Swan 44

40 years later, a new challenge for “Pride”

The Swan 44’ “Pride” is one of those vessels that, thanks to its impressive track record, has helped write a piece of yachting history. “Pride” boasts countless successes in American waters, including a triumph in the Newport – Bermuda Race, the early Swan World Cups, and the Club 55 Cup and Nioulargue races. The latter, the precursor to the current “Les Voiles de Saint Tropez,” was born precisely from the challenge initially launched between “Pride” and the 12-meter SI “Ikra” in 1981.

Last year, the boat was re-purchased by Will and Gillian Graves, specifically intending to renew the challenge to “Ikra,” 42 years later. Adding a romantic note to the story, Gillian is the granddaughter of Dick Jayson, the original owner of “Pride” and founding member of the Nioulargue.

The new owner, impressed by similar projects we had curated in the past and in particularly the Swan 38′ “Mascalzone Latino,” contacted Cossutti Studio to commission this important refit. The goal was to make “Pride” more modern, and competitive in preparation for the upcoming challenge on the French Riviera.

What became of “Pride” in these years?

After 1995, Dick Jayson stopped racing, marking the end of his participation in the Nioulargue. “Pride” remained anchored near Saint Tropez and rarely ventured out. In 2001, he sailed again on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Nioulargue and once again participated in the Club 55 Cup together with “Ikra” for a rematch. Unfortunately, that was the year of the September 11 attack in the United States, and Dick was unable to attend the event. In his place, Bill Jayson, his son, sailed proudly on board the “Pride” along with some members of the original crew from the first race in 1981.

After that race, “Pride” never returned to Saint Tropez. As Dick’s health worsened, he stopped racing, while Bill devoted himself to the competitive races of the Farr 40 Class. It seemed that “Pride” was no longer receiving the same attention. In Saint Tropez, some boat fans even proposed setting up a consortium to recover “Pride,” but the boat continued to languish near St. Tropez, gradually losing its original splendor.

The new Italian ownership

In 2006, Italians Alfonso Visentini and Livio Nardo decided to buy a classic sailing boat. They discovered “Pride,” which had been stationary for over five years and wrote a “love letter” to Dick Jayson, expressing their desire to preserve the legacy of this magnificent boat. Their passionate courtship was successful, and once the ownership was transferred, “Pride” was transported to Venice, where Visentini’s team dedicated two years to an extensive renovation. Since then, “Pride” has spent the subsequent 14 years sailing between the waters of Italy, Sicily, and Greece.

The final return to the original family

Gillian, Dick’s granddaughter, tells the story of how “Pride” returned to their ownership: “We stumbled upon the fact that Alfonso had put “Pride” back on sale. Last summer, he kindly invited us to Caorle, Italy, to sail together on “Pride” on the occasion of our tenth wedding anniversary. We spent a few days on board, enjoying Mediterranean lunches with good food and plentiful wine, and making new friendships while anchored off the local beaches. It was an exciting experience to sail on my grandfather’s boat after so many years.

The yacht inspection work and discussions continued throughout the year, and Will returned to Italy in January to finalize the purchase of “Pride” and sign the contract for the necessary renovation works”.

This where Pauger joined the project:

The client chose to replace the heavy original aluminum mast, which was rigged with large genoas at the masthead, with a new fractional carbon rig. This rig features swept-back spreaders, allowing for the elimination of runners. The setup will include high-aspect-ratio 110% jibs and a generous mini square-top mainsail, ensuring adequate power in light winds.

For downwind courses, the client selected a topmast-stayed gennaker, mounted on a bowsprit that harmonizes with the hull design without being excessively long. They also retained the option to rig a traditional spinnaker and pole in the future. Throughout the project, the client opted for a discontinuous carbon rigging instead of the traditional steel rod, further enhancing the boat’s performance and modernizing its rigging.

Pauger Carbon was approached by Cossutti Yacht Design to prepare the complete carbon package, which includes:

• Regular modulus carbon mast, weight 142 kg (290 x 155 mm);
• Mast full length: 20000 mm;
• High-strength regular carbon fiber pre-preg boom (290 x 125mm) – 5500mm length -31 kg;
• Light-weight Pauger Carbon Vang;
• Carbon standing rigging 12,8 mm or standard Nitronic50 rod 12,7 mm with BSI, BlueWave – Pauger system.