Baltic Sailing Yacht Nikata
She slipped into the water near Jakobstad, Finland, in August of 2015 with quiet elegance and a knowing profile. Second in a line of yachts collecting talent from judel-vrolijk naval architecture, Nauta Design interiors, Nigel Ingram from MCM in Newport as project manager, and Baltic Yachts engineering and construction teams, the sailing yacht Doryan preceded her with trendsetting style and confidence.
There was one difference, however. Doryan was designed as a bluewater cruiser. Nikata is a hybrid in the truest sense of the word, combining cruising and racing in seamless fashion through intelligent design choices assisted by precise technology and exceptional materials.
After a timely delivery with work completed on budget, Nikata sped across the Atlantic. She clocked a top speed of 28 knots, arriving at Antigua in time for the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Caribbean 600 Race. Handily rounding eleven islands and 600 nm with Mike Broughton as navigator, she won the Superyacht class, eclipsing some very competitive grand prix yachts in the IRC Zero.
The Specifications
Nikata’s 115 ft/35m glossy, iron grey metallic hull is a pre preg composite sandwich with Nomex Corecell core designed by judel/vrolijk & co. founder, Rolf Vrolijk. Using a special Computational Fluid Dynamics software program, every advantage was explored with regard to shape, weight, and speed.
At 88 tons, Nikata sports a hull shape that hints at genetics from the MiniMaxi 72s. Built to grand prix tolerances, she easily sails toward maximum performance, handling the stress of rig loads for runners and headstay without complaint. Built with a stiffness that makes competitors cringe, she is formidable racer, both on shore and off.
A 33-ton torpedo bulb lifting keel enables powerful sailing in upwind conditions. The keel reaches to a stable 19 ft/5.85 m, lifting to 11’10”/3.65 m, complemented by a high aspect rudder.
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