The 126m motor yacht Octopus is travelling to Antarctica in late 2022 and will be available for charter through Camper & Nicholsons. Commissioned and formerly owned by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, the Lürssen build features an Espen Øino exterior and is among the world’s largest superyachts available for charter.
Octopus was sold last year and joined the Camper & Nicholsons charter fleet, marking the first time she has been available for charter since she was launched in 2003.
Having begun a two-year round-the-world tour this January, the megayacht has visited Costa Rica and Panama in Central America and will cruise in South America before heading to Antarctica in December.
Equipped for science, research and true ocean-crossing travel, Octopus has an ice-class 1A steel hull, allowing her to safely traverse the iceberg-filled seas surrounding the southernmost continent. Her features include a forward-facing indoor observation deck, underwater lounge, a fully equipped medical suite, dive centre with hyperbaric chamber, submarine and two helipads.
Octopus was truly built for explorer expeditions,” said Jacqui Lockhart, Camper & Nicholsons’ Head of Charter Marketing Europe, who travelled to Antarctica in 2018. “She’s the perfect yacht to undertake such a voyage and well-equipped to host intrepid charterers off the beaten track.”
Octopus will be among the first superyachts to tour Antarctica and offers guests the chance to explore a region usually visited by researchers and documentary makers. The region features breathtaking landscapes and rare wildlife, while activities include ski touring, ice exploring, polar plunges and even teaming up with locally-based scientists focused on wildlife conservation.
Camper & Nicholsons, which has over 50 yachts in its charter management fleet, has created a seven-day itinerary for Octopus that can be seen on C&N’s website.