Swan Heritage Reunion: German Frers will attend to the event in Capraia.

On the island of Capraia, the 19 . 20 . 21 June 2026 (plus transfer-regatta to Argentario on the 22nd) there will be the Swan Heritage Reunion 2026.

https://swanclassicbyfrers.org/archivio-eventi/2026-classic-swan-reunion-in-capraia/

German Frers has accepted our invitation to participate to the Swan Heritage reunion: so the owners of SCBF Swans will have to opportunity to know in person the designer of their boats (and also of some of the Sparkman & Stephens Swans, tho whose design he contributed when he was working the the studio of S&S).
We are incredibly proud that he will join us in this 60th anniversary of Nautor Swan at our Swan Heritage Reunion.

SUMMARY OF THE PROGRAM IN CAPRAIA:
We will meet on June 20 in Capraia, where we will celebrate our passion with a drink kindly offered by Nautor. On that same occasion, we will decide together the sailing program for the following day. Depending on the weather, this could be a sail around the beautiful island of Capraia or, if the wind allows, a passage to Corsica and back. Alternatively, should the wind fail us, we will simply sail together to one of Capraia’s charming bays and enjoy a swim.
In the evening, a special dinner will be held in front of the boats, organized by Monika, owner of the renowned restaurant Pescianel, who together with her team will prepare an unforgettable dinner with local seafood.
If you are planning to join us, please do not hesitate to get in touch (info@swanclassicbyfrers.org). This promises to be a truly memorable gathering for all those who love the most beautiful Swans ever built.

Participants (list updated June 4th):

SCBF Swan 40 /148 Solenia
SCBF Swan 44 /012 Windekind
SCBF Swan 46 /019 Assidous
SCBF Swan 46 /090 Twilight
SCBF Swan 51/010 Cartouche
SCBF Swan 51/012 FoLunza
SCBF Swan 651/007 Lunz am Meer
SCBF Swan 77/010 Blue Itaca

S&S Swan 36/010 Isabella
S&S Swan 38/090 Cutti *
S&S Swan 40/047 Star Swan *
S&S Swan 41/003 Diana *
S&S Swan 41/004 Cial II
S&S Swan 41/020 Something*
S&S Swan 41/025 Lithian
S&S Swan 43/019 Manurau
S&S Swan 43/047 Kokkola
S&S Swan 44/014 Four Winds
S&S Swan 47/014 Typon*
S&S Swan 47/016 Grampus
S&S Swan 47/029 Sarabande *
S&S Swan 47/039 Outrageous *
S&S Swan 47/041 Tortuga
S&S Swan 47/051 Djata
S&S Swan 47/056 Black Tie
S&S Swan 47/069 Vanessa
S&S Swan 55/016 Valhalla *
S&S Swan 57/006 Matchless
S&S Swan 57/037 Bianca di Navarra
S&S Swan 65/040 Une Joie de Vivre

SRH 39/029 Katia
SRH 43/111 Fidibu’

*Owner is cycling to Capraia to join us from Milan
**Owner is flying to Capraia to join us from Portugal
***Owners are flying to Capraia to join us from Finland
**Owners are flying to Capraia to join us from San Francisco, USA
***Owners are swimming to Capraia to join us from Rome
****Owners are flying to Capraia to join us from the UK
*** Owner is flying to Capraia to join us from the UK

We are working in close cooperation with S&S Association, Marina di Capraia Isola and Nautor Swan to organize this special venue, the first ever organized for all Swan Classics.

Fees
Each Swan Owner will pay his/her own fee.

Welcome drink: offered by Nautor

Restaurant: (Pescianel) Euro 60 pp food and beverages included, should be confirmed and paid directly to the Restaurant by June 10 (pescianelcapraia@gmail.com - +39 331 1688 196).
Instructions will be mailed to all participants on how make the downpayment.

Mooring: Upon arrival, each Owner will settle the mooring fees directly with the Marina, less one complimentary night kindly offered by Marina di Capraia Isola (see below).
Boat lenght Price per night
m. 10 € 50,00
m. 11 € 60,00
m. 12 € 75,00
m. 13 € 90,00
m. 14 € 115,00
m. 15 € 140,00
m. 16 € 155,00
m. 17 € 190,00
m. 18 € 210,00
m. 19 € 230,00
m. 20 € 260,00

Special gift:
Every owner will receive a a vest as souvenir of the event. In your application please state the size you prefer!

Provisional schedule:

Friday, 19 June 2026
Arrival, welcome cocktail

Saturday, 20 June 2026
Fleet sailing around the island, followed by dinner for all Owners and Crew

Sunday, 21 June 2026
Farewell day

If you are Owner of a Classic Swan and want to participate, please download the subscription form at the bottom of this newsletter.

22 June:
Following the Capraia gathering, we are pleased to highlight the Argentario Sailing Week, organized by the Yacht Club Santo Stefano, where a dedicated class will be reserved for all Classic Swans.
Owners sailing from Capraia to Porto Santo Stefano for the event may choose to turn the passage into a friendly, self-organized race (if you want to participate -free of charge- email to ms@classicswan.org.

Argentario Saling Week, participants:
S&S Swan 37/051 Tikka III
S&S Swan 42/025 Lithian
S&S Swan 47/004 Dream
S&S Swan 47/016 Grampus
S&S Swan 57/006 Matchless
SCBF Swan 651 Lunz am Meer

A special "thank you" to the Sparkman & Stephens Association, for the stellar effort in organising this event.

We would like also to thank Nautor Swan, that will have a crew in Capraia, for supporting all Swan participants.

SCBF Reunion Porto Rafael | July 3 - 5

Are you planning to be in North Sardinia in early July?
Let’s meet at the Swan Porto Rafael Challenge! The SCBF will be very welcome to join, for a friendly reunion, this iconic Mediterranean venue where scenic beauty meets wonderful sailing conditions!
Porto Rafael is a minimalistic venue, oozing charm and has a decades old tradition of open houses and life in the Piazzetta: it is unique and unmissable!

If you are Owner of a Swan Classic by Frers and want to participate, please write us at info@swanclassicbyfrers.org
We very much look forward to reuniting as many SCBF as possible!

2026 Swan Cup Porto Cervo

This is a Swan Cup year and, as usual, Nautor Swan is organizing a dedicated class for the Classic Swans. For the first time, the class will include S&S Swans, Ron Holland Swans and Germán Frers Swans designed up to 1992 (i.e. following the IOR classification rules).

Here you can subscribe to the Rolex Swan Cup Subscription form

Participants list :

Here you have the provisional general entry list to the Rolex Swan Cup (updated to present):
https://www.yccs.it/en/regattas-2026/rolex_swan_cup-3345/iscritti-265/provisional_entry_list

Here below you have the Classic Swans that have registered to the Swan Cup (updated to 6th of May 2026):

Swan Classics by FrersSCBF 40 KJU
SCBF 44 CYGNET
SCBF 44 CHOTACABRAS
SCBF 46 ANNE MARI
SCBR 51 FORMOSA
SCBF 51 CARTOUCHE
SCBF 51 EIRA
SCBF 53 GALADRIEL
SCBF 53 SKYE
SCBF 651 LUNZ AM MEER
SCBF 651 GERONIMO

Sparkman & Stephens
S&S 36 TARANTELLA
S&S 36 ISABELLA
S&S 38 MASCALZONE LATINO
S&S 41 GALATEA
S&S 41 MAJE OF STRANGFORD
S&S 44 JOCONDE
S&S 44 FLOORTJE
S&S 47 MATILDA II
S&S 48 SNOW WOLF
S&S 48 ELAN
S&S 57 ALGOL V
S&S 57 MATCHLESS
S&S 65 SHIRLAF
S&S 65 SAIDA

RH
S 441 BEST BUDDIES

Jean Le Cam has joined our association

At the end of May we contacted Jean Le Cam and made him aware of the activity of our association.
We are very pleased that he has decided to become a member with his SCBF Swan 59 Alegria.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DYwdeQyIsML/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DJjFfKjsmOX/?img_index=1

Our association is expanding.

In May also Tony Gagliardo has joined our association. He is the owner of a SCBF Swan 46, Artemis.
We invited him to share with us his experience to cross the Atlantic with his wife Michelle and (at board home schooled) son Angelo.
Here we have his interesting account of how his sailed back to the Mediterranean and Italy, where he is in Sicily still: their S46 Artemis more than just a floating home, a companion in their voyage!

Crossing Home

A Family Voyage Aboard Swan 46 Artemis

Before crossing the Atlantic, we spent several weeks saying goodbye.
Following an extensive refit in Trinidad, Artemis was finally ready for the voyage east. Rather than departing immediately, we worked our way north through the Eastern Caribbean, revisiting favorite anchorages and spending time with friends we had made during years of cruising the islands. Stops in Grenada, Saint Lucia, Martinique, and finally Dominica became a farewell tour of sorts before turning our attention toward Europe.
In May 2024, after provisioning in Martinique and saying our final goodbyes in Dominica, we pointed the bow of our 1987 Swan 46 Artemis toward the Azores.

For me, the voyage would include a return to places I had first visited as a young sailor in 1987. For Michelle, it would be her first arrival in Europe. For Angelo, who was four years old at the time, it was simply another adventure aboard the boat that had always been home.
Rather than following the traditional route north toward Bermuda before turning east, we chose a more direct approach. Using Starlink and modern weather routing, we carefully monitored the North Atlantic high pressure system, aiming for moderate conditions that would be comfortable for our family crew. Our goal was not to set records or chase weather systems. We simply wanted a pleasant passage.
The strategy worked remarkably well.
Apart from the first few days, when the Intertropical Convergence Zone had drifted unusually far north and filled the sky with squalls and variable winds, conditions remained favorable. We carried a 130 percent roller furling genoa for much of the crossing and occasionally set a lightweight racing sail from Artemis's earlier years to keep our speed up during lighter conditions.

Departing Dominica on May 25, 2024, Artemis arrived in Horta on June 13 after twenty days at sea. Looking back, the direct route proved both efficient and comfortable.
One of the greatest surprises was how enjoyable much of the crossing proved to be. Long stretches of settled weather allowed us to spend hours in the cockpit together, enjoying meals, watching the changing sky, and talking about the places that awaited us on the other side of the Atlantic. Compared with the heat, humidity, and constant trade winds of the Caribbean, the North Atlantic often felt remarkably comfortable.

Michelle was hardly new to life aboard. By the time Artemis departed Dominica, she had accumulated well over 16,000 sailing miles throughout the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and U.S. East Coast. Years of cruising had transformed seasickness from a major obstacle into something she could manage effectively, allowing her to fully enjoy the voyage. Homeschooling activities with Angelo continued underway, and daily life aboard settled into its familiar rhythm.
For Angelo, the distinction between being underway and simply being at home was often unclear. Life aboard Artemis had always involved passages, anchorages, marinas, and new places. Crossing an ocean was simply another part of everyday life.

One unexpected companion appeared during a period of unsettled weather. A larger yacht had experienced problems with its communications equipment and spent several days within sight of us. While many sailors find comfort in company offshore, I have always preferred having the ocean to myself. My overnight routine consisted of short twenty to thirty minute naps followed by radar, AIS, and horizon checks. Having another vessel constantly nearby simply added one more thing to monitor. Eventually the weather separated us, and we each continued on our own course toward the Azores.
As Horta drew near, I found myself thinking less about the passage and more about my first arrival there in 1987.
For a time, I had considered stopping at Flores before continuing on to Faial. During my earlier voyage we had tied up near an old whaling station there, and I was curious to see the place again. I spent hours studying satellite imagery trying to locate it before eventually realizing that an airport had been built on the very site where I remembered the harbor and whaling station. The place I remembered had effectively disappeared.
Instead, we sailed directly into Horta.

Some things were immediately familiar. Peter Café Sport, the painted walls, and the satisfaction of completing an Atlantic crossing all remained. Yet much had changed. The harbor had expanded. Commercial activity had increased. Whale watching operations now occupied areas that had once been quiet waterfront. Most noticeably, the Azores had become a tourist destination.
In 1987, it felt as though nearly everyone there had arrived by sea.
'Today, visitors arrive from around the world.'
Perhaps the greatest difference, however, was not Horta itself but the perspective from which I viewed it. In 1987 I arrived as a young sailor seeing Europe for the first time. In 2024 I arrived aboard my own Swan with my wife and son. The islands had changed, but so had I.

We spent nearly two weeks in Horta before making a crew change. A longtime Italian friend, Nunzio, joined Artemis for the next leg toward Portugal. The passage from Horta to Lisbon provided some of the most enjoyable sailing of the entire voyage. Conditions were settled, the miles passed easily beneath the keel, and it was a pleasure sharing the experience with a friend.

We spent time at Alcântara Marina exploring Lisbon and preparing for the next stage of the journey. One particularly enjoyable encounter was meeting another Swan 46 owner who had cruised extensively with his family, including voyages to Brazil and back. One of the pleasures of owning a Swan is the community that surrounds these boats, and it was remarkable to find another owner whose family had shared similar adventures.

Of all the places we visited along the way, Cadiz became our family's favorite. Lisbon was impressive, but Cadiz seemed to strike exactly the right balance of history, scale, walkability, and atmosphere. It remains one of those places we would happily return to.

From Lisbon southward, our attention shifted to a different concern: the now-famous orca interactions along the Portuguese and Spanish coasts.
After considerable research, we adopted a simple strategy. Whenever practical, we stayed in relatively shallow water, often following the twenty meter contour. Whether the theory was correct or simply good fortune, we never encountered a single orca between Lisbon and Gibraltar. We heard plenty of reports on the VHF from vessels farther offshore and saw evidence of damaged boats in several ports, but Artemis continued south without incident.

Beyond Gibraltar the atmosphere changed. The Atlantic was behind us, and the Mediterranean lay ahead.
We moved eastward in shorter stages, meeting friends along the way and enjoying the gradual transition into Mediterranean cruising. We connected with Ricardo aboard Lunz am Meer in Ibiza and narrowly avoided a severe storm that caused damage to numerous vessels elsewhere in the Balearics. Our own encounter with the weather was limited to a quick decision to lift anchor and move before conditions deteriorated.

From there we crossed to Sardinia, making landfall at Alghero.

Although Sicily was still ahead, arriving in Italy felt significant. After months of planning, preparation, and ocean miles, we had finally reached the country that had drawn us eastward in the first place.

From Sardinia we continued south before turning toward Palermo.
The moment that remains most vivid did not occur in the harbor itself.
It came earlier.
As Artemis approached the Gulf of Castellammare, the mountains of northwestern Sicily gradually emerged from the horizon. We rounded the first headlands and eventually made the turn toward Palermo. That was the moment when the reality of the voyage finally settled in.
These were the same mountains and headlands my great grandparents had seen when they departed Sicily for America more than a century earlier. For me, however, it was a first view of Sicily.
We were approaching from the opposite direction.
Standing aboard Artemis, I found myself wondering what their departure must have felt like. The Sicilian coastline rises dramatically from the sea, far more striking than I had imagined and far more dramatic than the flat Texas coast where I grew up. Seeing those mountains for the first time made me appreciate what they had left behind and the courage it must have taken to leave it.

They were undoubtedly excited about the opportunities America offered. Yet looking at that coastline from the sea, I could not help but wonder how difficult it must have been to watch those mountains slowly disappear astern.
By the time we reached Palermo, it felt as though we had crossed more than an ocean.
For Michelle, Europe was entirely new. For Angelo, it was simply the next place the boat would go. For me, it was both a return and an arrival.
Thirty-seven years after arriving in the Azores as a young sailor, I had crossed the Atlantic aboard my own Swan with my wife and son and arrived at the shores my family had once left behind.

The voyage had carried us across an ocean, but in many ways it felt as though we had simply sailed back into a much older story.

Sharing information on maintenance providers

Starting in 2026, and following the same practice as the S&S Classic Swan Association, we will publish all reports submitted by our members regarding good and poor-quality maintenance providers.

Reports should be concise, factual, include the date and location of the works performed, and be signed by the SCBF member submitting them.

Sharing technical drawings

Starting in 2026, and following the same practice as the S&S Classic Swan Association, we are collecting technical drawings of the SCBF Swans in order to make them available for free to all members.
We urge you to contribute to our archive that is growing considerably.

Dear friends, register for the Nautor events dedicated to our classic boats, share information and projects, for the benefit of all members!
Fair winds and godspeed to you all,

Lodovica
SCBF Chairwoman