Published on: 23 November 2023
Nick Newland, founder of Swallow Yachts dies peacefully at his home after a battle with cancer.
Nick’s professional career started in the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors, the Queen’s very own warship and submarine designers. He had a significant hand in the Invincible class aircraft carriers and the Trafalgar class submarines, before joining Marconi underwater systems in the 1980s where he worked on the design for the Stingray and Spearfish torpedoes that are still in use today. He was a key part of the Astute submarine at the early design stage, persuading GEC Marconi to bid (and win) against almost everyone’s expectations.
His passion for small boats, especially with a traditional style, was the impetus for hanging up his suit and setting up Swallow in the mid-1990s. The business supplied kits for home completion that were CNC cut and he was an early advocate of CAD/CAM, always extolling the virtues to the members of the Wooden Boat Builders Trade Association, where he served 3 years as Chairman.
Nick had an enquiring mind that was never short of projects, whether researching keel failures in modern yachts, or the origins of the Swansea Bay Pilot Schooner, he kept busy right up to the end. Nick is survived by his wife Cynthia and 4 sons, one of whom, Matt, runs Swallow Yachts today.
