BALTIC YACHTS
When most people hear “Baltic,” they picture lightweight, performance cruisers made for inshore Mediterranean sailing—think NILAYA, RAVEN, or ZEMI. Fast and agile, yes, but often prioritizing race credentials over comfort. So, when I first met CANOVA, I assumed she’d fit the same mold.
I was wrong.
CANOVA was created to be something entirely different. Her original owner envisioned a true bluewater cruiser: easy to sail, low on maintenance, and capable of exploring remote corners of the world. And explore she has—since her 2019 launch, she’s clocked more than 75,000 nautical miles, including a recent journey to Svalbard instead of the usual Porto Cervo.
At the project’s outset, the brief to Farr Yacht Design was straightforward: design a quiet, comfortable, and self-sufficient sailing vessel, with two clear priorities.
Priority One: Autonomy and Ocean-Going Practicality
CANOVA is engineered for global adventure and independence:
- Most underwater components, like the bow thruster, can be serviced while afloat, making remote maintenance far easier.
- Her lifting keel is designed to support the yacht while out of water, opening up maintenance options outside traditional yacht yards.
- Redundant systems and a comprehensive spares inventory minimize downtime, even for custom parts.
- Large fuel tanks and an intelligent energy management system grant impressive range and self-sufficiency.
- The deck plan is optimized for short-handed sailing; just two crew can manage her sails in all conditions.
- Refrigeration rivals that of a motoryacht, with walk-in fridges to support guests and crew for weeks at sea.
Priority Two: Comfort and Quiet—Harnessing Technology
Comfort was never an afterthought. CANOVA’s carbon construction means she glides along in light airs—over 9 knots in just 6 knots of breeze. But the real game changer is her DSS foil, designed less for speed and more for comfort. The foil reduces heel by up to 8 degrees and dampens pitching, making life on board remarkably stable.
Her diesel-electric system and hydro generation make her both green and blissfully quiet. The advanced battery and electric plant allow 18-20 hours a day of silent operation. Generators only need to run, on average, four hours per day—usually while underway or when guests are ashore—so CANOVA is peaceful even at anchor. Baltic’s meticulous noise-proofing means she’s quieter than most aluminum yachts.
A bonus: the electric system reduces reliance on hydraulics, making life easier for the engineer and the whole crew.
Sailing is manageable, even with a minimal crew. With just two people on deck, CANOVA is fully under control, allowing for better rest and safer long passages.
The interior is just as thoughtfully designed:
- The owner’s suite is positioned near the yacht’s center of gravity for minimal motion and maximum comfort, rivaling the volume of suites on 50-55m yachts.
- Guest spaces are warm, flexible, and inviting.
- There’s a clear separation between crew and guest areas, plus multi-functional living zones.
- The single-level lounge connects the saloon, covered cockpit, and aft deck for seamless indoor-outdoor living.
- Two proper tenders—a 7m and a 4.6m—are stowed in underdeck garages.
CANOVA is, quite simply, a remarkable yacht. Every detail reflects her owner’s vision for long-range, comfortable, and genuinely independent cruising. It’s hard not to keep talking about her.
Canova: Aboard the 43m Baltic Sailing Yacht
Crafting the ultimate blue-water sailing yacht takes more than luck—it demands a dedicated team, a visionary owner, and a clear mission. Canova had all three. Her owner, a seasoned sailor with 42 years at sea and nine yachts to his name, knew exactly what he wanted: a yacht built for pure cruising, not just racing or tradition.
His first Canova, a 35.78m Baltic, was a strong cruiser but fell short on performance and short-handed sailing. So, he set out to create a larger, faster, and more comfortable yacht—one that prioritized seagoing comfort, easy maintenance, ample shade, smart tender storage, and an optimized interior.
The owner enlisted young designer Giuseppe Martines to shape these ideas into a striking preliminary design, which, after some bold innovation, became the foundation for the new Canova. Baltic Yachts was then brought on board to realize the vision mechanically and structurally.
One key breakthrough was the Dynamic Stability System (DSS): a sub-waterline foil that deploys to leeward, reducing heel, boosting speed, and smoothing the ride. Integrating this technology into a superyacht was no small feat, with the foil expected to generate up to 140 tonnes/metre of righting moment. Solution? A crack team including BAR Technologies, Gurit, Isotop, and DSS inventor Hugh Welbourn, who developed a nine-metre foil housed in a “cassette” running midships—safely out of the way but right where it’s needed.
With the DSS and a lifting keel in place, the team pushed further for comfort and innovation. Canova is equipped with a low-emission, diesel-electric propulsion system and was built over three years under the steady hand of Captain Mattia Belleri. Her maiden voyage to the Mediterranean was a test—and a triumph—proving her speed and seaworthiness even in challenging conditions.
Step aboard in Porto Venere and Canova’s presence is immediate: sweeping lines, wide decks, and a flush foredeck reveal a yacht that’s both elegant and powerful. Features like helm stations positioned for prime visibility, an out-of-the-way mainsheet track, and a self-tacking jib all make short-handed sailing safe and effortless.
Sail handling is straightforward, thanks to a “solo round-the-world” sail plan developed with Farr and North Sails. A clever stowage system and a carbon rig—complete with North’s square-top main—mean everything operates smoothly, whether you’re cruising or pushing for speed.
On the water, Canova delivers. The DSS foil slashes heeling by up to 40% and keeps the ride fast and controlled. Even in 25 knots of wind and rolling seas, the yacht remains responsive and comfortable, the helm light to the touch.
Inside, designer Lucio Micheletti has created spaces that blend effortless elegance with practical seagoing simplicity. The cockpit flows into the saloon, while below decks, the master cabin sits at the yacht’s heart, its bed adjustable to the angle of heel. Two forward guest cabins and a flexible third cabin offer versatility. Crew quarters and the galley are logically situated aft, close to the yacht’s vital systems.
What sets Canova apart isn’t just her cutting-edge tech or her speed—it’s the way every detail, visible and hidden, serves the goal of comfortable, easy, and exhilarating blue-water cruising.
The lifting keel is cleverly hidden between the master bathroom and main stairway, while the owner’s seven-metre HTM tender—capable of carrying a 1,000-litre fuel bladder for refueling Canova—fits neatly in a garage between the foredeck and guest cabins. The crew’s 4.6-metre Aermarine RIB is tucked athwartships in the stern, stored beneath a spacious hatch. Even the anchoring system remains out of sight; two ploughshare anchors deploy discreetly through the hull, just aft of the bow, chosen for their simplicity and performance.
For cruising yachts visiting remote destinations, easy maintenance is essential. Canova was designed to be serviced afloat and can even dry out safely on her reinforced keel, eliminating the need for a full lift. Underwater components, like the drop-down bow thruster, are “plug-and-play” and easily removable. Thanks to her efficient generators and the ability to bunker fuel via the tender’s bladder, Canova is truly an engineer’s dream.
Every feature of Canova caters to the needs of serious cruising sailors, with technology and systems that point to the future of superyacht sailing. Her build quality stands out, with a practical deck and interior layout, and her DSS foil reduces heel and pitching under sail. Coupled with her efficient propulsion and electrical systems, Canova sets a new standard for blue-water sailing yachts. If perfection exists in this class, she comes remarkably close.
