Baltic 111 Raven: 34 metres of breakthrough innovations by Baltic Yachts

In February 2025 this yacht notched up unprecedented success in prestigious Boat International Design & Innovation Awards, becoming number one in all four categories that she was eligible to participate in. The international jury recognized the Raven as the best in the categories of "Outstanding Exterior Design", "Best Interior Design", "Best Naval Architecture", and "Innovation of the Year" 

She features a flat, maximum aerodynamic hull with a droop-snoot bow, unprecedented deck layout, an unusual V-shaped bowsprit, hydrofoils sticking out on the sides, and a powerful sailing rig with three (!) forestays. She turns heads wherever she appears and gives food for thought: there are a lot of outstanding boats in the maxi sailing fleet, both in terms of technology and speed, but no one has ever offered such an unusual design before. 

To create such an extraordinary vessel Finnish Baltic Yachts picked a real star team. The author of the concept, exterior and interior is Finnish Jarkko Jämsén and his Navia studio. The architecture and engineering come from the gurus of racing projects, Spanish Botin Partners and PURE Design from New Zealand, who created the world’s fastest yachts for the America’s Cup and Maxi Cup. On the customer’s side, one of the most experienced Swedish yachtsmen, manager of the future Raven’s sailing team, Klabbe Nylöf, took part in the development.

With a length of 34 metres, the Raven has an L.W.L of 33.10 m and a beam of 7.4 m, as well as an ultralight composite construction of carbon, Nomex and Kevlar. Some custom details were created with the help of in-house 3D-printing technology, the propeller blades are made of carbon, and the hub is made of titanium, thanks to which the displacement is just 55 tonnes. 

In addition to a narrow keel with a massive bulb and twin rudders, the yacht features two T foils, which lift her above the sea, reducing the friction considerably. The transom that remains immersed is equipped with trim tabs to alter her fore and aft trim. 

According to her creators, the yacht was essentially designed to sail on her chine, and experts call her a marvel of naval architecture: the angle of hydrofoils is electronically adjusted for each sail position at different points. Moreover, the foils’ flap angle is adjusted to achieve the optimal heel angle. As a result, the angle of heel rarely exceeds 10° even at high speeds, so the level of comfort for passengers is a lot higher than that on board traditional monohulls.

Based on the results of sea trials, in the displacement mode and moderate wind, the Raven can easily do 20 knots, while in the planing mode and stronger wind, the yacht that features a triple-headed sailplan including a Code sail set off the bowsprit, a jib and a staysail, reached a speed of 30 plus knots. 

On the outside 

The exterior design of the Baltic 111 resembles a supercar: the sleek deck sloping slightly towards the sides is not covered with teak to reduce the weight. There is no superstructure. But despite all the strictness, the deck layout produces a wow-effect.

There are two cockpits here. The central one is a large oval sunken area with the walls that serve as windows for the interior spaces. Experts can also see a reference to the Maserati Tipo 61 – an intricate space frame structure with a windscreen frame recessed into the bodywork.

It’s not surprising that the Raven’s guest cockpit became Innovation of the Year, as in addition to original style, it stands out for its functionality: a folding canopy top can fold down flush with the deck to become a huge sunpad. This place aptly-named “bird’s nest” puts guests at the very heart of the sailing experience, while keeping them safely separate from the highly loaded lines and crew operations in the open aft cockpit.

And there’s a surprise there, too: a few steps lower there is an entrance to the saloon there. And not an L-shaped hatch typical of sailboats, but large glass doors similar to those you can find on board motor superyachts! 

Inside

This kind of non-standard deck construction naturally led to a non-standard interior layout. Due to the fact that the guest cockpit is sunken in the deck, the ceiling in the saloon got too low, so the designers played with different levels of deckhead, turning it into another standout feature of the project.

The saloon is divided into two parts. As you enter the saloon from the stern, there is a sitting room with sofas around the perimeter, while the area with a low deckhead under the cockpit is styled as a kind of alcove with columns in the corners. All the sofas can transform into berths, and there are more berths hidden in the sides, so the yacht can accommodate a large crew necessary for offshore races. 

There are two halls going round the cockpit and leading to the second full-beam seating area, which can transform into a dining one thanks to the foldable tables. There is a galley on the portside, and a navigator's place to starboard. 

There is another hall further forward with two guest cabins on the sides and an entrance to the owner’s suite at the end. 

To reduce the weight of the boat, the interior features a minimalist high-tech style of simple, lightweight materials, but still looks elegant. There is a skillfully selected combination of black, orange and beige shades, complete with light shades of natural wood, which is quite pleasing to the eye.

Kevlar surfaces and metal handles highlight the fact that the yacht is of really advanced design, while rattan ceiling panels make the interior feel cosy and airy. 

Custom-made furniture items, all of which (even the double bed) can easily be transformed or removed altogether for the time of the race, allow one to stay flexible and change the purpose of the space depending on the situation. 

Baltic Yachts shipyard is sure that the Raven has made a revolution in her class and is likely to change the rules of the game for the entire industry. And it is hard to disagree.