For the first time, Baltic Yachts has appointed a U.S.-based representative, to strengthen its reach among performance-oriented sailing-superyacht enthusiasts. Gordon Kay (pictured, at left, with executive vice president Henry Hawkins) is the new vice president for sales for the country, the rest of North America, and South America.
“The Americas are an important and growing market for Baltic Yachts,” says Tom von Bonsdorff, Baltic Yachts’ CEO. The Finnish shipyard, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023, is fielding increasing inquiries from clients wanting a high level of engineering for performance, plus long-range cruising.
As the new Vice President Sales US & Americas, Kay is not only a direct point of contact for new inquiries. He’s additionally the liaison for the after-sales team. Kay has spent upwards of 35 years immersed in offshore racing, technical development, and high-performance yachts. He’s further familiar with Baltic Yachts itself. In fact, his first encounter with the company was in managing the international sailing program for the Baltic yacht Martela. The 81-footer (24.58-meter) initially saw construction for the 1989 Whitbread Round the World Race. The Dutch spirits company Bols subsequently acquired her in 1998, tapping Kay to oversee her as part of the program. Simultaneously, this opened the door for Kay to meet one of Baltic Yachts’ five founders, PG Johansson.
Equally notable, Kay is a co-founder of Dynamic Stability Systems (DSS), which develops foiling technology. Briefly, DSS is a retractable foil. It creates lift, therefore increasing the righting moment. DSS also positively impacts other aspects of performance. The stronger the wind, the faster the yacht can go, for example, and the more the foil creates lift and stability. Furthermore, this leads to less hydrodynamic drag, plus reduces pitching. The Baltic yacht Canova, launched in 2019, became the first superyacht to feature a transverse DSS.
“Gordon’s deep understanding of sailing and yacht technology makes him ideally placed to support our clients both new to sailing and those more experienced,” von Bonsdorff states. Both monohulls and multihulls, like the Baltic 107 Catamaran launching in 2027, are the focus.
Kay’s office is in Miami.
Baltic Yachts balticyachts.fi
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