Discovering Antarctica by submarine
After a year in refit, 63m 'SuRi' embarked on the first submarine charter to Antarctica. A mid-body extension allowed her to take the two-man sub to see from 1000 feet below the surface.…
One owner’s dream boat is now another’s playground to enjoy. The 63m motoryacht SuRi last month cruised to Antarctica on her first ever charter expedition after undergoing a year-long refit.
The maiden voyage, organised through Henry Cookson Adventures in collaboration with Triton Submarines, was made possible after a 10.9m mid-body extension, which left her with enough space on her hangar to house toys including dune buggy, jet skis, hover craft, and, for this voyage, the Triton 1000/2; a 'pilot plus one' passenger sub capable of depths of 1000 feet.
“It is like stepping into the abyss,” says Henry Cookson on returning from the charter this week. “These submersibles go down to extremely low depths and you almost feel closer to the wildlife around you than when you are scuba diving.”
Taking the three-man sub on a superyacht afforded SuRi’s guests encounters with nature usually only seen by documentary crews. As an example, Triton subs were used to capture rare footage of the giant squid for Discovery using superyacht Alucia as its base. On the SuRi charter, the same possibility to get amazing pictures were theirs for the taking.
“Guests can take down their SLR cameras with no need for lighting – they can get Cannon’d up to the hilt!” says Cookson, who recalls one of these standout moments. “We worked out how to get Gentoo penguins interested in the submarines – they followed us down to 300ft (100m) below the surface. That was a highlight definitely.”
Looking at the Triton sub’s playful, toy-like yellow exterior, it seems an anachronism to imagine it capable of serious exploration to the depths. But its fun appearance, much like the yellow submarine of the Beatles song, is part of its simplicity extending to its operational aspects.
“The quick turn around is phenomenal – you prep the submarines in the morning and within 10 minutes you are off – no wetsuits – no decompression,” says Cookson.
“You don’t need a custom-made boat but just enough deck space and a crane to manoeuvre the submarines to and from the water.”
On selling his previous yacht JeMeSa, the owner, an American businessman, bought SuRi and set to work on a technically challenging extension with some pioneering additions to create the ultimate expeditionary platform for family adventures.
“We came into yachting out of a desire to bring our family together as opposed to them having a background of spending time at sea,” says the owner. “We had three girls, all of whom – like all teenagers – were going through a normal distancing of themselves from their parents. We decided to try chartering a yacht to see if it would be a magnet to bring us all together. It worked like a charm and we chartered a number of times.”
Perhaps one of the most unique additions to the yacht is to be found below the water’s surface. “One of the interesting new features of the boat is our ‘windows to the sea’, which are two four-by-six foot glass section to be able to observe the marine life outside, and we have watertight doors that close the room for when the yacht is in motion,” says the owner.
The submarine charter concept, which SuRi’s charter launched, is still relatively fresh to the charter market and, SuRi’s trip aside, the company has since been inundated with requests. “We’ve had more demand than we can handle,” says Patrick Lahey, president of Triton Submarine Charters.
Triton has since explored the idea of approaching owners to invest in a new build submarine and then lease it for charter. Michael Schuttle, CEO of Brilliant Boats, has one on order to join a catamaran equipped to carry it, and the company hopes more will follow.
For now, owing to the limited supply and availability of a Triton sub (the company has just two submarines on its books for charter) the experience is unique.
“Obviously during the first decent there was an aspect of the unknown – but that is what exploration is all about,” says Cookson.
As she charters to clients seeking luxury combined with adventure, there are a number of trips booked with SuRi as a platform to explore the Sea of Cortez and Antarctica before she returns to her regular stomping ground in the South Pacific.
SuRi: Out of the Shadows: a report on her refit and extension is featured in the latest issue of The Superyacht Owner, out this month.
The maiden voyage, organised through Henry Cookson Adventures in collaboration with Triton Submarines, was made possible after a 10.9m mid-body extension, which left her with enough space on her hangar to house toys including dune buggy, jet skis, hover craft, and, for this voyage, the Triton 1000/2; a 'pilot plus one' passenger sub capable of depths of 1000 feet.
“It is like stepping into the abyss,” says Henry Cookson on returning from the charter this week. “These submersibles go down to extremely low depths and you almost feel closer to the wildlife around you than when you are scuba diving.”
Taking the three-man sub on a superyacht afforded SuRi’s guests encounters with nature usually only seen by documentary crews. As an example, Triton subs were used to capture rare footage of the giant squid for Discovery using superyacht Alucia as its base. On the SuRi charter, the same possibility to get amazing pictures were theirs for the taking.
“Guests can take down their SLR cameras with no need for lighting – they can get Cannon’d up to the hilt!” says Cookson, who recalls one of these standout moments. “We worked out how to get Gentoo penguins interested in the submarines – they followed us down to 300ft (100m) below the surface. That was a highlight definitely.”
Looking at the Triton sub’s playful, toy-like yellow exterior, it seems an anachronism to imagine it capable of serious exploration to the depths. But its fun appearance, much like the yellow submarine of the Beatles song, is part of its simplicity extending to its operational aspects.
“The quick turn around is phenomenal – you prep the submarines in the morning and within 10 minutes you are off – no wetsuits – no decompression,” says Cookson.
“You don’t need a custom-made boat but just enough deck space and a crane to manoeuvre the submarines to and from the water.”
On selling his previous yacht JeMeSa, the owner, an American businessman, bought SuRi and set to work on a technically challenging extension with some pioneering additions to create the ultimate expeditionary platform for family adventures.
“We came into yachting out of a desire to bring our family together as opposed to them having a background of spending time at sea,” says the owner. “We had three girls, all of whom – like all teenagers – were going through a normal distancing of themselves from their parents. We decided to try chartering a yacht to see if it would be a magnet to bring us all together. It worked like a charm and we chartered a number of times.”
Perhaps one of the most unique additions to the yacht is to be found below the water’s surface. “One of the interesting new features of the boat is our ‘windows to the sea’, which are two four-by-six foot glass section to be able to observe the marine life outside, and we have watertight doors that close the room for when the yacht is in motion,” says the owner.
The submarine charter concept, which SuRi’s charter launched, is still relatively fresh to the charter market and, SuRi’s trip aside, the company has since been inundated with requests. “We’ve had more demand than we can handle,” says Patrick Lahey, president of Triton Submarine Charters.
Triton has since explored the idea of approaching owners to invest in a new build submarine and then lease it for charter. Michael Schuttle, CEO of Brilliant Boats, has one on order to join a catamaran equipped to carry it, and the company hopes more will follow.
For now, owing to the limited supply and availability of a Triton sub (the company has just two submarines on its books for charter) the experience is unique.
“Obviously during the first decent there was an aspect of the unknown – but that is what exploration is all about,” says Cookson.
As she charters to clients seeking luxury combined with adventure, there are a number of trips booked with SuRi as a platform to explore the Sea of Cortez and Antarctica before she returns to her regular stomping ground in the South Pacific.
SuRi: Out of the Shadows: a report on her refit and extension is featured in the latest issue of The Superyacht Owner, out this month.
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