The ClubSwan 43, a contemporary multi-mode cruiser-racer is one of 2024’s most exciting launches. Toby Hodges went to the Finnish yard for the first sea trials... sort of...
£691,985.70 (As tested exc. VAT)
What does a genuine cruiser-racer look like today? Spicy and seriously appealing if we take Swan’s latest model as an example. Granted, the dark brown water surrounding the ClubSwan 43 (CS43) during this first photoshoot doesn’t quite sell it, but believe me, the lines and details of Juan Kouyoumdjian’s latest rocketship really does get the heart rate spiking. This is one slippery weapon, potentially as stunning to sail as her fiery looks promise.

And it’s rare to find a new yacht that properly fulfills a dual-purpose role. Admittedly this design is skewed more towards racing, which will likely be the focus of most owners. But like its predecessor, the CS42, it features a fitted interior for occasional fair weather cruising – the modern shape of the new boat helps provide large volumes below decks (for a race boat) in a three-cabin layout.

Swan markets the ClubSwan 43 as ‘the perfect crossover’ because it targets three briefs: one-design events, handicap regatta ratings, and sports cruising. Some readers will remember it began life on the drawing board a couple of years ago as a 41-footer. But when the ORC band limits changed, Swan changed with it, extending this to a 43 as the Finnish boatbuilders wanted to be in the middle of Cat A for this international rating system.

Sea trials from the yard – but with race sails fitted and a hiking crew this time.

"ORC is getting bigger every year so this was our focus," Nautor’s CEO Giovanni Pomati explained as we attended the launch and first sea trials from Swan’s Pietersaari yard.

Pomati described how Swan clients love to race in Nautor’s one-design circuit but also want to compete in high-profile regattas such as the Copa del Rey or Admiral’s Cup, and have the option of then cruising with their families. But he admits this is a mighty tall order: "As Juan K says – ‘you want a pig with five legs!’"

ClubSwan 43’s design versatility

"For me the way all these different aspects between performance, interior/cruising ability, and where the boat sits in terms of its performance to rating makes it a successful and beautiful sailboat," muses Kouyoumdjian.

The visionary Argentinian naval architect has given the ClubSwan range a formidable boost since the CS50 launched in 2016. That was followed by the CS36, the CS125 Skorpios (both of which have foils), the CS80 My Song, and now the CS28 and this CS43 both launching this season. He says the CS43’s hull is 500-700kg lighter yet 1.5m longer than its typical competitor.

Note the tidy deck layout and angles – top ergonomics

A novel feature, designed to suit those owners optimising their boat for ORC racing, is that the keel has a pocket in the top of the bulb to adjust the ballast without changing the whole keel (see page 84). This L-shaped keel is very thin at the leading edge, a high aspect shape to provide lift going upwind, and the design team calculates this will create much less leeway than a T-keel.

Another clever addition is to be found in the rig. The standard carbon mast is heavily raked with running backstays and a contemporary square-top mainsail for optimum performance in one-design racing. However, the masthead crane can be changed out to use a pinhead mainsail and fixed backstay, which is more practical when cruising. This fitting attaches with two pins, so you don’t need to de-rig the boat and can just hoist someone aloft.

"We spent a lot of time to simplify like this to swap from one configuration to another," says head of sports activities Federico Michetti, who spearheaded the CS43 project.

Admittedly, I find the lines very cool indeed, with the flared aft sections, reverse sheer, chamfered coachroof and modern deck angles setting off an appealing, aggressive and sporty tone.

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Good and bad surprises

Why have I harked on about the design and concept before describing what it’s like to sail? Because there’s an anti-climax looming… the first boat hadn’t quite been finished in time to give it a full test during our yard visit in June – we only managed a quick introductory sail, hence why this is only a ‘First Look’.

Ours were the very first sea trials of the first hull to launch. Although Swan had tried to finish as much of the interior as possible, it was certainly not complete (the aft cabins had no doors, the heads were unfinished and the sole boards were yet to be fitted). The bigger issue was that the sails had been held up in customs in Denmark, so our delivery sails comprised a pinhead main and a high-cut storm jib. Although I pleaded to borrow another yacht’s gennaker, the bowsprit still needed tackline fairleads and a bobstay fitting. So white Dacron sails only it was.

A joy to helm: the CS43 should slice to weather with narrow wetted surface and a keel which minimises leeway

Yet despite the equivalent of furnishing a carbon superbike with mountain bike wheels, we still had a delicious taster. We sailed in the tight confines of the channel to try and harness a confused wind as the light sea breeze began to stifle the offshores. This gave us a tricky yet fun mix of angles with winds gusting up from 8 to 17 knots.

And what a feeling this yacht gives you on the wheel – super direct and smooth! The Jefa steering linkage has a short run aft to a carbon stock and vinylester rudder, a deep, high aspect blade (to match the keel fin), which felt beautifully light and responsive.

Appetite whetter

The ClubSwan 43 proved noticeably quick to accelerate. We averaged 7+ knots upwind at 40° true in 12 knots (another half knot if you bear off 5-8°). Of course, the numbers are somewhat irrelevant with the sails we had and with no offwind options (indeed the polars suggest it should clock 8 knots in such conditions in one-design mode), but the feel and spark were very evident and pointed to genuinely potent capabilities.

Toby on the helm (with Dacron high cut jib).

While it has generous beam carried aft, look at the flare to the aft quarters: it leaves only a narrow wetted surface. It’s a slippery shape that should start planing when reaching in around 12 knots true wind. It will want a full hiking crew to establish how lethal the CS43 is upwind, but my impression is that intelligent use of crew weight, both lateral and fore and aft, could make a telling difference.

The wheel pedestals are twisted, which forces a double take at first, but proved effective as they’re at the ideal angle to grip when heeled and gain the helmsman space. The mainsheet trimmer has a comfortable space between the wheel and German-led mainsheet winch. Traveller control lines are led here to hand via camcleats on the central footbrace, although the endless line joining them can cause a tripping hazard.

The deck design and ergonomics are superb. The angles help to both give the CS43 a modern feel and work in a practical sense. For example, the chamfers on the coachroof make for a comfortable boat to sit up on the side deck or to walk on at heel, while a hiking crew will be grateful for the angled toerail join.

A compact galley but plenty of saloon and accomodation space in a smartly designed interior. Many of the panels are removable

Michetti is particularly happy with these ergonomics, especially those that help crew to feel safe at heel. The SeaDek foam decking in the cockpit is comfortable and grippy underfoot, the moulded-in non-slip decks effective, and there is a sturdy central longitudinal footbrace for crewmembers in the cockpit.

The winch layout is also well considered, particularly for racing. The coachroof winches have free spinning bases for cross-sheeting, and the runner winches are neatly set into the decks, again on an angle. The runners blocks are quite far inboard on the transom, but Michetti explains that the boom will never be eased too far with the apparent wind angles it will race at. The jib sheets lead through transverse tracks to give a very tight sheeting angle, while the running rigging runs through slanted grooves in the coachroof.

A lot of experience and forethought has gone into these details.

Keel pocket allows simple change of ballast weight

More clues to its raceboat focus include having the main and jib halyards on locks, which helps reduce mast compression, and the numbered gauges on the foam decking for the traveller. Making full use of the reverse sheer, the foredeck ramps down into a well to make the forestay attachment as low as possible.

The spacious cockpit has low backrests and short benches. In cruising mode there’s the option for a removable table and box seats to join the cockpit benches. A windlass can be fitted in the anchor locker and the bowsprit can be swapped with two bolts for a shorter version that includes twin anchor rollers.

Reverse sheer and flared aft quarters give an aggressive look

Clean styling

Below decks has a light, open feel, with good volumes and large aft cabins. Lucio Micheletti has done a good job with the minimalist interior styling and it is more cruising yacht than stripped-back raceboat. That said, the yard has gone to painstaking lengths to ensure it can be stripped without ruining the boat. Cork panels are used on the hull sides, for example, for noise insulation but they’re Velcroed-on so can be removed for racing.

There will be an option to close off the forward berth

In fact, pretty much anything that can be removable is, including the saloon table, the aft bed boards, the water tank bladders, even the headlining. This amounts to over 200kg in furniture and fittings.

The concept of stripping a luxury yacht may seem baffling but Michetti explains how competitive boats racing in ORC today all do this and are ‘bastardised’ with fake interiors and furniture. Hence it makes sense to design-in as many removable fittings as possible. For Swan’s one-design racing programme, yachts will have to have their interiors fitted. So this is a truly transformable model.

It’s also a practical wash down, wipe clean type interior, so should be able to handle spinnaker drops without ruining the finish. A string drop system can be fitted, led back to a block in the aft cabin so you can suck a kite in through the forward hatch. All deck hatch drainage is outside via neat wells on deck and it’s a deck-stepped mast, so the interior should stay dry.

Photo: Eva-Stina Kjellman

The hatch on the forward watertight bulkhead opens to access the forepeak and chain locker. There will be an option to close off the forward berth with sliding doors, and Swan was still deciding whether to add headlinings in the aft cabins (which will also have fabric wardrobes). The CS43 is built using vacuum-infused vinylester with carbon reinforcements, a high modulus carbon Axxon rig, and a carbon bowsprit.


Verdict

The ClubSwan 43 costs a whopping €820,000, yet the first three were signed before this first hull launched (the larger sister CS50 is €600,000 more and costs more to run, yet has sold nearly 30). So while this just might be one of the coolest new yachts I’ve sailed, for that exotic price it needs to be near perfect. And I can’t tell you if it is... yet. I can only say it’s got huge potential. Its pricing will render it a product for the lucky few, but that’s buying into the exclusive, unrivalled world of Swan’s regatta and one-design circuits. The Nautor badge will also carry a lot of weight in terms of aftersales value. Our sail was a mere amuse-bouche, when I’d have loved to try the full taster menu. While it was frustrating for Swan and us not to be able to sail it to its potential, I can say that there are very, very few yachts that feel this good on the wheel without even being set up properly! I eagerly await a re-run.