36.4m "Lars" Designed by Felix Buytendijk is Launched

On a bitterly cold day last week the 36.4m Lars was launched at the Neptune Shipyards in Holland, where the shipyard have converted her into a luxury expedition yacht with the help of Felix Buytendijk Yacht Design who took the job of the interior and exterior design . She started life in 1995 as an ice classed sea going tug built by the Dutch shipyard Made but was never completed. The shipyard and designers great teamwork along with the owners ambition have given this rugged tug "lars" a new lease of life to begin a lifetime of exploration and adventure.

She will be delivered to her owners in March 2012 and leave for her maiden voyage to Spitsbergen an island in the Svalbard archipelago in Norway in April 2012. She will remain in Northern waters afterwards and will be available for charter.

The major changes that she encountered during her conversion was the addition of a swimming platform aft and a re-designed superstructure that incorporates a sun deck. She will be able to accommodate 8 guests in the owners master suite and three guest cabins, and she will be managed by a crew of 5. She will have a speed of 13kts and a range of 6420nm at 10kts.