Lurssen MY Octopus: Inspiring Adventure, Encouraging Joy
Since her 2003 launch, Lürssen’s luxury explorer yacht Octopus has quietly completed a nearly continuous calendar of itineraries while maintaining a very private profile. That is a long time for any superstar to run silent. A recent change in status has made her a hot talking point, entertaining a high level of interest as she enters the charter market for the first time.
Emerging from a 20-year cocoon of privacy, the 126-meter Octopus is now splashing her fabulous interiors across screen and page, setting a high bar for comparison with any other yacht of her size, new or old, as well as in her category as an explorer vessel. She is capable, luxurious, spacious, and fitted to supply extraordinary needs for the adventurer, researcher, scientist, and leisure traveler alike.
The Marvel of the Octopus Design
Designed and built years ahead of the current trend in explorer style vessels, there were just a handful of yachts that exceeded Octopus in length. None so successfully dovetailed sumptuous interiors with serious research and exploration features. Owing to the imagination and foresight of the design team along with the yacht’s original owner, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, Octopus still presents a classic yacht profile defined by style and beauty that is equaled only by her extraordinary capabilities.
How does one design a highly technical yacht that retains top status among new launches for two decades? With Octopus, age is just a number -- another statistic to add to her impressive list of accomplishments.
Paul Allen’s vision for this predecessor embraced the ability to explore remote regions where support is limited and challenges abound. Allen wanted an ice class yacht boasting endurance, range, and speed, capable of housing two helicopters, very large tenders, a submarine, and lots of equipment that would facilitate highly technical exploration of underwater life, shipwrecks, and sea floor features.
Allen’s vision was sent to Lürssen, who then forwarded it to the desk of Espen Øino, a young, designer at the time who put his skill and optimism to work in creating a yacht with brilliantly designed, unique new features. Espen cites his youth as an advantage in approaching the ambitious project.
“It takes a lot to convince me that things cannot be done,” Espen stated, advising that dividing a big problem into several smaller ones and resolving them one by one often unveils a solution. Espen found the complex requirements in the design of the stern dock on Octopus to be the most challenging and the most rewarding feature of the yacht. He described the result as “An elegant solution to a complex problem.“
The internal dry dock that began to emerge in the design would need to accommodate protected storage for a very large, powerful tender, a submarine, and several smaller tenders and watercraft. The weight of these machines alone would cause the yacht to list if launched from either side.
Espen said they decided on the central internal dry dock by playing with the rules of stability, as the longitudinal trim would prove less disruptive than that of the transverse plane for launching big machines.
Storing the vessels on the centerline and in bulkheads on the B5 line adjacent to the central marina optimized the rules, solving the puzzle with a novel, internal , floodable dry dock marina approach.
That decision still required intensive engineering work to insure structural integrity amid all of the openings required to store such a large number of big, heavy machines inside the hull, in addition to the helipads, hangars, and pools. In the end, Espen found it to be his favorite spot on the yacht. The massive, 2-story space, filled with incredible equipment and a travel lift, is an impressive visual.
“It was quite challenging structurally to keep it all together, to make it stiff enough so that everything stood upright properly, with big, moving parts, and many openings in the outboard shell sides,” Espen remarked.
Luxe Interiors Expected of a Superyacht
The posh, clean lined Interiors designed by Jonathan Quinn Barnett underwent a 2019 refit by Monk Design, executed by the Lürssen-acquired Blohm + Voss yard, ensuring everything was refreshed, stylish, comfy, and ready to go. Originally built at Lürssen shipyards, the interior details of this ultra-private yacht are at last on display through Camper & Nicholsons, a company with 240 years of marine industry knowledge.
The List is Long: Features and Amenities
A steel, full displacement ice class 1A hull gives Octopus free range throughout the earth’s waters, top to bottom, warm to cold. A protected interior two-level marina with concealed 36 meter floodable tender garage hosts a 16 meter tender and a 12 meter submersible, accompanied by a fleet of six additional tenders.
Two helicopter pads, a 13-meter heated freshwater swimming pool, a forward-facing observation lounge, gym and fitness area, cinema, library, two elevators, fully equipped technical and free dive center, hyperbaric chamber, and an extensive toy list just begin to scratch the surface of Octopus’s amenities. And, just for fun, a retractable glass floor covers the pool to create a stunning, flush deck dance and entertainment space.
To Sleep: Perchance, to Dream
It’s hard to put in an exhilarating day of heliskiing atop an Antarctic glacier or a deep sea dive to a remote shipwreck without a pleasant night’s sleep. Turning last night’s dreams into today’s adventures, Octopus accommodates 12 guests spread over four of the yacht’s eight decks. The deck seven full-beam king master suite, outfitted with a king bed, dual baths, a private observation lounge, a private exterior deck, and a private elevator helps to de-stress for an excellent day of adventure to come.
Deck four houses two VIP king suites, four queen suites, one double suite, and one twin cabin, along with a separate cabin with a single bed, sofa, and en suite. Deck Three offers two twin cabins and two queen cabins, with sofa/daybeds.
Crew needs sleep, too, especially when they are so carefully selected to serve on board for their individual expertise and performance. Dive specialists, submarine specialists, accomplished chefs, and experienced staff are all at the ready. Deck two has one single berth cabin, thirteen double berth shares, and three triple berth shares, all refitted with new baths in 2019. Deck three houses the chief engineer’s cabin, four single head of department cabins with beds and pullman bunks, one double berth share and four triple berth shares. Deck six finds the captain’s cabin and the chief officer’s cabin appropriately located near the wheelhouse.
Knowledge is Power: An Early Adaptor
Designed with a hybrid propulsion diesel electric system, Octopus has extensive range to travel to remote locations that most yachts can only imagine. Twin ABB Industry AG-E electric motors combined with eight MTU 16V 4000 M50 diesel engines power Octopus to a mind-blowing 12,500 nautical miles at 12 knots, able to spend months at sea. Maximum speed is 19 knots.
Where Would You Go?
Octopus is clearly capable of heading out to even the most secluded of destinations, safely, comfortably, and stylishly. She has slipped in and out of bays around the world, skipped across every ocean, and provided researchers and scientists with a fully equipped floating laboratory. Knowing that, where would you go with Octopus as your transport?
Jacqui Lockhart, European Head of Charter Management for Camper & Nicholsons, responded she would gather a group of well-traveled friends and head to “All corners of the earth but back to Antarctica where Octopus will return in December 2024.” Available for charter through Camper & Nicholsons at €2,200,000 per week, Jacqui added that during the summer of 2023, Octopus will be based in the Mediterranean.
Espen was also enthusiastic about where he would point Octopus, listing an itinerary embracing “all places you can’t reach unless you bring your own bed.” He would embark on an epic ski adventure to Antarctica, the west coast of South America, the south island of New Zealand, Japan, Norway, Greenland, and the Kamchatka Peninsula. So, should you find yourself lucky enough to book time on board Octopus, and have an extra cabin, don’t forget to invite Espen.
Contact information: Camper & Nicholsons:
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www.camperandnicholsons.com
More details about the Octopus
Photos: Camper & Nicholsons / Dave Le Roux | Words: K.L. Turner
