[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he superyacht builder Arksen showcased at this year’s boot Düsseldorf all their new initiatives. First of all, the construction of the first 26.22-metre Arksen 85 is due to begin in the coming months at the Wight Shipyard. The design is penned by Humphreys Yacht Design and Design Unlimited and is due to hit the water for the first time in 2021.
The Arksen 85 offers 6,000+ miles of cruising on a single tank of fuel (around 16k litres). All Arksen vessels can be equipped with extensive solar capabilities. The Arksen 85 solar array can provide up to 8.1kW of power, reducing reliance on mechanical power generation and increasing silent running times. Fast average cruising speeds of 9 to 12 knots, top speed of 14 knots. In a calm sea at 7 knots the power requirement for the Arksen 85 is just 12kw (the equivalent of 4 kettles).
Adventure Syndicate
Arksen is committed to providing not only the very best explorer vessels, but also the infrastructure and support to enable their community to use them to their fullest potential.The Adventure Syndicate is a pioneering club via which Members enjoy shared ownership of one of their vessels and full access to the experiences Arksen offers. The Adventure Syndicate offers like-minded adventurers several major advantages, becoming a real game changer. Some of its key features are:
• Significantly lower costs;
• Financial flexibility;
• Fully managed, no-hassle fractional ownership, from 2 to 10 weeks a year;
• Fully equipped, crewed, maintained vessels with all key costs included;
• Multi-year adventure-themed cruising itinerary;
• Participation in science programmes run by Arksen Foundation;
• Use of all adventure equipment for your greatest adventures;
• A like-minded, family orientated community.
The Adventure Syndicate allows zero hassle ownership and the benefits of a fully maintained, crewed, and equipped vessel with the financial flexibility to trade in and out of a syndicate at any time. In fact, the syndicate is designed to last 10 years, but members are free to sell their ownership share at any time. Syndicate costs include building the vessel and, post-launch, the costs of crew, maintenance, food while on-board, berthing, and relocation costs. All expenses are shared by members in proportion to their level of ownership and are offset by the commercial charter income.
Arksen’s approach to developing the Adventure Syndicate stems from over 25 years of boat ownership. They soon realised that few people have the time or money to commit to the full ownership of a large vessel and that even when they do the hassle of maintaining and operating them can wash off the glamour. It’s an unfortunate truth that the vast majority of yachts sit in the same marina, little used, year after year, meaning that owners cruise the same waters and anchor in the same bays. Over time, the adventurous spirit that was the inspiration for buying a boat in the first place can get lost. However, by creating a fully managed syndicate around a vessel, Arksen was able to significantly reduce the cost of ownership and ensure that the yachts are fully equipped, operated and maintained to the highest standards.
Moreover, the Adventure Syndicate offers global opportunities for adventure via four-year cruising itineraries while working with the Arksen Foundation to support crucial marine research. The syndicates are each based on a cruising area: Europe, the Americas, Asia or Global. Members of one syndicate can swap weeks in one cruising area for another. The Arksen Adventure Syndicate provides the opportunity to sail in the Mediterranean, or cruise around Northern Europe, to explore the Norwegian Fjords or Greenland, or sail to Kamchatka, or across the Pacific Ocean, or go diving in the Caribbean. The logistics and support are provided by the Arksen Explorers Club, and all the equipment is onboard: diving and snorkeling, climbing and hiking, sailing kayaks, paddleboards, sea bobs, Arksen Expedition Rib, kitesurfers, water skis, wakeboards and even underwater and airborne drones.
The Arksen Foundation
The Arksen Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that provides project funding, facilitates cutting-edge scientific research and creates innovative media to inspire a greater understanding of the beauty, complexity, and fragility of the ocean ecosystem and its interfaces with the land around it.
It is a platform for research, conservation and creativity in support of the identification of new species, preservation of known species, and stimulating behavioural change globally. The projects supported by the Foundation are in alignment with Arksen’s cornerstones: research and science projects, education, exploration and sport with purpose.
10% for the Ocean
Created by the Arksen Foundation and launched at boot Dsseldorf, the 10% for the Ocean is a pledge taken by individuals, families and companies that is designed to address a global and systemic problem: that only 1% of all charitable funding goes to supporting ocean related causes today. This project exists because of the failure of existing funding systems to support healthy oceans. It came to life following a series of conversations with leading scientists and philanthropists about how they could act collectively to move the needle for ocean conservation funding and to set a new standard for targeted generosity. The 10% for the Ocean Pledge invites individuals, families and organisations to commit to giving ten percent of their philanthropic or charitable donations to ocean related causes. Money, assets, time and love. Why now? Because the next 10 years are fundamental to the survival of life on earth as we know it today. The past 5 years (2014 to 2018) have ranked as the 5 warmest years for ocean heat content. The ocean is absorbing heat 40% faster than previously thought and if we carry on, business as usual, we are close to 5 degrees of warming by the end of the century.
