The Baltic was a schooner. For the non-nautically inclined: with a schooner, the aft mast (the mainmast) is taller than the foremast (the schooner mast). A schooner is very popular with those who primarily want to sail fast, although the hull shape, sail area, and wind naturally also play a role.
The 3 sister ships of the Baltic, built in the Netherlands, are all ketch-rigged. With a ketch (or ‘kits’ in Dutch), the aft mast (the mizzenmast) is shorter than the foremast (the mainmast). A ketch sails more conservatively. The vessel is slightly less fast. Big advantage: you have more balance.
That schooner rigging initially made us hesitate about buying the Baltic, as we are both big fans of a ketch. We not only find it more beautiful but also a better fit for the areas we plan to sail to with the ship.
But anyway, the decision was made, the masts were taken ashore, and Olivier van Meer meticulously drew them so that SRF could replicate them in steel. All settled.
Or so it seemed.
Because the idea of a ketch kept resurfacing now and then. Especially when we saw a photo of the sister ship Vesta. “It looks really beautiful as a ketch,” we thought. Should we not…
We made a printout of the drawings, erased the masts, and manually drew a ketch-rigging on it. “That’s what it’s going to be,” Marijn said. And so it is. Just like the Vesta, the Holland, and the Zeearend, the Baltic will soon also be a ketch.
