Sailing without sailors: the sailboat that wants to connect the Balearic Islands with the Peninsula with AI

PalmA sailboat less than three meters long, with no one on board and only a one-kilogram bag of salt as cargo. This is the challenge that will set sail from the Sant Antoni Nautical Club and could mark a before and after in maritime navigation. The project, christened Raig FNB, is the work of about twenty students from the Faculty of Nautical Studies of Barcelona at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia.

For nine months, the team has designed and built this autonomous vessel with a clear objective: to compete in the first edition of La Micro Ruta de la Sal (The Salt Micro Route), a regatta that will test the ability to navigate without a crew on long-distance voyages. The challenge is not small: to set sail from Ibiza and reach the peninsula —to the Real Club Náutico de Dénia or Port Ginesta— following the spirit of the historic 1846 route.

The Raig FNB combines sustainability and technology: a fiberglass hull, 3.5 square meter sails, and an autopilot system with sensors capable of making real-time decisions. The vessel can adjust its course according to the wind and sea conditions, without human intervention.

Before the main event in March 2027, the project will make a stop —and a demonstration— in Ibiza. On April 5th, the bay of Sant Antoni will host an exhibition with five university teams, in a day that will serve to see these autonomous sailboats in action.

Beyond the technological challenge, the project is born with a fundamental ambition: to rethink maritime transport. With 90% of global trade moving by sea and 3% of global emissions associated with the sector, initiatives like this point towards a more efficient and sustainable future.

“It has allowed us to put into practice everything we had learned in class”, explains student Nicole Fabián. An experience that, more than academic, is already sailing in real waters.