Postimees · Luxurious Estonia (Luksuslik Eesti) · 2026
Estonian yachts sail the world's oceans
English translation of the original Estonian article. Original headline: Eesti jahid sõidavad maailmameredel
See the original design in the magazineIn Harju County, sailing yachts are being built for owners in America, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark, among others. Meanwhile, Estonian buyers stand in a Tallinn showroom choosing a British motor yacht or a German sailboat. Some of the vessels bought here end up bobbing in Mediterranean harbours, while others plough the waters of the Muhu Strait. The choice is wide, and the reasons to head out to sea are even more numerous.
To find out what is made and sold at home, I turned to those who know the trade. One sends its products mainly abroad to international clients, the other brings them into Estonia. Ridas Yacht & Composites OÜ has been building yachts and other products in Harju County for clients around the world since 1993. Baltic Cruisers OÜ, dedicated to Estonian customers, brings Princess Yachts motor yachts and Hanse Yachts sailboats to the local market. Its owner and hobby sailor Viktor Siilats shares his experience.
When it comes to shipbuilding in Estonia, Saaremaa comes to mind first, with famous boat- and shipbuilding traditions going back centuries. Yet grand vessels sailing the world's oceans have been built for over 200 years, from Käsmu to Kabli. Before the Second World War, Estonian small craft building truly had a strong name around the Baltic Sea. The years of occupation put this branch, along with competitive sailing, on pause for half a century. In Finland nothing was interrupted, and the result is visible to this day: Nautor Swan and Baltic Yachts are among the best in the world.
It is good to see that shipbuilding here has not lost momentum. Impressive vessels leave local yards that would make many a seafarer gasp.
Million-euro yachts are born in Harju County
Today one such builder can be found near Tallinn. According to the company, the Ridas Yacht & Composites OÜ yard completes 5–10 vessels a year, 35–50 feet (about 11–15 metres) long, plus one-off custom orders. Many may be surprised to learn that the largest sailing yacht to leave the yard was the 138-foot (42-metre) aluminium-hulled two-masted ketch Melody, built to Lloyd's Register rules. ORC-class racing yachts have also been built in cooperation with the Cossutti design studio.
There is no shortage of exciting projects: for the Danish luxury yacht brand Royal Denship, three 85-foot (about 26-metre) vessels were completed in Estonia – hulls, decks, bulkheads and finishing. Also worth mentioning is the award-winning Swedish sailing yacht DIVA 38, of which, according to the company, more than 30 have been built at the yard.
But it is not only splendid sailing yachts that are made at this yard. An interesting fact about Ridas Yacht & Composites OÜ is that, besides vessels, it has also produced 155 train nose sections, each weighing half a tonne. Currently under construction is the Swedish designer's sailing yacht Heyman 42 PPH, already the sixth in line.
Its newest own product is the Ridas 62: a nearly 19-metre RIB-type motorboat whose hull lines were again drawn by the Italian design studio Cossutti and which can reach speeds of up to 35 knots. A significant share of the expensive yachts built in Estonia now sail the world's oceans under foreign owners.
So what do Estonians buy?
Siilats names a concrete figure. The most expensive vessel his company has sold in Estonia is a 23-metre Princess, priced at over three million euros. For a client who loves the sea, a typical deal often begins at a boat show. The buyer gets to know the boat in Düsseldorf or Cannes. Then the extra equipment and interior design are settled point by point.
"There is quite a lot to do, but the result is exactly what the client wants," explains the company's board member. Depending on the manufacturer and model, completion takes from six months to two years.
At present the largest Princess in Estonia is the 15-metre F45, which according to Baltic Cruisers' price list costs around 780,000 euros (plus VAT). This autumn, Princess presented its new 27-metre X90 at the Cannes Yachting Festival. Seven were reserved at the factory before the first one was even launched. According to Baltic Cruisers, sharp-eyed observers could have seen the same yacht in Estonian waters this summer, even before its world premiere.
The most expensive way to get somewhere for free
There is a well-known saying among sailors that sailing is the most expensive way to get somewhere for free. Uku Randmaa decided to make a proper investment and sailed around the world with stops in a Hanse 430. After that he took part in the Golden Globe Race in a Rustler 36, finishing in an honourable third place. With that feat Randmaa wrote himself into Estonian sailing history. According to Siilats, Randmaa's example still matters to buyers, and other Estonians have since sailed around the world in Hanses. After the voyage Randmaa also published a book and has become a kind of Hanse brand ambassador.
But the reason why an Estonian buys a sailing yacht lies elsewhere, the company head says. "Estonian sailors are special in a way. There is much less Sunday sailing here than elsewhere in the world," Siilats shares. In his estimation, regattas draw many participants, especially the Muhu Strait Regatta, and there are training and racing sailors all over Estonia.
The competitive spirit is nothing new here. As early as 1883 a boat race was held on the Pärnu River, considered the documented starting point of Estonian competitive sailing.
For Estonians, history has also played a role and shaped going to sea in its own way. "There was a time when sport was the only legal way for an ordinary citizen to get out to sea," Siilats notes. The desire to race is still strong, and so sailing yachts are bought mainly to compete with others.
Motorboats are for simply spending free time, and according to him they are often bought for cruising in the Mediterranean. Broadly speaking, sea enthusiasts keep their sailing yacht in Estonia because there is someone to race against here. The motor yacht goes to a Mediterranean harbour because the weather is good there.
What do buyers later regret?
"The most common mistake is underestimating one's own abilities," Siilats observes – both in seamanship and in financial means. Estonians don't want to buy beyond their means or on credit, and because the wait is long, they manage to earn more money in the meantime. They then want to exchange the boat already on order for a bigger one before it is even delivered.
Another thing worth noting is the recently popular fast, low boats. With their low bow and freeboard, such vessels offer neither much safety nor comfort, considering how easily your clothes get wet. "That compromise made at the expense of safety and everyday comfort becomes apparent quite quickly," Siilats points out. Then, he says, people start wanting something where you can stand upright both at the helm and in the cabin. At the same time, the most important thing is to get out to sea in the first place, and then move on according to one's own feeling and means.
The sea is and will remain in Estonian hearts
Estonians have been formidable shipbuilders and captains for centuries. In short, an Estonian does not buy a boat to sit in it and enjoy it. They buy it to do something – whether to compete in the Muhu Strait or to enjoy a longer summer in the Mediterranean.
Either way, one thing is worth remembering the next time you walk past a splendid vessel in a harbour: many vessels sailing the seas under different flags around the world were made in our home country. That is something Estonians can be proud of.