Explorer yachts – seen from a different perspective

Seawolf

I discovered explorer yachts or, more accurately, the transformation of platform-support ships and tugboats into explorer yachts with the 59-metre Seawolf in Mallorca, when Leo Selter (later the owner’s representative of Sailing Yacht A during her build) and Patrick Moussa (former build captain and skipper of Vitters’ Thalia) spent six years refitting the 1957 ex-tugboat Clyde, built for the world towing experts J & K Smit of Holland.

I have no animosity towards the modern design and construction of explorer yachts, the high-performance materials, applied technologies and the robust looks that would make Indiana Jones smile and wish to be transported by one to some risky adventures ... But Seawolf exuded the smell of tens of thousands of sea miles, weathering every possible condition; its mighty bow ensured a smooth passage through any water extents. To board it was to be captured by the scent of a past crew’s cigarette smoke, fuel and lubricant hydrocarbons, hot metal and the oil-stained Burma teak decks, 50mm thick, that reminded me of my time training on old World War II ships in the Argentinian Navy.

Seawolf stood mighty and proud alongside the inner pier of Palma’s commercial harbour. Seawolf didn’t roll or sway when the fishing fleet entered the harbour at 10 knots to meet the 5pm fishing curfew. Meanwhile, all other yachts in Palma were victims of a frantic dance with the unwelcome fishing fleet’s swell.

The initial explorer yacht conversions were done on ships built to last, thanks to their simplicity, with a stability that would withstand any capable crew, and a large-diameter, slow-turning propeller that generated immense thrust. Compared to cars, the Land Rover Discovery would be a good analogy. I once travelled to Morocco with the Land Rover dealer in Spain, and he told me how many clients were requesting full extras to be fitted on their new cars: jerrycans, roof storage boxes, extra searchlights, raised engine air intakes, 3.5-ton front electric winches, special tyres with two spares, and secondary fuel tanks. They used the cars to commute an average of 20km per day, home to their posh office. Should they be criticised? No. One could argue they create a larger environmental footprint in the manufacturing of the vehicle, but the longer the car is used, the smaller the relative footprint per kilometre driven or per period of active use. The car is road-legal and pays more taxes due to its weight and power, which offsets its emissions/carbon footprint. I digress … but explorer yachts are a similar case.

REV Ocean

 Yes, some explorer yachts do travel to inhospitable corners of the planet: the Arctic, Canada’s Northwest Passage, Alaska, Indonesia or New Guinea, honouring their supposed thirst for adventure, but they are in the minority. There are just as many ‘regular’ sail and power boats undertaking the same distant cruises without the exploration design and engineering. Comparing an old-fashioned tug or platform-support ship to a modern exploration vessel is not a fair apples-to-apples. There are exceptions, like Yersin, designed and built in France (Concarneau), ice-classed by Bureau Veritas, with minimal on-board plastic use, a 12,000nm range and 50 days of autonomy for 20 guests and 20 crew, and a very classic design. The owner, Mr Fiat, instructed the shipyard to avoid using fillers to save weight and emissions. The boat’s motto is ‘Leave an imprint without leaving a trace’. Yersin’s raison d’etre is education, enabling scientists to carry out their research work, and similar in fashion to Mr Røkke’s REV Ocean. Mr Fiat was inspired by the exploits of Prince Albert I of Monaco, grandfather of the current sovereign, who with his research steam-schooner Hirondelle explored the Mediterranean and North Atlantic, observing and collecting marine flora and fauna in the 19th century. 

I do not mean to diminish the merit of designing and building explorer yachts, but reality compels us to acknowledge the difference between the imitation and the genuine article. New yachts help develop design, engineering, technology and financing, and that is no small feat, and it does not matter if now and then it’s used to travel around the corner to the Baie des Anges or Cala di Volpe. The others, of carefully planned creation or respectful renovation, transmit the seaworthiness, tradition and respect to the forefathers who made it possible for us to enjoy such ships and give them a new life for their master’s generous patronage and enjoyable discovery activities. They will sail forever; they are built to be sea creatures, not maritime objects.

Names and registry flags shall vary as if Seawolf would be different because of it, but it will always be able to take on any sea, to tow to the other side of the oceans, to amaze guests with its pedigree and character comprising sea water, steel, people and history. Seawolf is just out of Pendennis actually, having received its latest refit and now partially reborn again. The many lives of Seawolf, one of those mighty sea creatures…

Look out for Martin H. Redmayne’s feature on explorers in issue 225 of  The Superyacht Report: Captains edition, with its focus on adventure and travel. Due out next month!

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