Price Reduction – 1999 Baltic Yachts 73 Pilothouse

Stunning custom pilothouse Baltic from Judel Vrolijk & R&J Designs. Maintained regardless of cost and extensively updated/refitted in recent seasons.

FURTHER BROKER’S COMMENTS:

Designed for a European who wanted a pilothouse yacht, AURORA (built as CANICA and later renamed BRAMORA and NEURATH before being sold by Grabau International to her current owner and renamed AURORA) had to perform well under sail and at the same time be a very good load carrier – the sort of challenge Baltic Yachts relishes!

Through careful design and precise weight calculations combined with the use of high-tech composites Baltic were able to achieve a ballast ratio of about 40 per cent which meant the yacht had plenty of stability and achieved her aim of having an abundance of stowage space.

At 73ft AURORA is a powerful, very long-legged cruising yacht and demonstrates Baltic’s ability to build not just for performance, but specifically for efficient, fast passage-making.

Throughout all her ownerships, AURORA has benefitted from ‘open cheque-book’ maintenance and upgrade programmes, professionally maintained and well looked after. Is she the best Baltic Yachts ever built?

AURORA’s specification highlights include:-
• Up to 10 berths in master twin cabin, two aft guest cabins with double and single berths and saloon settee berthing. Further crew berth(s) in forepeak.
• Vacuum-infused Epoxy Aramid/Glass laminate construction
• Carbon reinforced deck structures
• Pilot house windows made of hardened glass
• 3.30m stainless steel fin keel with lead ballast bulb
• Caterpillar 3116TA 6-cylinder 205hp diesel engine with shaft drive and Brunton feathering propeller
• Lewmar 25hp hydraulic retractable ‘swing’ bowthruster
• Twin steering pedestals
• Newly installed Victron power management system with LiFePO4 service batteries and combination battery charger/inverter
• Northern Lights 25kw 220vAC 50 Hz diesel generator
• Marinco Aquamarine 300 watermaker
• 2,300 litre fuel capacity
• 1,080 litre freshwater capacity
• Black and grey water holding tanks
• Recently installed B&G navigation instruments with Zeus chart plotters, AIS and radar
• Full galley with Inox gas stove, microwave, dishwasher, coffee maker, icemaker, and extensive fridge/freezer options
• Sealand electric heads
• Sauna
• Laundry with Miele washing machine
• Marine Air 220vAC reverse-cycle air-conditioning system
• Smart TVs and LG cinema system
• Bulkheads and interior panels made out of Vacuum Carbon laminates on foam sandwich with teak veneers
• Omohundro (Southern Spars) carbon fibre mast and Park Avenue boom
• Stainless steel rod standing rigging – replaced 2022
• Reckmann hydraulic furling unit for headstay
• Reckmann furler for cutter stay
• Carbon fibre bowsprit pole for gennaker
• Lewmar Commander hydraulic power pack with 12 functions
• Hydraulic system for mainsheet traveller
• Lewmar hydraulic winch package with captive winch for mainsail
• Newly supply Millennium Sails ARXE Ocean membrane sails
• Carbonfibre passarelle
• Geniuss 3.65m inflatable tender with Suzuki DF20 outboard engine

MANUFACTURER’S COMMENTS:

The main goal with this project was to develop a high quality comfortable Pilot House cruising Yacht but with a higher level of performance than normally found in this category of sailing yachts. The only way to achieve the performance was to build the yacht lighter then traditionally expected from a Pilot House type boat. The only way to achieve the weight saving without compromising on the cruising comfort and equipment was to utilize High Technology materials and methods in the design and building process of the yacht.

Hull and deck plus main bulkheads were built in Epoxy / Carbon / Vacuum bagged laminates resulting in a substantial weight saving compared to conventional materials and methods.

In order to reach a high stability with moderate draft and with moderate ballast weight a welded keel fin was opted for with a lead bulb. The welded keel fin allowed for a much lighter fin and this allowed for higher bulb weight all resulting in a low ballast CG.

The interior layout had to offer very comfortable cruising facilities for the owner and his family plus for occasional guests. However Bulkheads and main panelling was made in sandwich construction for weight saving reason.

Spring 1999 the yacht was launched and have crossed the Atlantic plus cruising sailed in Mediterranean waters.

THE GENESIS OF THE BALTIC 73 PH:

The 47.5 years that Baltic Yachts has existed, include many memories and experiences. And although life also occasionally and inevitable includes negative and problematic situations, I can clearly state that, in hindsight, the positive outweigh the negative.

One of many good memories takes me back to year 1994. In the spring of 1994, we were to deliver a Baltic 52 to a Scandinavian client. The yacht was planned to be launched at the yard and sailed away.
Unfortunately, that year the spring was late, and the ice situation did not allow the intended delivery time. It was decided, with the client, that we would transport the yacht, by truck, to a town further south. We also agreed that we would send people down to rig and tune the boat and in addition we would sail the yacht to the west coast of Sweden where the client would take over.

So, in early spring of 1994 we launched and rigged the yacht in the town of Kaskö. Mikki Kasslin and I from Baltic Yachts, together with two persons from the owner’s side sailed away. Beautiful weather with sunshine but cold and lucky for us very little wind. Most part of the trip was motoring, due to lack of wind, but enough sailing that the trip was enjoyable.
Down south we passed between the Swedish island, Öland, and the mainland and sailed under the well know Öland bridge.

[…] The client was in the marina to meet us and the yacht was delivered. I remember when we were flying back to Finland, knowing that work had piled up in our office, we wondered if we had spent our time with the right priorities in doing this trip but at least it seemed like we had a satisfied client and that was the aim.
A couple of years later the client contacted us and showed some interest in having a 70+ pilot house yacht built. We did some preliminary calculations and layouts. An after a while he showed confidence in us and gave us the order. Judel/Vrolijk was selected as naval architect and our “in-house team”, R&J Design did the interior styling.

Some years later we were again contacted by the client, now looking for a 140+ pilot house type of construction. Again, preliminary work was done by us and Judel/Vrolijk. We were, to put it mildly, very happy to receive the order.

One thing that I have learned during my years in yachting business is that the decision process of purchasing a yacht and from which yard is complex and consists of many ingredients hence it is always difficult to know reasons why you sometimes succeed, and other times fail. […]

Pg Johansson From Baltic Yachts Tell Tales: Time Well Spent 20 April 2021

1999 Baltic Yachts 73 Pilothouse ‘AURORA’ for sale – Now asking Euro 850,000 EU VAT paid – full details here

Do you have a yacht like this to sell? Grabau International is always looking for new high-quality cruising yacht listings in the UK and internationally. For further information about our tailored brokerage services, please look here or feel free to contact us.