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Baltic 35, KARELIA

Baltic Yachts, Baltic 35 Built 1984 / £72,500, VAT paid

Broker’s Comments

Completed in late 1984 and launched as a Baltic Yachts demonstrator in 1985, with very limited use, KARELIA was delivered to her first private owner by Berthon (as agents for Baltic Yachts in the UK) in January 1986.

Used for the 1986, 1987 and 1988 seasons, she was laid up before being sold by Berthon to her next owner in November 1990 and subsequent owners since.

The very finest builders of semi-custom and custom yachts in the industry, a Baltic really is as good as it gets. The Baltic 35 has very little in the way of competition, offering stunning Judel Vrolijk lines, peerless Baltic Yacht build-quality and a fantastic internal layout. With only 45 hulls launched between 1984 & 2001 (KARELIA is hull no.3 and featured a higher-than-usual specification), the Baltic 35 is an extremely rare yacht to the open market, and it is quite common for seasons to roll past before a sistership is let go by their loving owners.

KARELIA was comprehensively restored in 2011 by Hamble Yacht Services. Since then, she has been a berth holder here in our marina and maintained to the enth by the owner and Berthon Boat Company.

Design Background of Baltic 35

The Baltic 35, the smallest of Baltic Yachts’ line of cruiser/racers, was the first to be designed by the young European team of Friedrich Judel and Rolf Vrolijk. Judel/Vrolijk, like other designers who drew production yachts after achieving successes on the international racing circuit with one-offs, reached into their racing bag of tricks to produce the 35’s handsome lines. The lines are derived from ‘Pinta’ and ‘Outsider’ (former Dusselboot)–which were two thirds of the winning German Admiral’s Cup team of 1983–and Espada, a one-tonner.

History of Baltic Yachts

We were five men, young at that time. We had eloped from Nautor to start our own boat yard to build the very finest sailboats in the world together with a group of local talents of the Bosund region. This we planned to do with a lighter displacement than the competitors´ boats, not only to increase performance, but also to make life easier, more enjoyable, and we had the idea that utilizing more modern high-tech materials and methods could do this. Not fighting head-to-head with other boat yards but instead by creating “our own product” for the small niche of very demanding performance cruising/racer sailors. The years 1973 and 1974 were extremely busy for our new company. Not only did we develop and make moulds for our first model, but also prior to this or rather parallel we built our factory facilities from scratch.

It was the Baltic 46, and we had very positive reactions from “the crowd” and had good response also from the press. The business, however, was not as good as it could have been. The world experienced its first oil crisis in 1973, and this had a negative effect on most businesses, including ours.

To broaden our activities, we added the Baltic 33 (C&C Design) in 1975. We also built our first Custom (one-off) yacht in 1975. This was a C&C designed 2-tonner, “Tina I-Punkt”. In total we delivered 15 yachts in 1975, followed by 28 yachts 1976. The year 1977 was one of the milestones for our company. At the end of this year Hollming Ltd. (a large Finnish ship builder) purchased Baltic Yachts and enabled us to increase model development and us to do effective worldwide marketing. At this time, we also opened our own sales office in USA and started a large marketing campaign.

At the end of the 1980’s the yachting market was at a down period and the ship building was in a difficult position. This resulted in a situation where Hollming wanted to get out of the yachting business and concentrate on their core business. To safeguard Baltic Yachts´ activities we got a group of people together with the goal to find out if there was enough interest to take over the Baltic Yachts activities and to continue the tradition of building Baltics in Bosund. 34 of us started our own company again in 1991.

This was again a milestone for our company and marketing and production of Baltic sailing yachts could go on. In the beginning of the “take over” the market was bad and there was a strong need to make our company smaller in size and slimming the administrative side. However, we had enough old customers and friends who believed in our mission and had faith in us and very much due to this we managed to get through these difficult times.

We have now been running Baltic Yachts on our own all since 1991. During these years we have had a substantial technology development and raised the quality level, plus increased our custom division activities. In other words, we have been doing well and we certainly look very positively into the future.

So many things have happened during these years. We have developed our company to one of the best known in our business and to one reaching the highest quality levels as well as using the highest technology. And best of all, the future looks as exciting as ever before!

2011 Extensive Refit

• KARELIA underwent a full refurbishment at Hamble Yacht Services in 2011, supervised by William Dunlop who surveyed her for the previous owner.
• New teak decks.
• New engine, controls & propeller.
• New batteries.
• Most electrics replaced.
• New electronics including nav gear.
• New running rigging.
• New mast & boom paint.
• New headsail furler.
• Repaint of cockpit and coach roof.
• New standing rigging.
• New canvas.
• Hull epoxied and copper coated.

And much more…

In the words of the previous owner there was not much but the saloon upholstery that has not been changed or updated.

Sales Video

Owner’s Comments

KARELIA is a wonderful yacht and a joy to sail. She is well balanced with an excellent turn of speed. She handles admirably whether in light airs or heavier weather and feels safe and secure. If you want to take life easy, she performs surprising well under furling genoa alone.

KARELIA is an elegant yacht with lovely styling typical of Baltic yachts of her vintage. The clever design below provides maximum accommodation for her size, including a large owner’s cabin aft with standing headroom.

The quality of construction and craftmanship is outstanding throughout with many well thought out details. She is a thoroughbred.

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Yacht Details

• Builder: Baltic Yachts
• Model: Baltic 35
• Yacht Name: KARELIA
• Hull Designer: Judel Vrolijk/Baltic Yachts
• Year Built: 1984
• LOA: 34’11” / 10.64m
• LWL: 28’8” / 8.75m
• Beam: 11’6” / 3.50m
• Min Draft / Max Draft: 6’1” / 1.85m
• Displacement: 4,480kg / 9,877lb
• Ballast Weight: 1,880kg / 4,145lb
• Berths: 6 berths in 2 cabin(s) / 1 head/WC(s)
• Engine Count: 1 Yanmar 3YM30 (30hp) Diesel
• Country: Lymington, Hampshire, UK
• Asking Price: £72,500, VAT paid

Contact Details

Alan McIlroy Berthon UK Tel: 0044 (0)1590 679 222 E-Mail: [email protected] Click image for full broker profile.

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• Service & Refit
• Baltic Yachts Rendezvous

HALF A CENTURY OF WORLD CLASS YACHT BUILDING

28 june 2023.

In just five decades Baltic Yachts has evolved from respected series production boat builder to the world’s best composite custom yacht manufacturer, the go-to yard for innovation, performance and a hand-crafted finish second to none.

Baltic Yachts has become firmly established as one of the best superyacht builders in the world, renowned for its comprehensive knowledge of advanced composite building materials and its skilled workers’ ability to innovate with the latest materials and technology.

The company has achieved this in just 50 years and celebrations are now underway to mark its foundation and recognise its success through the 566 boats it has built.

In the modern era, names like Visione, Nilaya, Hetairos, Pink Gin, Nikata, WinWin, Perseverance and Canova dominate the world’s regatta podiums and awards ceremonies and with the company’s latest launches, including the Baltic 110 Zemi and the ground-breaking, Baltic 111 Custom, it maintains its dominance at the leading edge of superyacht sailing technology.

The significance of Queen Anne

As Baltic Yachts prepares to celebrate its foundation in Bosund in 1973, with a party for 500 including our workers, local partners and international guests at its Jakobstad headquarters, it’s appropriate that the very first yacht it built, the C&C-designed Baltic 46 Diva, now Queen Anne, will also be in attendance along with her owner and the owners and friends of the recently launched Baltic 110 Zemi. Queen Anne underwent a refit in Bosund, the place of her birth, and with a new engine, freshly painted topsides, new hatches, a refurbished teak deck and updated instrumentation, is almost as good as new.

Baltic 46 Queen Anne (originally named Diva) – the first ever Baltic yacht

Her presence is doubly significant because she not only demonstrates the sustainability of yachts Baltic built 50 years ago, using what was then the latest boat building technology like balsa sandwich construction, unidirectional glass fibre and tank tested design, but she also illustrates the story of Baltic’s foundation.

In the beginning…

In 1973, superyachting, the genre with which we are familiar today, was non-existent, but series production boat building was really getting into its stride. One of its leading proponents, Nautor Swan, based in Jakobstad, was successfully building yachts for a growing global market and had established an enviable reputation.

Despite this, a small group of the company’s young boat builders had devised ways of building boats lighter and stiffer to improve performance. They tried to convince their managers at Nautor it was the way ahead, but their ideas fell on deaf ears.

Convinced their theories would work, five young men, Per-Göran ‘PG’ Johansson, Tor Hinders, Nils Luoma, Ingmar Sundelin and Jan-Erik Nyfelt struck out on their own, setting up Baltic Yachts in the small village of Bosund just north of Jakobstad.

The first shed in the pine forest outside the village of Bosund

Generations of skilled workers

Why Bosund? It is no coincidence that modern yacht building of the highest standard continues to thrive in the area of Finland known as Ostrobothnia. Generations of skilled wood-workers built warships and trading vessels as long ago as the 16 th Century, supporting Finland and Sweden’s vast fleets of ships which travelled the world. Seafaring was part of the local population’s DNA and plentiful local timber made the area a natural choice for ship building.

In many ways those traditions are still very much in evidence and in 1973 the most important resource for the fledgling Baltic Yachts was a skilled local workforce. The Baltic Yachts Family came into being and now aged 50 is very much alive and well!

It was a tough winter start, snow falling relentlessly as the new company built its first boatshed. But their first model, the ambitious 46-footer Diva already described, reflected everything Baltic’s founders stood for – she was comparatively light, stiff and fast and was selected for the Canadian Admiral’s Cup team in 1975.

Boom time at the Hamburg Boat Show

The Hamburg Boat Show was a key outlet for Baltic in the early days with 15 sales in 1975 followed by 26 the following year. Although series production was the business model which underpinned Baltic’s early success, there were already signs of customisation and in Thomas Friese’s C&C-designed Baltic 42 Tina I-Punkt it was all-embracing. She was an out and out racing yacht designed to the IOR (International Offshore Rule) to fit the so-called Two Ton rating band (I.O.R. Rating under 32ft) which was particularly popular and successful at the time in the USA and in Europe. This heavily customised yacht was a sign of things to come.

But even PG and his team couldn’t have foreseen the phenomenal success of the Baltic 39 which sold out at its premiere in Hamburg in 1977 and went on to become the company’s most successful design in terms of numbers, with 74 sold. Her designers, Cuthbertson and Cassian (C&C) and their chief naval architect, the late Rob Ball, had impressed PG Johansson because of their use of VPP (velocity prediction program) computer calculations and other advanced design techniques which mirrored PG’s own belief in improving yachts with modern methods.

Baltic 39 – our first major commercial success

The International Offshore Rule resulted in yachts which, like the Baltic 39, were particularly fast upwind, but like many racing yachts of this era, were fully fitted out and made excellent family cruising yachts too. Combined with the quality of build these were very effective selling points.

The Hollming era

In the late 1970s the new company was dealt a body blow by the global oil crisis and sought a new owner. The giant ship builder Hollming Oy believed in Baltic’s approach and provided the resources to support its rapid growth, fund the development of new models and build a sales organisation. Baltic Yachts would remain part of Hollming for 12 years and during this period was famously asked by its owner to assist in the development of a secret Russian submarine by providing input for its composite shell structure. Despite some political controversy over the project, it was a productive exercise, the vacuum-infused, epoxy resin technology directly benefitting the build of the Baltic 43 Bully.

Expansion, masts and Midnight Sun

A combination of factors in the late 70s and early 80s saw Baltic advance dramatically as carbon fibre was first used. The new Baltic 51 showcased many of the technical developments the company had evolved using computer aided design and engineering. And in Bosund a new building hall was opened, vastly increasing production capacity and enabling much larger yachts to be built.  All sorts of innovation was in evidence, including pneumatically-powered cradles which would allow yachts to be moved effortlessly across the super-smooth floors of the new facility.

Baltic’s policy of drilling down into design and developing its own specification and checks for construction was not only beneficial for the quality of its yachts, but also impressed clients who were increasingly keen to get involved to learn how their yachts were built. They were actively encouraged to visit the yard to see their yacht under construction, something some other builders discouraged.

Baltic’s approach to design enabled the company to start building its own masts around 1980, their black anodised finish becoming a hallmark. The ability to build on site and on time greatly assisted production.

Baltic Yachts mast production (first picture) and Baltic 80 Midnight Sun (second picture), one of the first large, fully composite racing yachts in the world

By the 1980s there were clear signs that clients were looking at bigger and faster yachts with the associated need for complete customisation. The Baltic 80 Midnight Sun was the first fully composite racing yacht in the world, built as an IOR maxi for a Swedish owner who wanted to move on from successful Admiral’s Cup campaigns. Built using a super-light end grain balsa core in her hull she was quick upwind and enjoyed success on the maxi circuit before being converted into a luxury cruising yacht.

Lisbeth Staffans takes the helm

A need to return to their core business forced the Hollming Group to dispose of Baltic Yachts in 1990 which led to a management and employee buyout which saw 34 managers and workers including PG Johansson and Jan Erik Nyfelt immediately becoming owners of the business. The existing marketing manager Lisbeth Staffans (picture below) became managing director.

Her style of management, driven by straightforward communication, honesty and transparency across the business, plus strict financial controls, returned the yard to profitability. Lisbeth Staffans led the company for 18 years during which time Baltic Yachts went from strength to strength and took it to the cusp of the game changing era of modern superyachting.

One of the first genuine multi-role supersailing yachts which took part in the increasingly popular superyacht regattas springing up in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, was Anny, an 87ft all-carbon yacht from the board of judel/vrolijk. The German naval architect had already designed numerous Baltic production models prefacing a future in which they would become key, especially in larger superyachts.

With her lifting keel, extensive hydraulic systems and tender garage, Anny could be regularly seen at the front of superyacht racing fleets, particularly in Palma de Mallorca. She remained successful for many years.

Demand for the dual-role superyacht

The burgeoning superyacht regatta scene, many of the new ones trying to emulate the success of the St Barths Bucket in the Caribbean, offered a new dimension to ownership with many demanding a genuine dual-role yacht, one equally at home on the race course as crossing oceans and visiting the world’s remotest cruising grounds. This provided a great opportunity for builders of large sailing yachts, one which Baltic grasped with enthusiasm.

Anny was followed in the later 1990s by the Bill Dixon designed Vittfarne and the Baltic 70 Loftari, the former a classic looking yacht above the waterline with a high-performance underwater shape and the latter with an entirely pre-preg carbon and Nomex interior which demonstrated how large amounts of weight could be saved by building ultra-lightweight interiors.

Baltic 70 Loftfari was the first yacht with a fully fitted interior built entirely in prepreg carbon and Nomex

Baltic Yachts has built a number of motor yachts and while it cannot be regarded as a regular part of its portfolio a lot of information was gained about sound deadening which transferred to sailing yachts to great effect. The Raymond Hunt-designed M48 Far Niente and her slightly larger sistership Ben Nevis were powerful seagoing motor yachts delivered in the late 90s. Baltic later built the Mani Frers-designed M78 Bill and Me, a stylish offshore motor yacht.

Baltic at the leading edge of technology

By the turn of the century advances in technology were gaining even greater pace, exemplified by the Baltic 78 Super Baltic 5 which sported a canting rather than lifting keel, an additional benefit of which was virtually no loss of internal space, as the hydraulic canting mechanism was contained almost entirely beneath the cabin sole.

High-tech cruiser-racer Baltic 78 Super Baltic 5

At the yard the company installed a 5m X 3m lamination press which meant they could custom build composite parts like bulkheads and interior components to its own specification ensuring that weight savings could be made without compromising strength or durability.

Iconic Visione

And then, in 2002, an iconic commission was secured to build the extraordinary and technically advanced Baltic 147 Visione. With naval architecture by Reichel Pugh and all the design and engineering capacity at Baltic Yachts coming to the fore, Visione became a marker by which many subsequent performance superyachts were judged. Even today, 22 years after her launch, she is still capable of winning.

To say Visione was ahead of her time is an understatement. She remains a development project to this day, and has been updated and used as a testbed for a multitude of new ideas and technological breakthroughs. In a way she fired the starting gun for the race to build new superyachts, a plethora of which followed from Baltic driven by technology which made them easier to sail, faster, more competitive and more fun!

Baltic 147 Visione (first picture) and Baltic 141 Canica (second picture)

The first genuine supercruiser was the 141ft Canica, a complex yacht using all the advanced composite building experience accumulated by Baltic’s design engineers resulting in a yacht displacing half that of a typical 140-footer – and there was no compromise on comfort. She was the first yacht with a Siemens PLC computer control system and to reduce vibration and noise levels her entire accommodation was set on shock absorbers so that, in effect, it ‘floated’ within the hull shell.

A waterside home in Jakobstad

Ten years into the new century Baltic Yachts realised its dream of its own waterside premises. The Jakobstad yard was a state-of-the-art building which enabled larger yachts to be built and reduced the complex and expensive trucking operation from Bosund 23km away. It also provided deep water access for yachts returning to Finland for a refit.

Baltic Yachts waterfront facility in Jakobstad

This development went hand in hand with the yard becoming the first of its type in the world to achieve ISO standards in quality, environment and occupational health and safety. Baltic Yachts was also awarded full DNV GL certification giving customers peace of mind over the performance of all aspects of the building operation.

2010 saw the launch of the highly successful Reichel/Pugh designed Baltic 112 Nilaya, which epitomised the superyacht racer/cruiser genre many owners sought. The yacht won almost every regatta she entered benefitting from grand prix pedigree design combined with Baltic’s exacting engineering and build standards designed to save weight. In short, Nilaya was an all-round winner.

The Professor provides stability and vision

Shortly into the new decade, new owners for the company were sought as the shareholding staff began to retire. In March 2013 Professor Hans Georg Näder, a keen yachtsman and a Baltic customer acquired an 80 per cent stake in the company through his family-owned prosthetics company Ottobock.

Professor Hans Georg Näder and PG during the christening of Baltic 175 Pink Gin

Professor Näder’s enthusiasm and vision was a shot in the arm for the company and he eventually increased his stake to become sole owner ensuring Baltic Yachts’ financial independence and solvency. He also appointed Henry Hawkins as Executive Vice President, a former yacht captain who brought a wealth of sailing knowledge and industry contacts to Baltic.

A presence in Palma – superyachting’s service capital

Not long afterwards, the first moves to establish a Service and Refit base in Palma de Mallorca got underway. Service and the need to look after everyone in what had now become a large Baltic Family became high on the company’s agenda. Today, the Palma operation is a vital part of Baltic Yachts providing refit, modifications and almost any service requirement in the heart of the western Mediterranean’s superyacht action.

For the next 12 years a succession of remarkable yachts was launched, many of which became award winners while others dominated the superyacht race courses of the world. Hetairos remains one of the most spectacular modern sailing yachts ever launched, her neo-classic styling hiding a phenomenal performance made possible by full carbon composite construction and a massive ketch rig with a mizzen sailplan almost as powerful as the main. An enormous lifting keel and a cassette style lifting rudder were examples of the advanced engineering required to make this yacht a success.

The Baltic 115 Nikata was a highly successful, stylish multi-role superyacht taking part in the RORC’s iconic Fastnet and Caribbean 600 races and the Middle Sea Race while providing a superb platform in cruising mode. At 130ft My Song was a study in exterior and interior design and as much at home on the race course as crossing oceans, while the Javier Jaudennes designed WinWin accumulated almost as much silverware as Nilaya.

A mix of Pink Gins

A string of Pink Gins built by Baltic saw the latest iteration, Pink Gin VI, launch in 2017. She is still the largest carbon fibre sloop in the world and notable for some advanced structural engineering which enables two large fold-down platforms to be set into her topsides, the forward one providing the owner’s cabin with a magnificent private balcony and swimming platform.

Baltic 175 Pink Gin – the largest full carbon sloop in the world

By 2018, technical advances in sailing were moving at such a pace that design features normally seen on much more performance-orientated yachts were now being considered at superyacht scale. Baltic Yachts’ ability to meet the challenges these design innovations set made it a natural choice for customers looking for something special.

First foil-assisted superyacht

In the Baltic 142 Canova, the world saw the first foil-assisted superyacht using a Dynamic Stability System (DSS) sliding foil set athwartships in a cassette beneath the owner’s cabin. When deployed to leeward the 9m long foil provided lift to reduce heel and also dampen pitching motion.

Baltic 142 Canova – the first ocean cruising superyacht with a DSS foil

  The yacht was also one of the first to be fitted with an electric propulsion motor, large banks of lithium-ion batteries and the ability to charge them using her free-wheeling propeller while sailing. This reduced the use of internal combustion engines for propulsion and charging, cut emissions and took a large step towards improving the ‘green’ credentials of superyachts.

The move to power yachts with electric motors, big battery banks and the propeller-driven hydrogeneration developed by Baltic Yachts and its partners, has rapidly gained pace in recent years although in 2020 the company launched the Baltic 146 Path which opted for a conventional drive train. This yacht’s construction was complicated by the devastating COVID pandemic but she was launched to schedule and kept the company going over a difficult two-year period.

Apart from her sheer size – the third largest yacht by volume built by Baltic – Path had a remarkable combined deck saloon and covered cockpit the hardtop ‘bimni’ for which was also a landing for the largest array of solar panels ever seen on a sailing yacht.

Testbed for technology

Two smaller semi-production yachts were also gaining in popularity at this time. The Baltic 68 Café Racer was conceived as a testbed for sustainable build materials and rig technology designed to make a high-performance yacht easier to sail for a short-handed crew. Naturally grown flax instead of carbon was used as a reinforcement in 50per cent of the hull and deck mouldings, a swept spreader Marstrom rig and Doyle Sails’ Structured Luff technology were used to improve performance and simplify sailing, while cork decks and twin electric motors all combined to provide a glimpse of what, in the future, might be the norm.

Baltic 68 Café Racer Pink Gin Verde – hull number one in our latest semi-custom series

The third Baltic 67PC, Freedom, was launched last year, a different take on a series production hull designed to speed up build time and control costs. The 67 also provides an opportunity for highly efficient shorthanded, long-distance sailing and offers a multitude of interior layouts and finishes.

Modern classics are occasionally commissioned, their looks often belying the use of the very latest in superyachting technology. The Baltic 117 Perseverance is no exception, her elegant lines, straight stem, long counter and deep bulwarks giving the impression of a vessel from another era. But she has electric propulsion, hydro-generation, optimised pump technology and her superlight hull and easy to manage rig make her a very potent sailing yacht.

Luxury world class cruiser – Baltic 110 Zemi

Epitome of the modern superyacht

Just launched and available for viewing at Baltic Yachts’ Anniversary party is the stunning looking Baltic 110 Zemi, the second yacht built by the company to a Malcolm McKeon design. Her metallic bronze hull is complemented by a stunning teak deck and superstructure while her systems represent the very latest in superyacht design and engineering. She is the epitome of a fast, luxurious world class cruiser with serious racing potential.

Baltic 111 Custom – in a class of her own

It is perhaps entirely appropriate that Baltic Yachts’ 50 th Anniversary Party coincides with the near completion of the most extreme yacht the company has ever built.

Her, aesthetics, control systems, rig, generating and propulsion systems use the most advanced engineering, building and design techniques available in yachting.

Baltic Yachts was chosen to build this ultra-lightweight yacht because her owner believed it has the track record, design and engineering ability and, above all, highly skilled workforce to meet the immense challenges Baltic 111 Custom sets.

What a birthday present!

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Shipyard from Finland : Baltic Yachts celebrates its 50th birthday

Sören Gehlhaus

 ·  28.11.2023

The winter of 1973 was heralded by incessant snowfall in Bosund. At a distance of 400 kilometres north of Helsinki, the frost still sets in at the end of September, and the ice cover only disappears from the Baltic Sea a good three months after boot Düsseldorf. It was precisely here that the venture that would later become known as Baltic Yachts took its course with the construction of a round-arched hall, surrounded by pine forests and in what an older shipyard publication calls "marvellous seclusion".

In addition to the island-rich coastline, the Ostrobothnia region, which belonged to Sweden for centuries, is known for its excellent boat builders. These include the Baltic founders Per-Göran "PG" Johansson, Tor Hinders, Nils Luoma, Ingmar Sundelin and Jan-Erik Nyfelt. They all gave up their jobs at Nautor's Swan because they did not want to follow their new lightweight construction path.

A portrait of Baltic ships:

• Baltic 111: "Raven" achieves 29 knots with foils at the first attempt
• 33-metre Baltic "Zemi": World cruiser with cockpit as a teak sculpture
• Baltic-Superyacht: "Perseverance" - Cutter of modern times
• "Pink Gin Verde": It couldn't be greener - but lighter
• "Pink Gin VI": Longest carbon single master

The Baltic founders wanted to build lightweight yachts

German Baltic dealer Walter Meier-Kothe remembers: "PG was project manager for the Swan 65 'Sayula', which he wanted to build as light as possible. But Nautor insisted on the GRP standard version." Nautor saw the victory of "Sayula" in the first Whitbread Race in 1973/74 as confirmation, but at the same time the pressure on Johansson and his colleagues grew. They wanted to establish the sandwich construction method with a balsa wood core and, also a novelty, unidirectional fibreglass layers. But the five of them needed a plan and parts lists, i.e. an exact overview of all the components. No shipyard or design office would simply hand this over.

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At the time, the Canadians at C&C were looking to grow in Europe. As Sparkman & Stephens had already enjoyed success on the old continent with Nautor, they wanted to set up agencies to have their own designs built by different shipyards. The expansion-minded Canadians and the experimental Finns came together and, after tank tests, realised the C&C 46 "Diva" for the Canadian Admiral's Cup team. At 12.1 tonnes, it was comparatively light, stiff and fast.

Beginnings in the Admiral's Cup

In Germany, Michael Schmidt and Rolf Vrolijk represented C&C Yachts and presented the Finnish 46 at the Hanseboot in Hamburg in autumn 1974. Walter Meier-Kothe, who soon joined the business, was also part of their circle: "After work, I met Michael Schmidt in the sailing villa on the Elbchaussee. As a shipbroker, I was wearing a suit, so he had the idea that I could try to sell the expensive boats."

A C&C office was opened in Hamburg, and the customers came. Thomas Friese ordered a 42-foot IOR two-tonner, originally for the Admiral's Cup. However, 16 boats came to the qualifying races for the 75-boat edition after the German outsider victory, and "Tina i-Punkt" was not among the three boats that later competed on the Solent. Baltic used the hull mould for the C&C 42, which was then produced 21 times. The most successful series model measured 39 feet and was built 74 times in six years. There was even a 33-footer, but the hulls were still labelled C&C.

Baltic Yachts as a pioneer for new construction methods

With the appointment of US designer Doug Peterson, Baltic Yachts was launched as an independent brand. The DP models were the first to be designed entirely on the computer. By the end of the seventies, the company was already producing smaller parts from carbon fibre. Vacuum hardening in foils was also already being practised, initially for rudder shafts, skegs and to stiffen stressed fuselage areas. Baltics were fast, and Walter Meier-Kothe recognised the advertising effect of big-boat regattas: "From the very beginning, we spread ourselves across the boats we sold in order to achieve good results."

The shipyard constantly explored the limits of composite construction, using lighter cores made of foam and carbon fibres instead of balsa

Independence grew with Judel/Vrolijk designs. A total of 45 of the Baltic 35, first launched in 1984, left the Finnish Bosund. The Bremerhaven-based company designed the 63-foot racers "Saudade" and "SiSiSi", which were not allowed to compete in the maxi class due to an increase in the minimum length to 80 feet. Baltic now belonged to the Hollming Group. When the Finnish shipbuilders had to sell the satellite in 1990, 34 managers and employees, including PG Johansson and Jan-Erik Nyfelt, became direct shipyard owners.

Light, but not reckless

Baltic constantly explored the limits of composite construction, used lighter foam cores instead of balsa and laminated carbon and Kevlar mats with epoxy resin and under vacuum from the end of the 1980s. Five years later, the first supersailer was launched, the "Anny", managed by a German. With its deckhouse and targa bow, the 26-metre boat looked like a cruising boat, but took part in the emerging superyacht regattas. With the Baltic 67 "Aledoa 4", the first cruiser-racer was built almost entirely from prepreg carbon in 1996. Shortly afterwards, the pre-impregnated carbon fibres were also used on Nomex cores in the interior fittings for "Loftfari".

The same German owner, SAP co-founder Hasso Plattner, took delivery of the almost 45 metre long "Visione" in 2002. According to a construction anecdote, the tender was rejected because it was only a few kilograms heavier than specified by the supplier. Baltic always retained its fine sense of lightness, which never turned into frivolity. The canting keel was introduced on the Baltic 78 in 2000 with mechanical and hydraulic systems below the waterline.

The financial crisis does not stop at Baltic Yachts

After various expansions in Bosund, an additional waterfront location was established in Jakobstad, 20 kilometres to the north, in 2010, where the world's largest composite sailing yacht, the almost 60-metre "Hetairos", was launched a year later. However, the effects of the financial crisis did not spare Baltic Yachts. Despite a good order situation, there were no more bank guarantees.

Attempts were made to mobilise owners. "PG contacted Hans Georg Näder out of retirement," remembers Walter Meier-Kothe. The retailer had helped the orthopaedic technology entrepreneur acquire his first 30-metre Baltic in 1999, naturally named "Pink Gin". In March 2013, Näder acquired 80 per cent of the company shares via Ottobock Holding. At the time, he was sailing at 46 metres (2006). The 54-metre-long and recently sold "Pink Gin VI" caused a stir in 2017 with its shark keel bomb.

Baltic celebrated its 50th anniversary with a midsummer festival and a regatta off Sardinia, where the original Baltic "Diva" competed as the refitted "Queen Anne". Next year, the shipyard will be giving itself a belated present, which is somewhat melancholy. The then completed Capacity expansion in Jakobstad goes hand in hand with the closure of the founding location in Bosund.

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Baltic Yachts Yachts

Baltic Yachts made a reputation building high-tech, semi-custom sailing yachts, but in recent years, it has launched a fleet of custom superyachts by noted naval architects and designers.

Baltic Yachts History

In 1973, five young yacht builders defected from the well-known Finnish shipyard Nautor’s Swan and formed their own company, Baltic Yachts, in the Bosund region of western Finland. Their goal was to become a niche builder of high-quality, high-tech sailing yachts for performance-oriented racing and cruising sailors. To staff their shipyard, they drew from local talent in the region; a shipbuilding centre since the 16th century. The founders’ goal was to build sailing yachts that were “faster, stronger and lighter” than the competition utilising exotic construction materials including carbon fibre and high-tech yacht-building method.

After launching the Baltic 46 and 33 production sailing yacht series, Baltic Yachts delivered its first custom yacht in 1975. Two years later, the shipyard was acquired by Finnish shipbuilder Hollming Ltd., enabling it to expand its marketing efforts worldwide. In 1991, ownership of Baltic Yachts passed back into the hands of key staff members. Today, the principal shareholder is Hans Georg Näder a German industrialist, passionate sailor and serial yacht owner. The shipyard offers semi-custom and custom sailing yachts up to 60+ metres in length

Notable Baltic Superyachts

In 2011, Baltic Yachts launched its largest superyacht to date, the 66.7-metre (including bowsprit) Hetairos . Featuring high-tech carbon construction, Hetairos was co-designed by Dykstra Naval Architects and Reichel Pugh Yacht Design .

Yacht designer German Frers designed the light and lithe, 32.64-metre sloop Inukshuk , which Baltic Yachts delivered in 2013. Inukshuk has a telescoping keel that lowers from 3.35 metres to 4.85 metres and an exceptional power-to-weight ratio. The yacht received two ShowBoats Design Awards and Sailing Yacht of the Year from the World Superyacht Awards in 2014.

The 108-foot Javier Jaudenes design WinWin swept the awards tables in 2015 grabbing a pair of prizes each from judges of the ShowBoats Design Awards and World Superyacht Awards, as well as top yacht in the 24- 40m category of the International Superyacht Awards. The following year, 115 foot Nikata from the boards of Judel-Vrolijk and Nauta Yachts captured four ShowBoats Design Awards, a Judges Special Award for Design and Performance at the World Superyacht Awards and Best Sailing Yacht in the 24-40m category from the International Superyacht society

In 2016 Baltic delivered the high performance 130 foot My Song designed by Reichel Pugh and Nauta Yachts to owner Pier Luigi Loro Piano. The yacht, in addition to being a podium finisher at many regattas, received 2017 prizes from the World Superyacht Awards, the ShowBoats Design Awards (2) and the International Superyacht Society. The yacht was involved in an accident while being transported in 2020 and declared a total loss.

Baltic’s 54 metre Pink Gin VI is the world’s largest carbon fibre sloop. Built for the yard’s principal owner, the 245-ton, silver sloop features a 71-ton, two-stage lifting keel, a 67.9m carbon fibre Rondal mast and two fold-out terraces. Naval architecture is by Judel-Vrolijk & Co and interior design and styling by Design Unlimited . Pink Gin VI took the WSA title of Sailing Yacht of the Year in 2018.

The 43.3m Canova , a Farr Yacht Design project that features a sliding horizontal foil from Dynamic Stability System, was launched in the summer of 2019. Canova won the World Superyacht Awards sailing yacht of the year title in 2020 and Best Naval Architecture prize from the Design & Innovation Awards judges. In addition to the largest-ever application of the DSS foil, the yacht also features diesel-electric propulsion and a hydro-generator system, all intended to make her greener, quieter, more comfortable and easy to maintain.

Also launched in 2019 was the 34.14 metre Liara designed by Malcolm McKeon and Adam Lay for cruising and occasional regatta sailing. Liara took a Boat International Design & Innovation Awards for both Exterior Styling and Interior Design in 2020

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Baltic Yachts operates yards in Jakobstad and Bosund, Finland, where it builds new luxury sailing yachts. It also has a service facility in Palma de Mallorca with a 1,000-tonne lift that provides “lifecycle services” including yacht maintenance and refit work including paint, plumbing, carpentry and electrical.

Baltic unveiled a motor yachts division in January 2017 with designs for the 27-metre Baltic MY88, 34-metre Baltic MY112 and 41-metre Baltic MY135; and a Day Boat range with the 15-metre Baltic MY49 and 17-metre Baltic MY56. Its first motor yacht, a 78 footer designed by Mani Frers and called Bill and Me , delivered in July 2017.

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Baltic Yachts celebrates 50 years of determination, innovation, and quality

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Baltic Yachts

www.balticyachts.fi

Business sector: Custom-made yachts, service and refits

Turnover 2022: 32 MEUR

Employees: 210

Export: 100%

Major markets: Europe and Northern America

One of the few luxury brands in Finland, Baltic Yachts, celebrates 50 years in business in 2023. The story of this sailing yacht builder began with five young men in Bosund, Ostrobothnia, who were determined to build lighter, stiffer and faster yachts. Early on, the company started tailor-making its boats to the requirements of demanding clients, and today, it is the world leader in custom-made, advanced composite yachts.

“Our boats are fantastic pieces of craftmanship and high technology. With their design, quality and comfort, these lightweight performance yachts are equally at home cruising the oceans as they are on the race course, Head of Marketing Elisabet Holm describes.

Today, Baltic Yachts caters to some of the wealthiest in the world, but the values of the company remain stable:

“Here at Baltic Yachts, an Ostrobothnian company, we are trustworthy, humble and proud of our work. We are innovative and solution-oriented and we work together, everyone is treated as equal.” 

Baltic Yachts walks the talk also in its sustainability work. Together with its conscious customers and personnel, the company is pushing for greener solutions in sailing, such as hydrogeneration, hybrid propulsion, battery technology and sustainable materials. The yacht builder also maintains and repairs its customers’ yachts, extending their lifecycles by decades.

Today, Baltic Yachts builds custom-made luxury yachts of up to 200 feet, but the company’s story began by challenging the prevailing trends in boat building in the 1970’s.

One part of Baltic Yachts 50 th anniversary celebration is, in fact, a refit of the first ever Baltic, a 46-footer from 1973. Queen Anne will be the centrepiece of the company’s anniversary celebrations, which will culminate in a regatta, arranged for boat owners in September 2023 in Porto Rotondo, Sardinia. 

“I feel honoured to be part of the celebrations of this pioneering company and the people who helped build it. In our region, we have a long heritage of boat building, and for centuries, we have sailed the world in search of adventure and new innovations. This entrepreneurial spirit can still be felt here today.”

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