On the Raven, the home followed the family out to sea.
They live aboard with their dog, and their dream fits in one sentence: to sail around the world. Today, even far offshore, the home watches over them as if it were waiting for them at the dock.
Photo: © Nice
The place and the project
Somewhere on the water, between two anchorages. The Raven is a sailboat, and it is where Martijn Maas lives with his wife and their dog. They left the Netherlands with a simple idea: to sail around the world. To make the boat a real home, and to make the family feel at ease on it, Martijn equipped it with Nice smart home solutions.
Aboard, everything is thought through for daily life: heating, light, freshness, safety. The boat has learned to respond, exactly like a house.
The concept: a home, wherever it is
A home is not a dot on a map. It is what watches over the people we love, in the evening, when night falls and the coast is far away.
What it changes on board
It is warm before the cold sets in. When the air cools, the home takes care of it. The heater and the bed’s electric blanket come on, with no one having to get up in the dark.
You close your eyes with a quiet mind. A discreet watch keeps an eye on smoke and gas, in the living area where you spend your days and in the cabin where you sleep.
The light follows your steps. Getting up at night on a boat means finding your bearings. Here, a soft light comes on along the way before you even move your foot.
That instinct of a home lighting up at the right moment, our article on [the night that falls at 6 pm](/?p=1733) tells it for a villa.
The home in your pocket
Everything answers to a single gesture. A small key fob in your hand, or the phone: you give an order, and the boat responds. Some scenes also trigger on their own, depending on the time or the situation.
The line that sums it up
The Raven has no street, no number. Its address is the family living inside.
AND HERE AT HOME?
From the British Virgin Islands to Antigua, from Anguilla to St. Lucia, our homes also live with their feet in the water.
- Facing the sea. Like the Raven, our homes breathe salt air and bright sun. A home that watches over us, here, is built to last through the spray.
- Night falls early. In the tropics, evening comes around 6 pm. A home that turns on the right light at the right moment is a pleasure you never give up.
- We often go away. Between islands, a trip, a holiday: we like to keep an eye on what matters. The home stays within reach, even from far away.
- The heat does not stop at sunset. An interior always at the right temperature is the comfort of tropical evenings.
The evening waits for you
Whether you are at the dock or thousands of miles away, there comes a moment when you come home. The light comes on before you, the air is already soft, and the home asks for nothing. The evening waits for you, instead of asking where you are.
Source: niceforyou.com, “Raven Sailing Boat”.
