The Summit is designed to address a number of key topics for the industry, owners and crew and featured a full day of panel discussions and presentations from industry experts.  Since the start of the 2020s, 69 new build projects have been commissioned, bringing the total explorer yacht fleet to 740 globally. Some of the largest yachts reach up to nearly 140 metres in length and can be home to as many as 60 crew.

For Zephyr Yachting, the explorer yacht and shadow vessel market has great appeal.  With explorer vessels including Octopus, Arctic P and Bold now part of the charter fleet, clients seeking far-reaching adventures that visit off-the-beaten path destinations are spoilt for choice. Explorer yachts and support yachts have fantastic opportunities for using adventurous yacht toys such as submersibles, as well as potential for yacht crew to join vessels that visit lesser known destinations such as Svalbard, Papua New Guinea or the Galapagos Islands.

The event was kicked off by keynote speaker Victor Vescovo, founder of Caladan Oceanic, owner of DSSV Pressure Drop and someone who has dived deeper than any other human being and visited the deepest points of the Earth’s five oceans. He shared his insights on what fuels his passion for adventure, how he aims to educate through his expeditions and invited other private yacht owners to contribute to science and conservation efforts with their own vessels.  He emphasised that: “The world’s yacht owners can do more to advance science!”