Marine

Ida Pfeiffer ice-class yacht is built for chilly adventures

Ida Pfeiffer ice-class yacht is built for chilly adventures
Ida Pfeiffer is an ice-class vessel
Ida Pfeiffer is an ice-class vessel
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Ida Pfeiffer is an ice-class vessel
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Ida Pfeiffer is an ice-class vessel
Ida Pfeiffer profile plan
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Ida Pfeiffer profile plan
Ida Pfeiffer displaces over 1,500 tonnes
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Ida Pfeiffer displaces over 1,500 tonnes
Ida Pfeiffer profile
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Ida Pfeiffer profile
Ida Pfeiffer in San Francisco
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Ida Pfeiffer in San Francisco
Ida Pfeiffer upper decks
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Ida Pfeiffer upper decks
Ida Pfeiffer main decks
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Ida Pfeiffer main decks
Ida Pfeiffer has a helicopter deck
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Ida Pfeiffer has a helicopter deck
Ida Pfeiffer lower decks
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Ida Pfeiffer lower decks
Ida Pfeiffer is designed for Arctic cruising
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Ida Pfeiffer is designed for Arctic cruising
Ida Pfeiffer showing stern crane
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Ida Pfeiffer showing stern crane
Ida Pfeiffer stern view
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Ida Pfeiffer stern view
Ida Pfeiffer has a submarine tender
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Ida Pfeiffer has a submarine tender
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If you want to take a holiday cruising the Arctic, but prefer to do so in private five-star style, then the Ida Pfeiffer might be the yacht for you. Developed by Globe Regal Yachting in conjunction with Gill Schmid Designs of New York and Dörries Yachts of Bremerhaven, the 1,500-tonne (1,653-ton), diesel-electric luxury cruiser is designed to carry 14 guests and 15 crew into the coldest waters on Earth ... along with a small armada of tenders, rescue boats, sailboats, and even a helicopter and a Triton submarine.

There was a time when heading into the polar waters of the Arctic or Antarctic was an exercise in high adventure, carried out in specially hardened vessels by people willing to risk being trapped in the thickening ice and even being stranded as they watched the hull of their ships being slowly crushed. Though both regions remain dangerous places that demand respect, modern engineering and a better understanding of ice conditions have opened the way to not only adventure tourism, but even private luxury cruising in areas once visited only by the brave or the foolhardy.

At 70 m (230 ft) long, the yet-to-be-built Ida Pfeiffer has a range of 7,000 mi (11,200 km). Though she has a beam of 12.75 m (41.83 ft), she only draws 3.75 m (12.3 ft) – allowing her to operate in relatively shallow waters. The hull is of steel with a blunt bow for better ice-handling, and the aluminum superstructure boasts a helipad with a telescoping hangar to protect the aircraft in inclement weather. Cruising speed has not been disclosed.

Ida Pfeiffer has a helicopter deck
Ida Pfeiffer has a helicopter deck

As to the interior, the Ida Pfeiffer, which is named after the famous 19th century Austrian travel writer, has seven guest cabins, an owner's suite, captain's suite, crew quarters, several lounges, an upper deck Jacuzzi, and room for any number of auxiliary vehicles, including a Triton submarine and two motor cars. To handle all of these, there is a side-launching garage and a large A-frame crane dominating the stern. There are even provisions for separate guest and crew ladders for going between decks.

With all these amenities, it isn't surprising that the Ida Pfeiffer falls into the if-you-have-to-ask-you-can't-afford-it category. The price is available on application.

Source: Global Regal

View gallery - 13 images
5 comments
5 comments
christopher
Glaring lack of mention about icebreaking capabilities.
aki009
It's good to be unpoor...
ljaques
Wow, I really, really need to find a sugar mama...
Douglas Bennett Rogers
This will quickly be obsolete. A slew of truckable nuclear reactors is coming online.
Nelson Hyde Chick
Another toy for the wealthy as the rest of humanity is left to rot.