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This ‘Flexplorer’ Yacht Is a Floating Luxe Loft That’s Ready to Take On the Arctic

Rachel Cormack
3 min read

Cantiere delle Marche (CdM) has really flexed its design muscles with its latest 130-foot vessel. The Italian yard has just launched a new “Flexplorer,” which fuses superyacht standards of space and design with the rugged, go-anywhere capabilities of an explorer vessel.

The inaugural model, known as Aurelia, hit the water over the weekend, with the momentous occasion captured by CdM in a YouTube video (above). “The first Flexplorer will be a game-changer, there is no doubt about it,” Vasco Buonpensiere, co-founder and sales and marketing director at CdM, said in a press release.

Designed by Sergio Cutolo of Hydro Tec, Aurelia sports a near-vertical bow, a deep, flared displacement hull, and an eye-catching superstructure. She was built using a combination of steel and aluminum with the goal of faring all sorts of weather conditions in total safety and comfort.

Aurelia Flexplorer
Aurelia Flexplorer

One of Aurelia’s biggest drawcards is her versatile aft deck. It features collapsible bulwarks that fold out to create a picturesque “infinity deck” of more than 1,200 square feet. The deck is also equipped with a remarkable A-frame crane that can launch a 28-foot tender weighing roughly 7,700 pounds. When not in use, the crane is perfectly integrated into the deck’s flooring to prevent it from creating an eyesore.

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Aurelia’s interiors were penned by Francesco Paszkowski Design and are reminiscent of a sophisticated New York loft. Think brushed oak flooring, combined with slate, concrete, glass, iron and aluminum. It’s industrial yet still plenty cozy. Her spacious layout allows for up to nine guests and includes a well-appointed master suite on the main deck, as well as two VIPs and two twins on the lower deck. There are also three crew cabins to accommodate six crew. (More photos of interiors will be available soon.)

To ensure that globetrotters can explore in comfort, Aurelia features all must-have luxury amenities, from an overflowing toy garage to a fully equipped gym. She even has a two-story wine cellar that occupies the entire stairwell on the main and upper decks.

Aurelia Flexplorer
Aurelia Flexplorer

Aurelia gets her grunt from a pair of heavy-duty Caterpillar C32 engines (1600-1800 rpm), which give her a top speed of 14 knots. She has an impressive range in excess of 5,000 nautical miles when traveling at a cruising speed of 10 knots. The vessel is also fitted with electro-driven stabilizing fins for smoother sailing. Flexplorer, indeed.

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