Ice-breaking superyachts make more Polar exploration possible
For those wanting uncharted adventures, and to see the Arctic and Antarctic before they change, there is now a luxury option
Once upon a time, owning a superyacht was a pretty predictable experience. Summers were spent in the Med, winters in the Caribbean. The average day might be spent lounging on deck, perhaps a lazy swim in the sea and then zooming over by tender to dinner on land. Not anymore. The past few years have seen a new type of owner emerging; one who wants to see more, do more, and who is no longer content with the idea of sitting at anchor in Monaco. Little wonder shipyards have begun to adjust their offerings and new exploration experts are emerging to lend a hand.
EYOS Expeditions is one such expert. Made up of a group of men who would intimidate James Bond – one piloted the vessel that dived to the deepest point of the ocean in 1960, another discovered a previously unknown Emperor Penguin rookery while circumnavigating the Antarctic, one even has a Polar landmark named after him – the company helps superyachts to plan, manage and operate expeditions to outlandish destinations.
At last year’s Monaco Yacht Show they hit the headlines when they revealed a new concept for a purpose-built ice-breaking superyacht, aptly named the SeaXplorer. It has since sold to an anonymous owner and is now in build, with more shipyards following its lead.
So what does the SeaXplorer have that existing yachts don’t? The company’s CEO Ben Lyons, himself a captain, explains, “It’s a lot to do with how long the yacht can operate without the support of shore-side infrastruture. With SeaXplorer, we have 40 days of autonomy. That’s comparatively quite a lot.”
Given the remoteness of the Arctic and the Antarctic, this certainly makes sense. The polar regions are terrifyingly isolated; there’s no marina waiting with fuel, fairy lights and a warm welcome. Other factors, like the ability to launch a tender at a moment’s notice, might seem less critical, but as Lyons says, “If you see a whale, you’re going to want to get in there with it right away.” At least, adventure seekers will.
The SeaXplorer also has a dedicated “mud room”, a transition area from outside to inside where you can shed your boots “full of penguin guano [poo]” and change clothes. After all, this is still a multimillion dollar superyacht and nobody wants to make a mess. On the top deck, a fully enclosed helicopter hangar protects against weather conditions and the hull, crucially, is ice-breaking.
