Elite Traveler Spring 2023

INFLUENCE THE BIG INTERVIEW

Jasper Smith on adventure for the greater good Marine adventure company Arksen was founded with a simple goal — to make the world’s most capable, and most sustainable, explorer yachts. Elite Traveler ’s Kim Ayling speaks to founder Jasper Smith at the company’s HQ in London

Arksen was founded in 2017 when Smith deftly recognized the industry’s blind spot for purpose-built vessels designed with adventure inmind . Although Smith’s professional background is in media, technolo g yand fi nance, it is his untamed thirst for adventure that acted as the motivator for his latest undertaking, with two trips several decades apart — a mammoth sailing trip from Sydney to Alaska in his early twenties and then a trekking expedition across Greenland’s ice caps with his son — the two combining to become the catalyst for Arksen. “During [the fi rst] trip, I thought one day I’d love to build a business that celebrated adventure and being out in the wilderness,” Smith recalls. The second trip was equally as enlightening: “I was amazed by the majesty of the area. You just thought, ‘Oh wow, if you had a vessel here, this area would be just breathtaking to cruise around.’” The time between those trips, however, revealed a worrying future for the planet. “[In] Greenland, there

latter where Arksen is fl exing its muscles. Designed by Humphreys Yacht Design and made by the Wight Shipyard Co on the Isle of Wight, the Explorer series starts with the Arksen 65 (69 ft) and scales up to virtually any size. Two Arksen 85s are currently in build at Wight’s Shipyard, with an estimated spring 2023 delivery. To match up to its founder’s penchant for adventure, the Explorers are as sturdy as they come. Aluminum was selected for both the hull and the superstructure — not just for its lightweight credentials but also for its impressive strength and corrosion resistance. Stability was also key, both for onboard comfort and safety; Arksen can’t promise self-righting, but the combination of optional g yrostabilizers and stabilizing fi ns work to ensure the vessels can recover in even the roughest conditions. In line with Arksen’s steadfast sustainability commitments, each boat has been designed with a circular economy in mind. The team has meticulously researched every material to ensure

was this absolute acknowledgment of the speed and power of climate change, because we were standing on the ice cap with melted rivers fl owing below us.” “This was the catalyst to do something,” he says. “I wanted to create vessels that are truly o ff shore so you can go super long distances — can live on them for months at a time — and are built to be the absolute best in class… and to build a business that’s ethically and socially responsible, and that has sustainability at its core.” “We couldn’t see anything like that on the market,” Smith explains. “There are lots of explorers, but all a bit compromised: There's no recovery if you're capsized, or they're built at high volume so have bad fuel e ffi ciency… There was nothing that suited what I was passionate about. And I realized I probably was not the only one who felt that way.” And so, Arksen was born. Its vessels are separated into two categories: Adventure and Explorer. The former is categorized by its smaller, more nimble boats with lengths of up to 45m (148 ft), but it is the

Thispage The bridge deck on Arksen 85 Opposite page, from top Arken's vessels are separated into two categories, Adventure and Explorer; Jasper Smith