The concept of explorer yachts is nothing new; sturdy, ocean-going private vessels have been around since the ’60s, granting their owners access to isolated hideouts around the globe. However, the last few years have seen a spike in the number of explorer yachts launched, in build and in concept. We take a look at this more adventurous side of yachting and what it says about the shifting focus of luxury travellers.
It would be hard not to have noticed the rise in rugged yacht projects in build and on designer’s drawing boards. From Kleven’s mighty 107m M/Y Ulysses to the trio of expedition-ready concepts from Hawk Yachts, explorers are everywhere. In response to this growing market, there has been a tendency to hail the explorer as evidence of the shifting face of superyachting. The question is: is the popularity merely a trend for a more robust aesthetic or does it denote a true evolution in how owners and guests want to use their yachts?
“This is a very good question,” says Marnix Hoekstra, director at Vripack, a studio that has worked on countless explorer and expedition projects in its 55 years. “We have been doing a lot of research and analysis into the motivations of people worldwide, and believe that what we are seeing is a superyacht genre that has evolved from a growing human need to escape.” For Hoekstra, as life gets busier, as time gets more scheduled and as populations get larger, the natural reaction is a desire to get away.
“We call this trend ‘wandering’,” he says. “To counter-balance the structure of everyday life, people want to wander, explore and get lost. The functional response to enabling this kind of travel for many UHNWIs is the explorer yacht.”
Long-range, sturdy displacement vessels with unparalleled sea-keeping, spacious accommodation and room for plenty of toys, ‘explorer’ yachts as we know them today cover both yachts suitable for ocean crossings and longer periods away from marinas, as well as true expedition yachts suited to adventure travel, challenging locations and real autonomy.
LUXURY TRAVEL IS CHANGING
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