Construction underway on new Baltic 68 Café Racer

Baltic Yachts has started construction on the second Baltic 68 Café Racer, which will be optimised for racing and is scheduled to launch in Spring 2023.

Commissioned by an experienced owner who is familiar with the Mediterranean regatta circuit, the Javier Jaudenes-designed yacht will have a deeper draft of 4.7 metres (15.4 feet), a higher righting moment, a single rudder and one electric propulsion unit instead of the two seen on the first yacht.

Similar to Pink Gin Verde, the first Baltic 68 Café Racer, she will be an ‘un-plug and play’, all-electric boat in terms of propulsion and winch package, with a free-wheeling propeller that is able to charge her lithium-ion battery bank while sailing.

As Baltic Yachts continues to refine its easy-to-use, lightweight option, the new Café Racer will have a Marstrom swept spreader rig, will be able to race without runners or backstays, and will have a wind speed limit of around 30 knots. Once again, the new yacht will make use of structured luff technology within its sail wardrobe.

With her hull and deck built with pre-peg carbon, and her bulkheads and interior built in similar advanced composites, the new Baltic 68 Café Racer will essentially be 100% carbon.

Henry Hawkins, EVP of Baltic Yachts, said, “The first 68 was a hugely successful exercise in developing new, sustainable building materials, examining electric drives, hydrogeneration, micro-turbine range extenders and an easy-to-use rig, hull number two will be even more high-performance orientated, enabling the yacht’s full racing potential to be realised.”

The new 68 Café Racer will be fitted with an 18kW Fischer Panda diesel range extender that can be used to boost the lithium battery bank, although the charge is likely to be sufficient for a full day’s sailing. Solar panels will also be fitted to the superstructure and cork decks, which have proved to be extremely successful on the first 68.

As a first for Baltic Yachts, the yacht may be shipped to Palma de Mallorca for commissioning by the business’s growing service and refit operation. The new yacht will be based in Palma where the racing programme will be conducted.

As one of three Baltic Yachts launching in 2023, including the Baltic 110 and the high-performance Baltic 111, the yachts will feature in Baltic’s 50^th anniversary celebrations in 2023 in Porto Rotondo, Sardinia, in September.  

For more information, visit Baltic Yachts.

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