Red Sky at Dawn: A Stunning Swan

Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.
Red sky at night, sailors' delight.
Red Sky at dawn? A stunning Swan.

The ancient meme oft repeated by mariners is a rule-of-thumb weather forecast. Based on the reddish glow of the morning or evening sky caused by haze or clouds related to storms in the region, a red sky provides prediction for bad weather later in the day.

Red Sky at Dawn: A Stunning Swan highlights milestones of the restoration. With a heritage of elegant lines and hand-craftsmanship, Red Sky epitomizes the Nautor brand of large, fiberglass racing yachts, veritable icons in the sailing world. As Nautor Swan’s first 100-foot hull, S/Y Red Sky resembles a red sled, gracefully gliding through the heaviest seas.

Swan DNA

Built as a production series in yawl and sloop versions, various Swan classes boast Olympic gold medalists, big ocean sailors and America’s Cup athletes amid loyal, Club Swan owners. Ensuring comfort and competitiveness during regattas, Nautor’s high-performing hulls empower the racing sailor. During construction, components are certified with reference points on the hull and appendages, recognizing uncompromised status for qualification in World Championship competitions.

Blending pleasurable competition with quality, seaworthiness, grace, comfort and technology, the Maxi Swan yacht division was created by Argentinian designer German Frers. 

Built in 2003 at Nautor’s in Finland and later refit in 2013 and 2019, Red Sky is a majestic 31-meter, luxury sail superyacht sloop. Her head-turning, cardinal-red hull set the bar for creature-comfort with speed for a semi-production boat of her era. This Bureau Veritas-classed charter sailing yacht has a max speed of 12 knots under power. Cruising with a four-man crew, Red Sky spent two decades cruising New England, the Chesapeake and Caribbean, and also made a transatlantic crossing.

Refit. Repower. Relaunch.

With major systems requiring upgrades by 2018, Red Sky’s refit goals would decommission and replace her original power equipment, a Perkins Sabre (M265TI) 265hp diesel engine, as well as her generator and top deck, systems, rigging and props. 

Lyman-Morse, an authorized Swan service center, managed Red Sky’s 2019 repower and refit. Over 100 deck winches, hardware, and other fittings were inventoried and labeled; a full-scale velum template was created with the exact location of each fitting and hardware element.  

The entire assembly was carefully matched to reference marks on the caprail running beside deck. The restoration process began with disassembly of Red Sky’s winches and original equipment, still in excellent condition. Her hardware was restored and the old teak deck was removed with a power planer. 

Removing the old generator from mounting plates below deck commenced Red Sky’s repower. The original equipment was hoisted through a hatch cut into the trunk roof. The new Cummins diesel, model QSB6.7-M 305hp, was lowered through the trunk roof and modified hatch, accommodating the less than two inch tolerance for engine installation. Paired with a new Northern Lights generator powering all onboard systems, the heavy machinery was connected to cooling, drivetrain and critical exhaust systems with updated mounts and attachment points. 

With the repower complete, deck cosmetics required masking the coach roof for buffing and deep cleaning. Coaming in the cabin house and cockpit was stripped and restored, and the propeller and shaft were sanded and finished in PropSpeed.

Totally decked out

Red Sky’s keel was coated with Petit Premium HRT anti-fouling paint and the hull was refinished with topsides buffed and glazed with Permanon. Detail hardware and fittings were installed. 

Upon careful examination, the retrofitted decks and new teak sole were a few millimeters too thick. That sliver of thickness was just enough to raise the deck above Red Sky’s existing, flush-through hatches. Lyman-Morse removed the existing hatch lenses and reglazed the safety glass. With everything planar and at the proper elevation on the new deck, all systems were updated for a complete refit.

Red Sky's timeless appeal and stunning crimson lines stand out in the mooring field. Beckoning cruisers for a ride, she is more than beauty on the water. This Swan is a beast, too. From the Baltic to the Gulf Stream, she is made for big waves, gliding through storms assuredly, even at dawn.