BLACK SWAN OF 1899

BLACK SWAN OF 1899 — 40.50m (133ft) of sailing heritage, launched by Camper & Nicholsons in 1899 and still very much alive on the water. Few yachts available for charter carry a pedigree of this order. Built at one of the great British yards at the turn of the last century, she belongs to a generation of sailing vessels designed to be worked properly — long, low, and built for the sea rather than the marina. Her 2019 refit brought her up to contemporary standards without stripping away the character that makes her what she is, and the interior, signed by Studio Faggioni Yacht Design, reads as a considered dialogue between classic yachting and modern comfort rather than a period pastiche. Accommodation is arranged over five cabins for ten guests: an owner's cabin, two cabins with a double bed, and two cabins with twin beds. Detailed bed configuration on request. Under sail she settles into a cruising speed of 10 knots — the pace of a yacht that rewards patience, where the passage itself is the point and the anchorage arrives when it arrives. It is a different rhythm from that of a modern motor yacht, and those who charter a classic of this stature are generally looking for exactly that. A crew of five runs the yacht and looks after guests, a ratio that allows for genuinely attentive service alongside the sail handling a vessel of this size and age demands.