In November 2016, Charisma arrived at the Balk premises in Urk after her new owners granted the Dutch shipyard the refit project. As soon as she was in the refit facility, the owners decided to change her name to Explora. How appropriate that they now plan to explore the oceans with her.

Explora is a 46.3-meter custom built by Feadship in 1985 at the Royal van Lent yard. Her interior is by Leonard Melse, Donald Starkey and Andrew Sheinman and her exterior styling is by De Voogt Naval Architects.

Explora’s refit can be framed as a more technical and exterior refit than an interior one. She got a full paint job and morphed from an already elegant white yacht into an even more elegant and sophisticated yacht with her hull in Flag Blue and a white stripe of Fleet White on the top of the bow (right under the caprails). One of the guest cabins was also reconfigured as a massage room.

It was determined during the refit that Explora’s foredeck and a few other areas needed some steel reinforcement. In addition, her caprails were stripped and re-varnished, and new teak decking was installed. The wheelhouse received a major interior and technical refit. All electrical systems were updated and a new bow thruster was installed.

Explora was officially relaunched in June, with delivery following commissioning and extensive sea trials.