Sanlorenzo: ‘The integration with Swan has gone very well’
Perotti, owner of the Ligurian group, takes stock of the acquisition at the Rolex Cup. Today marks the end of the regattas celebrating the Finnish shipyard’s 60th anniversary
The quays at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda are buzzing with activity as the 23rd edition of the Rolex Swan Cup enters its final stages; the event began last Tuesday and concludes today, having brought together no fewer than 170 boats in Porto Cervo. The event is organised by the YCCS, in collaboration with Nautor Swan and with the support of title sponsor Rolex. Such a significant number of participants – the maximum permitted – has been achieved to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Finnish shipyard, which recently joined the Sanlorenzo Group, led by Massimo Perotti.
And it was Perotti himself who confirmed yesterday that the deal which brought the Finnish shipyard (controlled by Leonardo Ferragamo until August two years ago) into the Ameglia (La Spezia) group had resulted in ‘a very successful integration’. He went on to emphasise that, “in the first six months of 2026, Sanlorenzo did not record any negative figures and achieved 83 per cent of its estimated sales for the year; by September, this figure had reached 90 per cent; and 45 per cent of the sales forecast for 2027 have already been finalised”.
Last Tuesday, on the opening day of the Rolex Swan Cup, a special event was held to mark the anniversary: the ‘Swan Dance’, in which all the participating Swans sailed around Isola dei Monaci, following a carefully choreographed circular formation and creating a spectacle that was filmed by helicopters and drones. The images were captured with the aim of honouring the memory of Carlo Borlenghi, one of the world’s most renowned sailing photographers, who recently passed away.
After the celebrations, however, the regattas got underway, featuring an exceptional fleet of 170 Swans – as mentioned – representing over 90 models and every generation of the Finnish shipyard’s production: from the historic vessels that gave rise to the Swan legend right through to the latest high-performance flagships. Indeed, the yachts present offered a comprehensive overview of Nautor Swan’s history, from 1966 to the present day. Leading the way, so to speak, is the Tarantella, the Swan 36-001 designed by Sparkman & Stephens, with which the shipyard’s production began in Pietarsaari, Finland. Restored to mark the 60th anniversary, Tarantella represents the starting point of a history which, at the opposite end of the fleet, is represented by the two Swan 128s, Be Cool and Raijin, together with the brand-new Swan 80 Elvi – all designed by Germán Frers.
From a competitive standpoint, too, the standard of the fleet was exceptionally high. Nine winners from the 2024 edition are back in Porto Cervo: Freya in the Maxi fleet, Seaquill among the Mini Maxis, Isabella among the Sparkman & Stephens Classic class, Mascalzone Latino in the S&S Racing class, Katima in the Swan 45 class, the modified Swan 45 From Now On, as well as Ulika in the ClubSwan 50 class, Fra Martina in the ClubSwan 36 class and Marcello, owned by YCCS member Philippe Ligot, in the ClubSwan 28 class.
