When word started spreading a few years ago that the commercial shipyard Kleven was building a megayacht, eyebrows raised. When the owners of the yacht were revealed to be Graeme and Robyn Hart, who have built expedition yachts christened Ulysses, people were intrigued. That intrigue has only grown in recent weeks, with the Harts’ new Ulysses, a 351-footer (107-meter), taking her first sea trials. One Norwegian media outlet is even reporting that Ulysses was delivered on July 24. We have contacted Kleven for confirmation, but have not received a reply as of press time. Kleven did, however, reveal last year that Ulysses was scheduled to be handed over in June.
While Kleven has only referred to Ulysses as build no. 366, the yacht’s name and the Harts’ identity hasn’t exactly been a secret. The New Zealand couple were present for the yacht’s launch late last year, with Graeme Hart even pressing a button to set things in motion. He also consented to an interview with NRK.no, a public service broadcaster in Norway, saying, “This is a very exciting project for us. We have been around the yard and onboard the vessel, and I am very well satisfied with Kleven and the work that has been done here so far.” Subsequently Kleven acknowledged the Harts as the owners. They did so late last year, in announcing a second yacht signed with the Harts, set for delivery in 2016. The second yacht, by the way, will measure 381 feet (116 meters) and accommodate 66 people.
The Harts chose Kleven because of its background in building rugged offshore vessels. The yard confirmed the yacht was contracted for “long expeditions in rough waters.” Take just one look at Ulysses, and you can imagine her cruising remote regions. (Consider, too, that “Ulysses” is a version of “Odysseus,” one of the most courageous and influential figures of the Trojan War.)
Few facts are known about Ulysses. Some details come from publicly available AIS data, while scant few others come from the design and build teams. Her gross tonnage is a whopping 7,000—which may explain why she’s classified as a passenger ship under the Cayman Islands flag. Her 59-foot (18-meter) beam should translate to commodious interior and alfresco spaces, with the former being more plentiful, judging by her profile. Various media have reported there are accommodations for 20 to 30 people, though Kleven has not revealed numbers. Kleven, has, though, along with the naval architect, Marin Teknikk, revealed that Ulysses will carry a 69-foot (21-meter) tender on her bow. Given her draft of 16’4” (5 meters), her tender will surely be used to take guests to and from anchorages as much as, if not more than, Ulysses will pull into marinas. A helicopter will additionally be kept onboard, in a heli hanger in transit and on a helipad when being pressed into use.
Ulysses has captured the attention of so many people that she’s among one of the most well-documented builds, despite being kept relatively quiet. This slideshow takes you from her launch preps last year through to her sea trials this month.
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