TARANTELLA TAKES CENTER STAGE AT ROLEX SWAN CUP 2026

Yacht Club Costa Smeralda welcomes the first-ever Swan 36 at the head of a record fleet.

The 23rd edition of the prestigious Rolex Swan Cup is set to begin on September 14th, and all eyes will be on the beautiful Tarantella, the original Swan hull which has been lovingly and meticulously restored.  

The exclusive biennial sailing regatta in Sardinia, Italy, will see more than 160 Nautor Swans come together for a full week of competitive racing on the water and warm camaraderie onshore. Spanning one-design racers and Maxi performance cruisers to classics from the earliest years, the jewel in the crown is the return of the first-ever Swan 36 Tarantella, originally launched in 1967, which kickstarted the remarkable 60-year story of the iconic Finnish shipyard. 

The restoration of Tarantella has been supported by North Sails since the outset and has seen the celebrated yacht return to the water in the summer of 2026. Tarantella has since toured the most historic clubs in Europe, which included visiting the Royal Swedish Yacht Club and the Royal Yacht Squadron.  

Luca Delfino, Chief Commercial Officer for North Technology Group, commented: “Nautor Swan are one of the undisputed leaders in the marine industry, with an incredible heritage of quality, performance and innovation. Tarantella was a bold and pioneering fibreglass yacht that led to six decades of inspiring Swan designs that we now see racing together in Sardinia for the Rolex Swan Cup. North Sails have been proud to work closely with Nautor engineers and owners for generations to power success on the water and we were privileged to be part of the restoration project of Tarantella, marking 60 years of the Swan class. We have had fantastic feedback on the sails, which thanks to our patented 3Di technology are uniquely strong, beautiful and long-lasting while also respecting the aesthetic of the classic 1960s design.” 

In 1966, Pekka Koskenkylä commissioned the world's most renowned naval architects, Sparkman & Stephens, to design a lightweight, high-performance yacht with elegant, sleek lines. The 2026 restoration sees Tarantella in pristine condition, boasting fresh paintwork, revamped woodwork, polished metalwork, a new engine and now cutting-edge sails. A distinguished group of nearly 20 technical partners, led by a specialized refit team, came together to bring the yacht up to modern racing standards while preserving her historic spirit. 

The custom sail inventory, specifically tailored for Tarantella’s 2026 international racing campaign, was designed and installed by North Sails Italy. Sail design experts Luca Catozzi and Alessandro Battistelli worked closely with Rami Wessman, Nautor’s project manager, to create a sail plan that would be lightweight, performing and durable - capable of handling a wide range of Baltic and Mediterranean conditions - while also stylistically keeping with the original design.  

The resulting white mainsail and two genoas were built using 3Di OCEAN, an innovative product from North Sails that offers a level of performance and durability that goes beyond racing and is meticulously engineered for performance, shape-holding and durability. Alongside these seamless, molded sails, North Sails also provided a spinnaker to complete Tarantella’s sail inventory. 

Since 1966, nearly 2,400 yachts have been built in Pietarsaari, Finland, and so it was only appropriate to re-launch Tarantella from her spiritual home in June. Tarantella will now be the centrepiece of the largest gathering in Nautor Swan's history in Porto Cervo as Nautor celebrates 60 years at the pinnacle of the sport.  

For the first time, the iconic designs of Sparkman & Stephens, Ron Holland and German Frers will compete side by side, celebrating the timeless elegance, innovation and craftsmanship that have defined decades of excellence. Elsewhere in the invitation-only fleet, two extraordinary Swan 128s will be racing, BeCool and Raijin, masterpieces of engineering, technology and contemporary elegance. 

North Sails has worked closely with Nautor Swan for decades, most recently creating the high-performance rig and sail plan for the popular ClubSwan 50 class. And more widely, North’s 3Di technology and NPC downwind inventories have helped power podium finishes and on-water success over numerous Rolex Swan Cup editions and divisions.  

Following the Rolex Swan Cup, Tarantella will sail onward to Saint-Tropez to honor Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez and is expected to compete at North Sails Cowes Week 2027.