the Andante (G-flat major) section of the 5th variation is based on the final duet of Undina and Huldbrandt from Act III of the opera Undina (1869) [32] .
• Act IV, No. 25. This was originally written as the Entr'acte to Act III of the opera The Voyevoda (1867-68) [33] .
• Act IV, No. 29. The opening 25 bars of the Final Scene are taken from a scene (Act III, No. 2) in The Voyevoda .

Conversely, some numbers from the ballet were adapted by Tchaikovsky in later works:

• Act III, No. 20a. An abridged version of the Russian Dance was used as the Russian Dance (No. 10) from the Twelve Pieces, Op. 40 for piano (1878).
• Act III, No. 22. The Neapolitan Dance is based on an Italian folk tune, and was later adapted for piano solo as the Neapolitan Song (No. 18) from the Children's Album .

External Links

• Internet Music Score Library Project (IMSLP) — downloadable scores

Quick Links

• Photographs
• Bibliography
• Discography
• First Thoughts
• Special pages
• Cite this page

User page tools

• What links here
• Related changes
• Printable version
• Permanent link
• Page information

• This page was last modified on 29 March 2024, at 18:42.
• Content is available under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International unless otherwise noted.
• Privacy policy
• About Tchaikovsky Research
• Terms of Use