yacht artefact owner

Blackberry founder Mike Lazaridis’ $150 million superyacht has a dedicated Tai Chi room with a ceiling tall enough to wield a sword above the head. The billionaire clad his 262 feet vessel in 70 tons of glass. It boasts a movie theater and an artistic 14-seater cosmic dining table.

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Artefact: On board Nobiskrug's striking 80m hybrid superyacht

Cutting-edge research and huge imagination have made Artefact the smartest superyacht afloat. BOAT International gets a lesson in the art of seaborne science on board the 2021 Motor Yacht of the Year ...

Against the green, hilly coast of St Lucia, birds swoop in daring arcs while flashes of silver leap over deep turquoise water. Occasional outboard-powered launches hug the coast, leaving freshly stirred foam behind them. Artefact , by contrast, is moving silently and slowly, allowing the splendid spectacle of nature to take centre stage through walls of near-invisible glass. The warm light of the subtropics bathes the quiet and high-tech bridge.

Captain Aaron Clark switches power from two small generators to batteries, and we keep moving silently at just six knots for several minutes, listening to the birds. Artefact is equipped with an ABB diesel-electric system with a DC bus (a direct-current-based diesel-electric system, also known as a DC Grid) that integrates lithium batteries, Azipods and a full dynamic positioning system. The captain loves the flexibility this provides. “You’re limited only by your imagination,” he says.

By the time you're reading this piece, it will have been five years since the contract was signed for the construction of an 80-metre yacht that will no doubt become a benchmark. Artefact , which has been cruising nonstop since leaving chilly Germany in early 2020, is like haute couture: one of a kind and perfectly fitted to its owners, but some of its features will inspire others. They already have.

The frameless glass that serves as the outer wall in the VIP cabins, for instance, motivated a client to ask for more glass in his own project, says Fadi Pataq, sales and marketing director for builder Nobiskrug. And diesel-electric pod systems, which were but a trickle over the years in the superyacht market, are more in demand than ever. “In a way, it started a trend,” he says.

It could also be that we have come to a tipping point motivated by better stewardship of the planet and regulations that restrict emissions. What is certain is that behind Artefact are change-makers, whose knowledge and imagination have produced a thoroughly enjoyable home on the water.

Building the yacht has been a family affair, but while every family member contributed to the creation of the boat that would become Artefact , the impetus and driving force was an engineer whose company supports breakthrough technologies in quantum information sciences, Mike Lazaridis. His family had great memories of holidays on yachts they had chartered, and by 2013 he began to think about building a home able to travel the world. Inspiration also came from glossy publications casually placed by a friend on a coffee table. “It’s your magazines that did it,” says Lazaridis with a laugh, of his decision to build Artefact . But it took some time to bring everyone on board, especially as a couple of family members suffer from motion sickness.

Along the way he met Captain Clark, a New Zealander who got into yachting in his early twenties and built a successful career as a charter yacht captain. Complementing Lazaridis's big-picture ideas and deep engineering knowledge were Clark’s understanding of the sea, yacht operations, project management and his undeniably impressive people skills.

Before even knocking on the door of a yacht designer or a shipyard, they started researching the latest technology and solutions available to address the issues of efficiency and motion sickness. They looked into multihulls and SWATHs before embracing the practicality of a monohull. They saw numerous yachts with a keen eye on what worked and what didn’t. They also went to trade and equipment shows to investigate the latest forward-looking technologies.

Very early on, it became clear that they would go to diesel-electric propulsion and embraced the idea of ABB’s DC Grid, which thus far had only been done on a few commercial vessels. One of the major wishes for the design was that it should feature abundant glass, not only because it is visually pleasing but because seeing the horizon helps mitigate motion sickness. Lazaridis also had a lot of experience with the material. The home he built on the shores of Lake Huron in Ontario is a marvel of engineering, with major sections of laminated glass – at the time among the largest ever made – cantilevered over open space. To realise this amazing structure, designed by architect Siamak Hariri, they had to do extensive work in acoustics to minimise the transfer of noise and vibrations that can occur with glass.

“I really enjoy the house we built. I love the views and the feeling that you are floating. I kept thinking it would be great if I could change the view, so when I had a chance to design Artefact , I wanted to bring that experience as much as I could,” says Lazaridis.

One day, Clark saw a rendering of a 50-metre yacht concept from Gregory C Marshall Naval Architect (GCMNA). It had unusual lines and lots of glass. He forwarded the concept to Lazaridis and it struck a chord with him too. “We knew we were building an electric boat, so we wanted to make sure it had a bit more of a futuristic look and I thought it looked like an electric boat,” he says of the original concept by Geoff Harrington, a senior designer in the innovative GCMNA studio.

“ Artefact has evolved quite a bit from that original concept. The pieces were there: the narrow waist of the superstructure, the full-length glass, the way the overhangs were split, but Artefac t is fundamentally bigger and more elegant,” Harrington says. “The intent of the design was to create multiple private spaces and points of view forward, aft and on the sides.”

While finessing the exterior, GCMNA also worked with the owners and captain on defining all interior spaces. They built a full-size mock-up inside a vacant warehouse, using wood and Tyvek construction wrap for key spaces from the bridge, to the galley, the owner’s deck and an extraordinary  Tai Chi room. An adult holding a Tai Chi sword overhead defined the height of this particular space.

Artefact ’s layout bucks the current trends. It’s a very different approach from that of many yachts afloat today. The forward area of the yacht,  except for the owner’s panoramic office on the owner’s deck, is dedicated to operations.

“Everyone says they want the minimum of crew, but they don’t design the boat for it,” Captain Clark says. “The key is to minimise footsteps,” he adds. He concentrated the very well-designed and appointed crew area on the forward end of the main deck (spacious pantry, galley, stores and a light-filled and spacious crew mess) with a lounge and cabins in the same position one deck below. The guest spaces are primarily in the aft to centre section, identified as the least subject to pitch and roll. The owner’s deck includes a panoramic office and a fully equipped crafts room, just like they have at home.

The primary guest circulation throughout the yacht is via a central staircase and a lift. The only exterior stairs connecting decks are between the beach club and the main deck. It has the advantages of providing privacy and allowing the yacht to be secured easily.

One major decision was to go with ABB’s diesel-electric system and the first ever DC bus installed on a superyacht. Efficiency was a big driver in the selection of this system, which builder ABB says optimally saves 30 per cent of energy over a conventional system, as well as emissions, but so was comfort. The Azipods and DP system allow a great deal of fine tuning in positioning the yacht to minimise the impact of waves and wind on the hull. The DC bus permits more efficient use of power, drawing from any available source on the grid, such as redundant variable-speed DC generators, and the ability to store surplus energy in banks of batteries. “This eliminates the need for energy-wasting load banks, which are needed to dissipate the excess power produced by a traditional yacht’s fixed-frequency AC generators,” Lazaridis explains. The modular design also allows future upgrades to new power sources, such as fuel cells. One challenge is that, combined with Tier III-compliant engines and the Selective Catalytic Reduction system that accompany them, the whole set-up is space intensive.

Another important piece of the puzzle was the toy garage. The largest of Artefact ’s three tenders, a custom tender built by Lloyd Stevenson Boatbuilders is 11.7 metres in length. It had to be both easily loadable onto the yacht and stored out of sight. By the time they had finalised the spaces, Artefact had grown to 75 metres in length and the brief they had prepared was 85 pages long. They had already chosen key suppliers, including ABB, Caterpillar, Hug Engineering, Quantum and GLY for the glass.

“The owner and Aaron were very determined that this was the boat they wanted to build. This is a truly custom boat,” Harrington says.

This appealed to Nobiskrug, builder of Sailing Yacht A , which Lazaridis calls one of his favourite yachts. “After Sailing Yacht A , we noticed there is a gap in the market for people who do purely custom and since then we have been really focused on that. When Artefact came around, we realised it was one of these projects again,” Pataq says.

During the engineering phase, requirements of technical spaces primarily determined the final length of 80 metres. The hull was tank tested and refined to achieve better efficiency and Nobiskrug identified the best method to build Artefact , which involved combining a steel hull with a superstructure built in composite with a steel core. “As we went deeper and deeper into the technical specifications, and due to the curvy shape of the superstructure, it was evident we needed to do that in composite. Today a lot of airliners are made of composite, so why not superyachts?” Pataq says.

Right around the time that the Artefact team was speaking with shipyards, they also interviewed interior designers, among them Reymond Langton Design (RLD). “Reymond Langton really understood the interior design challenge that Artefact presented because they realised how difficult it is to compete with the outside views in a house that is made out of glass,” says Lazaridis who accurately describes the design as “radical yet minimalist”.

The designers freely admit that working with so much glass changed their approach because acoustics were such a leading consideration. To avoid the effect of an echo-filled glass box, everything had to be shaped in such a way that it would not reverberate noise. “The glass is not straight, there is always a tilt on it, every surface has unusual finishes and a dual direction,” Pascale Reymond says.

Lazaridis demonstrates what they achieved with a noise metre he keeps in his office, which is fronted by a stunning curved floor-to-ceiling window. With Artefact docked in the shadow of Gros Piton and waves crashing on the shore, the noise level is 28dB, “quieter than a library”, he says.

Of course, not all of it is attributable to the interior materials. Soundproofing the yacht went from the bottom up. However, what is easily visible are ubiquitous wave patterns in walls and ceilings, which are interesting and soothing. The main saloon’s ceiling, made of carved oak over acoustic panels wrapped in Majilite, looks like it is finished with meticulously matched driftwood, a finish inspired by Lazaridis's house.

“You can affect the acoustic of a room massively by the finishes that you choose and the angles that you’ve used,” says RLD’s Jason Macaree, who worked closely with sound consultants on testing various materials, down to the type of perforations to use.

“We did not just put in an interior, we really [strived] for the interior to work with the outside, the acoustic and the volume. It is one of the cleverest designs we’ve done. It is a smart boat,” Reymond says.

It is also very personal. An armillary sphere in the saloon represents the Lazaridis's love for science. Before Galileo, he explains, “armillary spheres were super complicated and not that accurate, but once humans realised the earth was not at the centre, the armillary became very simple. This one helps you navigate the earth and figure out where all the constellations are.”

Reymond Langton worked with DKT Artworks and a Swiss horologist on this marvellous object that catches the light as the sun sets behind the horizon, casting a golden glow throughout the saloon. The colour gold is a bit of a theme in the art glass that lines lower portions of the walls, and in a stunning reproduction of Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss , handmade in an ancient silk embroidery technique perfected in China. A companion piece on the opposite wall is based on a famous Chinese painting.

Just like every element of Artefact , from her imaginative form to her cutting-edge function, the artwork is a perfect marriage of art and science.

Dine with the stars

The formal dining space is a world of its own. In the daytime, the eye wanders to the panorama behind invisible walls of glass on both sides. For the centrepiece, Reymond Langton Design commissioned Silverlining to make a stunning dining room table inspired by the owner’s love of astronomy. The “Cosmic Table” seats 14 guests. On the tabletop, cantilevered over a sculptural base made of steel-clad in composite, is an artistic representation of the cosmos. The planets are finished in a textured bronze, metallised resin while smaller satellites, made in black mother of pearl, orbit a planetary compass. Laser-cut metallised inlays chart their movements around the sky. Continuing the theme is the dining room chandelier, made by interior outfitter List. The light-up domes represent the planets on their path around the solar system.

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Tech billionaire’s $240 million superyacht the Artefact spotted in New Zealand

The superyacht Artefact, owned by Canadian tech entrepreneur Mike Lazaridis, spotted in the Bay of Islands late last year. Photo / RNZ, Peter De Graaf

A $240 million superyacht owned by a tech billionaire has been spotted cruising through the Bay of Islands.

Locals living around Doubtless Bay, north of Russell, posted photos on social media saying they’d spotted the 80-metre Artefact paying their “little bay a visit”.

The superyacht is owned by Canadian Mike Lazaridis, best known for creating the BlackBerry smartphone, and has been in NZ waters since last year.

Its stops have included a two-week stay in Ōpua, near Russell, over Christmas 2023, and then a cruise to the South Island where it was spotted in the Marlborough Sounds in January this year.

The yacht is captained by Northland resident Aaron Clark , a Kiwi who grew up in the Auckland suburb of Beachlands, RNZ reports.

Built in Germany in 2020 at an estimated cost of $240m, it was named Motor Yacht of the Year in 2021.

The custom-built boat is designed to carry 12 passengers and 22 crew and has a range of about 6000 nautical miles or 11,000km, Clark told RNZ.

The boat’s most distinctive feature from the outside is its shape and use of glass.

Its 223 pieces of glass weigh 75 tonnes and cover an area of 760sqm, RNZ reports.

The crew includes two chefs and a sous chef and there is a tai chi room that has high ceilings so those practicing can wield a sword above their heads.

The owner Lazaridis, 62, was born in Turkey to Greek parents, who moved to Canada when he was a child.

He has been described as the father of the modern smartphone.

At the age of 12 he won a prize for reading every science book in the library at Windsor, his hometown in Ontario, RNZ reports.

After founding BlackBerry he specialised in quantum computing and has donated large sums of money to theoretical physics research.

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ARTEFACT Yacht – Stunning $150M Superyacht

Built-in 2020 by Nobiskrug , ARTEFACT yacht is an incredibly unique and innovative yacht that has taken over the boating industry.

The technology used in this 80-meter-long yacht has created an environmentally conscious ship, earning it multiple awards including Motor Yacht of the year 2021. 

ARTEFACT yacht background

Although ARTEFACT was the creation of a family’s dream, the driving forces behind this groundbreaking technology were Mike Lazardis and Captain Clark.

This engineer and yacht captain worked together to combine their engineering knowledge and insight of the ocean.

They knew the ARTEFACT yacht needed to be something exceptional, while maintaining that home-like feel the family was seeking.

Specifications

The ARTEFACT yacht reaches a max speed of 17.5 knots with a range of over 6,000 nautical miles and is powered by 2 Caterpillar engines.

It is quite large and can hold about 12 guests and 24 crew members. 

ARTEFACT includes solar panels and a large battery storage system to prevent the constant use of internal combustion engines.

This allows the yacht to move quietly so as to not disturb marine life.

It also does not need to drop an anchor to hold position lessening any damage to the sea floor.

Even the water used on the ship does not go to waste – any wastewater is recycled and used later as technical water.

These may seem like simple changes, but they make a significant impact on lessening the environmental effects that most yachts can have. 

Designed by Gregory C. Marshall and Siamak Hariri, this spectacular structure features a futuristic look that is both gorgeous and functional.

With all of the glass used, the glass itself had to be specifically shaped in a way to minimize the transfer of vibrations and sounds that happen with glass. 

The open-space design allows passengers to get breathtaking ocean views at any spot on the ARTEFACT.

Not only will they see beautiful sunsets, but seeing more of the horizon actually helps with motion sickness.

An issue that some of the family members who own the ARTEFACT yacht ironically struggle from.

If you thought the ARTEFACT’s exterior was magnificent, wait until you see the inside!

Beautifully designed by the famous Reymond Langton , the interior has a spacious and home-like feel that makes you forget you are in the middle of the ocean.

When the ARTEFACT yacht interior was initially designed, the team built a full-sized model in an empty warehouse to physically plan out how everything would be placed.

They used construction wrap and pieces of wood to create the models of each room including the owner’s deck, the bridge, and even the special Tai Chi room. 

The ARTEFACT yacht has been sailing the waters since early 2020 when it left its home in Germany.

Its spectacular design and innovative use of technology have brought it much attention.

Many believe that its success will start a chain reaction in the yacht-building industry, creating more of a focus on environmental impact.

It will definitely be interesting to see how yachts will evolve and change with ARTEFACT as their inspiration.

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A Closer Look at the 262-Foot Superyacht “Artefact”

While the rest of the world panicked after the COVID-19 lockdown order, one family had the time of its life aboard its yacht. Mike Lazaridis, owner of Artefact, planned on spending three months on the boat every time he went cruising. Unfortunately, the pandemic changed that, and he ended up on a nine-month voyage on the 262-foot superyacht Artefact. It is currently the highest volume 80-meter superyacht worldwide at 2,990 gross tons so let’s take a closer look at it.

Environmentally-Friendly Focus

In 2018, Charter World published that Nobiskrug would unveil the name and design of its latest superyacht. The yacht was referred to as “Project 790” and was first unveiled at the Monaco Yacht Show in 2018. As per the article, the managing director of Nobiskrug revealed that the superyacht’s owner focused on having a vessel with as many environmentally friendly features as possible without compromising on the distinctive state-of-the-art hybrid aspect. Consequently, the yacht can recycle wastewater for use as technical water, courtesy of the advanced filtering systems. It also avoids the destruction of the coral reefs by making it possible to stay stable without dropping the anchor. It also utilizes solar energy through 248 square feet of solar panels, ensuring that it can operate without internal combustion engines for a limited time. Usually, the solar panels generate enough power to keep the lighting on at night. Once the panels are drained, the lithium batteries and variable speed generators kick in to provide more than enough power for optimal operation. Due to all these environmentally-friendly features, Artefact became among the first vessels to meet the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Tier III emissions regulations.

A Pacesetter Yacht

According to Boat International , Artefact started a trend. Nobiskrug sales and marketing director, Fadi Pataq, said that a client was impressed by the yacht’s use of frameless glass in the VIP cabin’s outer walls. For this reason, the client wanted more glass in his project. As other sources published, the amount of glass used on Artefact is a first in the world of yachting. While the finished product is breathtaking, the use of frameless glass still had its challenges, such as sound reflection, solar heat gain, weight, and optical properties. The yacht was constructed with sound absorption as a priority to address the sound reflection issue. Thus, there is a carpet in the owner’s suite that reduces noise levels to whispers. Solar heat gain is eliminated through two panels of bronze glass and a mirror layer that ensures unobstructed views while reducing the amount of heat.

The owner wanted the best seeing that it was his first and the last yacht; thus, there was no way he could leave anything to chance. Besides, for a person worth nearly a billion dollars, he did not want any cost spared at the expense of comfort, luxury, and most of all, conforming to his desire for an environmentally friendly yacht. As Captain Aaron Clark revealed, the owner did not want a boat that looked like everybody else’s; he was going for a future-proofed vessel. Nevertheless, not everything is a first with Artefact because Clark said he wanted a traditional aspect incorporated and reimagined to have an unprecedented experience. Some features include a Jacuzzi and plenty of deck space, enough to serve as a helipad and double up as a sunbathing area. According to Superyacht Times , it has four decks. The hull is made from steel, while the aluminum makes up the superstructure. Reymond Langton Design Ltd was in charge of the interior while the exterior designing was left to Gregory C. Marshall Naval Architect Ltd. The interior designer even boasted that it is one of the cleverest designs they have ever done.

Good Things Take Time

In March 2020, Artefact completed sea trials in the Baltic Sea, after which she was delivered to Lazaridis. Before the delivery, a lot of time had been spent in constructing it to meet the owner’s specifications. According to Yahoo , Clark and Lazaridis spent 18 months developing the ideal concept for Artefact. Once the multi-millionaire was satisfied, he signed the contract, and it took them another year to tank test and investigate stabilization systems. It took them an additional eight months to build the family deck to scale, a feat that cost $110,000, but money was no object. The move was essential because it enabled them to figure out how big they had to construct the boat to have enough space in all the rooms. After the deck construction was complete, the volume of the boat increased to 2,900 gross tons from 500 gross tons. Clark visited seven shipyards with the concept and settled on Nobiskrug because it had the design and pedigree required. While the amount of time spent building the deck and tank testing may seem a bit too much, you would be surprised that the owner started toying with the idea to construct Artefact in 2013.

Lazaridis had chartered yachts before and taken his family on cruises, but by 2013, he wanted his own. The idea crept into his mind after he admired pictures of yachts on a Boat International magazine, left by his friend on a coffee table. He, however, wanted his entire family to be part of the process because Artefact was theirs to enjoy. At first, some family members resisted because they suffer from motion sickness, but eventually, everyone was onboard. Lazaridis collaborated with Clark to research the latest design and technologies to make the family comfortable and ensure that the motion sickness concern was eliminated. After going to trade and equipment shows and seeing many yachts, they settled on what would become Artefact’s concept. Clark said that due to the extensive planning, the building process only changed 1.1%, which is quite admirable considering that most yacht constructions have 30% adjustments. Eventually, the cost of the yacht was $150 million and Lazaridis spends at least $10 million in annual running costs.

Lily Wordsmith is a freelance writer who has had a love affair with the written word for decades. You can find her writing blog posts and articles while sitting under a tree at the local park watching her kids play, or typing away on her tablet in line at the DMV. In addition to her freelance career, she is pursuing ebook writing with an ever-growing repertoire of witty ebooks to her name. Her diversity is boundless, and she has written about everything from astrobotany to zookeepers. Her real passions are her family, baking desserts and all things luxe.

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Artefact: The Eco Superyacht that Changed the Game

Artefact is notable for a number of reasons, not the least of which is her advanced hybrid technology.

By Ellie Brade

Last year saw a dazzling array of brand-new superyachts hit the water for the first time, and one of the most head-turning was the 262-ft Artefact , built in Germany by Nobiskrug and designed by Gregory C Marshall with an interior by Reymond Langton Design. Artefact is notable for a number of reasons, not the least of which is her advanced hybrid technology, striking exterior design and the fact that she is the biggest-volume yacht of her size in the world.

The owner’s brief was to create a yacht that blended environmental responsibility, innovative features and high comfort levels, and the design team more than delivered. The Artefact build team pushed the boundaries of yacht design, and rightly describe her as a ‘game changer.’

[See also: How the Spectacular Superyacht Scout is Making Waves]

Key features include the combined use of solar panels and a battery storage system that ensure the yacht can operate with no engines for windows of time. A diesel-electric Azipod propulsion system can hold Artefact’s position without needing to drop anchor — protecting sensitive ocean floors.

The clever use of glass has helped create a truly unique profile, with radically mismatched windows. With the highest glass ratio of any yacht of her size, a floor-to-ceiling central glass section has 7,965 sq ft of curved glasswork that weighs an incredible 60 tons!

A wide variety of guest spaces span her many decks, with numerous alfresco dining areas, a Jacuzzi, impressive storage capacity for tenders and toys, and a refined interior with high ceilings. Designed to maximize the long-term on-board comfort of her guests, Artefact’s many assets include a full cinema, beauty salon and gym.

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For more information and images, visit: nobiskrug.com

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Meet Artefact Captain Aaron T. Clark

Written By: Rachel Ingram

Delve into the life and work of the music-loving New Zealander who has built and run three beautiful yachts - Spirit, Four Wishes, and now, Artefact.

“I like to stand here with my sax and play blues as we’re cruising along,” says Captain Aaron T. Clark as Rebel Rebel by David Bowie blares from speakers on the bridge of 80m superyacht Artefact. “Looking out into the ocean, with dolphins jumping alongside – I’ll never take that for granted. I really understand the privilege of what I do.”

Clark has been a captain in the commercial sector since he was 18, inspired by his father who was also a captain. During his 25 year career in yachting he’s worked on three vessels – charter yachts  Spirit and   Four Wishes , and now, Artefact , privately owned by a global tech mogul. Unlike many of his peers, who move between vessels every few months or years, Clark prefers to stay in one place: “I’m not jumping around the place. I like to perfect what I do. I have a 10 year contract here – I'm seven years into it and I just extended it another two.”

One of the reasons for his lengthy contracts is that as well as captaining the yachts he works on, Clark collaborates with the owners to build them from the ground-up. “All three boats I’ve built and operated, and all three boats have been for owners who’ve never owned boats before. Two of them have been engineers,” he says.

©Francisco Martinez

This gives the New Zealander a sense of physical responsibility. It’s also of great benefit to the owners. After all, who knows a yacht and its needs better than its captain? There are costs to be saved, too. In the planning stage, Clark worked with the design and architecture teams to meticulously plan everything – from the arrangement of cabinets in the galley to the operational flow of the crew throughout the yacht. In the end, the build, which was seven years in development, came in just 1.2% over budget: “I’ve heard of boats being 120% over,” he says. “People are impatient, but good things take time.”

For Clark, building a yacht from scratch comes with another major bonus. Just look at the captain’s cabin, which comes complete with a double bed, wraparound windows, a private terrace and, of course, a space for his saxophone. “I told the owner, ‘if you ever want to sell this boat, all you’ve got to do is send the captain to look at the cabin. Don’t worry about sending the owner!’ he jokes. Clark’s wife Alyssa also works on board as Chief Stewardess, assisting him in the daily running of the vessel.

During his career, Clark has been lucky enough to sail to some of the best places on the globe, but for him, the highlight of his job can’t be defined by one element. “It’s all interconnected – the maintenance, the planning and the guest satisfaction,” he says. “The guest and the crew satisfaction are really important to me because you can’t have one without the other. You have to have a synergy and select the right people to be with the right people. I think what I do is really simple, but a lot of people say it’s quite complex.”

A testament to his success, Clark won Charter Captain of the Year three times at the Monaco Yacht Show. “No-one’s ever won it twice – I’ve won it three times,” he says. “People used to come to me and ask what I do differently, but I said, ‘it’s not what I’m doing, it’s what you’re not doing.’”

“To me, it’s simple. You have to be selfless, not selfish – that’s one thing that a lot of people don’t get the concept of. A lot of captains don’t realise you’re a servant. The skills of driving and doing all that stuff should just come – when you hop on an aeroplane, you expect that that pilot can fly.”

For Clark, the magic comes from creating unforgettable experiences that go above and beyond expectations. “The trick is trying to create your own world to escape to when you step on board these yachts,” he says. “When we went to Capri, there were 30 yachts sitting in one place and I took the boat to a sheltered bay with a bit of privacy. My boss asked, ‘what are you doing over here?’ and I’m said, ‘well, if you want to go to an RV park, we can go over there’.”

“When I said ‘let’s have lunch in one of my favourite places’, they thought we were going to a restaurant ashore, but I took them around the western side where there’s a deep bay. We drove in, pressed DP (dynamic positioning) and had lunch there, 50 metres off the breathtaking cliffs.  As lunch went by, we did the rotating restaurant thing, moving so the sun didn’t hit the table. Using DP is an experience like you wouldn’t believe. Food tastes better, wine tastes better, everyone else becomes more beautiful and the world becomes a better place!”

When picking yachts to work on, it’s more about the owner than the yacht, Clark says. “I’ve always believed it’s who I work for, not where.  It’s important that my boss be someone with a high level of integrity.”  

With Artefact, he was lucky as the owner shared Clark’s aspiration to build a trend-setting vessel. “He's an engineer and a very innovative man – everyone still enjoys the inventions he has created,” says Clark. “He wanted to do something that was different. He didn't want a boat that looked the same as everybody else’s. He didn't want a typically-engineered boat . He wanted a boat that was going to last for quite some time. So, we wanted a future-proof boat, putting technology in there that was advanced.”

The result was a hybrid diesel-electric yacht which has won awards for her technological prowess and bold design. Built by  Nobiskrug  with exterior design by  Gregory C. Marshall Naval Architects , Artefact, at 2,999 gross tons, is the highest volume 80 metre yacht on the water. Instantly recognisable by her bold, geometric glass windows, she also features an incredible 750sqm of glass.

Clark’s favourite element of the yacht is its DP (dynamic positioning) capabilities. “It’s amazing,” he says. “We could be sitting here and the sun shines in, so we turn the boat. Then, I stop the boat so that when the owner wakes up in the morning, he's got the most stunning view from his bathroom. And then when he goes to his office, I turn the boat again. When his wife gets up, I turn the boat around, and again when they have breakfast. I change the view all the time to enhance the guests’ experience throughout the whole journey.”

The yacht has a lot of power and torque, which makes it fun to drive and fit into small spaces, despite her size, he says. “The difference between this boat and a conventionally-driven boat is the latter performs like a fixed wing aeroplane. This is like a helicopter to drive, so you can do some real cool stuff with it. It really moves and spins. You’ve got two two metre propellers capable of turning to any angle within 360° and they just push the boat around to any position desired. It’s like a tail that wags a dog.”

It’s also surprisingly quiet. “You can’t hear it at all,” Clark says. “Often, the owner asks when we’re going to leave, when our departure had already been 20 minutes ago. It’s a different way to drive because there’s no feeling, so you’ve got to be really attentive. It helps if you’ve sailed – I sailed a lot when I was younger.”

His passions extend beyond sailing, however. As well as music, he takes a keen interest in astronomy.  “I can tell you when full moons are. I can tell you what angle it is at Stromboli, and what time and day it’s better to go there – for instance, not on full moon but the day after that. I’ll plan a journey to follow the moon all the way until it rises over the volcano. If you’ve got an imagination, little things like that can make the experience phenomenal.”

Image credits: ©Francisco Martinez

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80 m / 262 ft

143 m / 468 ft

73 m / 239 ft

73.5 m / 241 ft

68 m / 223 ft

60 m / 196 ft

67 m / 219 ft

92.5 m / 303 ft

Beam: 16.82 m

Draft: 4.2 m

Interior Designer: Reymond Langton Design

Exterior Designer: Gregory C. Marshall

Hull: Steel

Superstructure: Steel & composite

Max. speed: 17.8 knots

Cruising speed: 15 knots

Regulations: IMO Tier III

Project number

"ARTEFACT – a perfect marriage of art and science"

An artefact is a man-made object or effect of enduring significance in a natural system. In designing and building ARTEFACT, the goal was to prove that beautiful man-made objects can complement and celebrate the natural environment with minimal impact – and set new standards for engineering-driven stewardship while enhancing passenger comfort and experience.

one of the world’s first superyachts to meet IMO Tier III emissions regulations

solar panels and a large battery storage system that allows the vessel to operate for a limited time with no use of internal combustion engines

innovative DC-bus diesel-electric Azipod propulsion system developed by ABB combined with dynamic positioning that can hold position without dropping anchor to protect sensitive sea floor – custom six-bladed propellers minimize noise and vibration while maximizing performance and efficiency

wastewater recycling system for re-use as technical water

unprecedented floor-to-ceiling glass central section complimenting 740 square meters of curved and expressive glasswork weighing almost 60 tons

at 2.999 GT, Artefact is now the biggest-volume 80-meter superyacht in the world

MOTORYACHT OF THE YEAR 2021: ARTEFACT

"This award is emphatically a holistic one, considering every element of the yacht from appearance to build quality and technology." – Boat International

ARTEFACT is not only a new build...

...but a platform for innovation. An engineer and accomplished entrepreneur, the owner wanted to minimize emissions and the impact to the environment while furthering the state of the art through the use of cutting-edge technologies that can be deployed across all classes of vessels to promote cleaner seas and dramatically improved fuel efficiency. Intended to spearhead the future direction of yachting, ARTEFACT showcases innovative power generation technologies, digital power management, azimuthing pods with dynamic positioning and full digital automation in an aesthetically striking design that frames its environment.

ARTEFACT IN THE CARIBBEAN

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ARTEFACT: The perfect marriage of art and science through ground-breaking architectural design and innovative engineering.

ARTEFACT - Triple Winner of The Design & Innovation Awards 2021

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This New 262-Foot Hybrid Superyacht Can Run in Total Silence

The five-deck vessel packed with green-centric designs that promise silence and stability..

Danielle Cutler

Danielle Cutler's Most Recent Stories

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As of press time, the environmentally sensitive 262-foot superyacht Artefact was undergoing sea trials before its scheduled, much-anticipated end-of-summer delivery. Silent operation and maximum stability are the goals for the vessel from German shipyard Nobiskrug , which unveiled the concept at last year’s Monaco Yacht Show. The yacht’s steel hull and composite superstructure, designed by Gregory C. Marshall, are noteworthy because of the 248 feet of sundeck-mounted solar panels and large battery storage system, both of which allow Artefact to operate silently for short bursts without any combustion engines. Its DC-bus diesel-electric variable-speed Azipod-propulsion and dynamic-positioning systems are almost equally noteworthy, eliminating the need to drop anchor onto the fragile seafloor. They also ensure efficiency and lower emissions. Custom six-bladed propellers minimize noise and vibration while maximizing performance, and a wastewater-recycling system filters and refreshes water for use in the technical systems. All of these green-centric designs have enabled the five-deck vessel to pass the International Maritime Organization’s Tier III emissions regulations, one of the first superyachts to do so.

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Besides its friend-of-the-environment attributes, Artefact also caries 7,965 square feet of curved glasswork, which weighs close to 60 tons—not an unimpressive feat when one considers that most yacht designers strive to save weight wherever possible, using quarter-inch veneers of marble and fine wood over lighter materials to keep the vessel afloat. The lightweight composite superstructure makes the heft of the glass possible. And you can imagine the views, not to mention all that light, those on board will experience.

Francisco Martinez

“Privacy is paramount,” says Marshall of this particular project, “but so is the ability to enjoy one’s surroundings. The windows are exceptionally large, but they aren’t just picture boxes directing your view. You don’t just look out—you look forward, aft, up and down. And yet you can’t see from one space into another.”

Bucking tradition, the master suite occupies the aft deck instead of the forward main deck. In total, Artefact houses eight staterooms and 12 crew cabins. All guest social areas are located in low-acceleration zones for more serene cruising. The aim of this vessel is smooth-riding comfort, and the yacht’s hull has undergone extensive testing to make sure this is so.

Check out more images of Artefact below:

Danielle Cutler started covering yachts, marinas, and the yachting industry in 2005. Besides writing and editing yacht content for Robb Report, Danielle has worked for Yachts International and the…

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Nobiskrug launches 80m superyacht ARTEFACT

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By Katia Damborsky   8 July 2019

The 80m/262ft superyacht ARTEFACT was launched by Nobiskrug in Northern Germany this morning, and is set to make her world debut at the 2019 Monaco Yacht Show .

Previously known as ‘Project 760’, ARTEFACT hit the waters for the first time this morning. 

The launch has been hotly anticipated, following the first stages of development in November 2016 and two and a half years of research and development by Nobiskrug prior to that.

The motor yacht is set to be on display at the Monaco Yacht Show 2019, where she will be making her world premiere. 

View this post on Instagram Changing the formula Known for pushing the boundaries and for not being a mass builder, @nobiskrugsuperyachts enters a new era in superyacht construction by building luxury yachts now that will last for generations to come. Every #superyacht built under NOBISKRUG brand embodies the unique vision of the owner combined with innovative ideas and advanced technology. 80m hybrid motor yacht Artefact launched #masterpiece #superyacht #artefact #design #vip #vvip #monaco #dubai #frenchriviera #yachtlifestyle #helicopter #nobiskrug #milionaire #billionaire #goals #gigayacht #amazing #yachtlife #stunning #yacht #boat #reymondlangtondesign #germany @reymond_langton_design #bespokeyachtconsultancy #travel #helipad #behnemar @superyachttimes A post shared by BEHNEMAR (@behnemaryachting) on Jul 8, 2019 at 1:09am PDT

The yacht’s distinctive exterior is the work of Gregory C. Marshall, while Reymond Langton Design has headed up the interior. 

This innovative look reflects a visionary owner, who wanted to ensure his yacht met specific criteria. These include environmental responsibility, technological innovation and luxury living for those on board.

Upon delivery, the 2,990 GT Artefact is set to become the highest-volume 80-metre superyacht on the water.

The owner wanted to ensure his yacht met specific criteria, including environmental responsibility and technological innovation.

As can be seen in photos, model images and renderings, Artefact boasts an excess of state-of-the-art glazing. Around 58 tonnes of glass has been used in total, and she is believed to have the highest ratio of glass to LOA for any yacht of her size class.

“We’re not afraid of pushing the envelope, but perhaps the biggest challenge with Artefact was that she’s a very high volume yacht with a fibreglass superstructure and tremendous amount of heavy glass,” Nobiskrug’s Managing Director, Holger Kahl, has said in the past. 

To achieve the cutting-edge exterior look that the owner desired, the yacht’s superstructure is made out of GRP instead of the more traditional aluminum. The choice was made to offset the added weight from the glass. 

ARTEFACT has a sophisticated hybrid propulsion system which makes her up to 30% more efficient in the water when compared to conventional diesel propulsion yachts in her size range. 

She was built to be compliant with the latest IMO Tier III NOx regulations, with a propulsion system which relies on generators and Lithium-ion batteries.

The hybrid system reduces sound, vibration, fuel burn and emissions and offers dynamic positioning capabilities. Dynamic positioning means a yacht can hold its position without dropping anchor, thus protecting the sea floor. 

In addition, ARTEFACT is provided with 6kW of auxiliary power, thanks to 23 square metres of solar panels on the sundeck.

“The set up allows us to run the yacht in a state of optimal efficiency and minimal wear and tear on the generators,” explains the yacht’s captain and owner’s representative, Aaron T. Clark. “Basically, we’re always conserving or redirecting energy, that’s the real advantage.”

While little is known about the interiors of the yacht, the layout departs from convention in pursuit of maximum stability and silent operations. The master stateroom is situated aft rather than forward, and all guest entertainment areas are located in low acceleration zones.

Captain Aaron T Clark added: “ARTEFACT is a unique vessel that marries cutting-edge engineering and striking architectural design to embody a tribute to the nuances of human experience which are often overlooked or ignored.

“Many traditional aspects of a superyacht GA’s have been challenged and reimagined in this design to create an unprecedented experience while minimizing the impact on fragile marine ecosystems.”

It is not known whether luxury yacht ARTEFACT will be available for private yacht charters .

You can view and compare all Nobiskrug charter yachts .

Stand-out Nobiskrug yachts for charter:

68m Nobiskrug 2010 / 2024

74m Nobiskrug 2008 / 2013

92m Nobiskrug 2000 / 2023

68m Nobiskrug 2006 / 2022

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A billionaire NFL owner's superyacht is now available for charter. It'll cost you.

• NFL owner Shahid Khan's superyacht Kismet is available for charter at $3 million a week.
• Kismet, which will debut at the Monaco Yacht Show, features luxury amenities and can host 12 guests.
• Added costs for provisions, gratuities, and taxes can raise the weekly charter cost to $5.4 million.

Want to vacation like a billionaire? You can — for $3 million a week.

The superyacht belonging to Shahid Khan, the owner of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars who is worth $13.3 billion, according to Forbes, is officially available for charter.

Kismet, Khan's new yacht, will make her debut at the Monaco Yacht Show later this month.

The 122-meter yacht can accommodate up to 12 guests — and a crew of 36 available to serve them — and, like any superyacht worth its weight, has some special amenities .

A "Balinese-inspired" spa features a hammam, sauna, and cryotherapy chamber, as well as a massage table and chromotherapy bathtub offering some sort of color-related treatment. For more active wellness, there's a gym, basketball court, and pickleball court.

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There are three pools — two are jacuzzis — spread over six decks, four outdoor showers, four bars, four fireplaces, two fire pits, and one helipad. For your viewing pleasure, there is an outdoor cinema, and for your listening pleasure, a DJ booth and grand piano.

And because billionaires love to play, there is a suite of water toys aboard, including Jet Skis, SeaBobs, e-foils, and WaveRunners.

Khan is a committed superyacht owner. His previous superyacht, also named Kismet, was purchased by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt last year. While its final sales price was not disclosed, it was listed for about $160 million. Renamed Whisper, the yacht was built by the same German shipyard as the new Kismet, Lürssen, and measured 95 meters.

"The yacht has exceeded all expectations of the client for whom we have built his third yacht in total," Peter Lürssen, a managing partner at Lürssen, said in a statement about the newest Kismet.

Kismet is the largest yacht on display at the Monaco Yacht Show, which will feature 120 superyachts . Renaissance, the second largest at 112 meters, charters for the same weekly price of $3 million.

While the nine-figure sales prices of these yachts make their seven-figure charter rates seem like a bargain, renting out a superyacht is not for the faint of wallet. In addition to the charter fee, there are costs associated with provisions which can come to as much as 40% of the fee; gratuities, as much as 20% of the fee; and taxes, also as much as 20%. That means a week aboard the Kismet can actually cost as much as $5.4 million.

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Exiled russian oligarch’s 257’ superyacht amaryllis seen towed through palm beach.

The Amaryllis being towed past the former mansion of Henry Flagler, built in 1902

By John Jannarone and Alan Hatfield

The 257’ superyacht Amaryllis apparently owned by exiled Russian oligarch Andrey Borodin was towed past Palm Beach, FL on Friday morning, according to a visual account by CorpGov .

The yacht, whose owner is frequently cited as Mr. Borodin by enthusiast publications, moved slowly through the Lake Worth lagoon where bridges were raised for its passage. A towboat with flashing lights about 150 feet ahead pulled the Amaryllis , built by German shipyard Abeking & Rasmussen in 2011.

While CorpGov could not officially confirm Mr. Borodin as the owner of the vessel, his wife, socialite Tatiana Korsakova, has posted dozens of Instagram photos and videos aboard the Amaryllis. A yacht broker interviewed by CorpGov confirmed that Ms. Korsakova is indeed aboard the Amaryllis in the photos and videos.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tatiana Korsakova (@tati_vk)

The sighting comes as billions of dollars in Russian-owned yachts have been seized around the world as a result of international sanctions. CNN has published an extensive list of seized vessels, which were taken in harbor cities including Mallorca, Spain and London.

However, it is unclear if the Amaryllis was being seized or voluntarily towed. Very large yachts often choose to be towed because bridges are required to raise for them, according to the yacht broker.

The former Bank of Moscow chief was granted political asylum in the UK in February 2013 after fleeing what he alleged to be politically-motivated fraud and embezzlement charges. Mr. Borodin would go on to be tried and convicted in abstentia in Russian Court in 2018, but not before managing to enlist a number of prominent American lawmakers to lobby Washington for a U.S. visa. Despite Russian extradition requests to the UK government, Borodin’s controversial attempts to make large donations to the NHS, and the uncovering of an assassination plot against his life, the fugitive banker remains overseas, having been granted access to his Swiss bank accounts and having made several notable London real estate purchases during his time in exile.

Mr. Borodin is widely listed as a billionaire, but his total wealth remains difficult to confirm accurately, with the governments of Switzerland and the Bahamas having been asked to help the Russian government in its legal case. In 2012, Borodin purchased the UK’s then-most expensive home, an 80-hectare 18th-century estate in Oxfordshire, for upwards of $217 million. In 2017 he was granted access to personal Swiss accounts holding a reported $378 million. The Amaryllis was purchased for a reported $120 million.

Mr. Borodin did not immediately respond to an emailed query from CorpGov , while the FBI declined to comment. An emailed query to The Department of Homeland Security was not returned.

www.CorpGov.com

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Twitter: CorpGovernor