The fascinating story behind the Chilean-built Patagonia Explorer 80, Cachalote

“I had originally intended on building a wooden boat just as the Chonos used to do, but my hope for world cruising, including Antarctica, dictated the need for an ice-breaking hull and for that you need to build in steel,” she says. It was a trade-off that she was happy to make if she could keep a traditional aesthetic.

To build her explorer, Cachalote (which means sperm whale in Spanish), she scoured southern Chile in search of a boatbuilder that could realise her vision, eventually arriving at the door of Navik Patagonia, a small shipyard located on the island of Chiloé, the gateway to Patagonia.

Vicente Zegers established the shipyard in 2000 with his business partner and wife, Natalia Assler, building on their complementary experience and education. Zegers is a keen sailor and industrial designer with vast experience in yacht building and systems. Assler, also an industrial designer who studied furniture design in Finland, brought her experience in interior design. They hired and trained a small workforce and began building wooden motorsailers up to 22 metres, as well as carrying out refit work. As the yard grew, so did their ambition. They wanted to build a robust explorer ideally suited to navigate the technical waters around Chile. “We studied the Patagonian seas, gulfs, types of waves, the currents and tides. We also studied the characteristics of the fjords, and the way to anchor in these fjords,” Zegers says. From these extensive studies, they determined how much autonomy a yacht needs in these remote areas and came up with the concept and technical specifications.

“There were a couple of boats that had caught my eye for their long-range capabilities and explorer features – (French boat builder) JFA’s 27.5-metre motorsailer Hortense and the Vripack- designed Ned 70,” says Zegers. “I liked the sharp bow of the Ned 70, the overall shape of the boat, as well as its fuel economy and the fact it can be beached.”

The archipelago of Chiloé in Patagonia, where the shipyard is located, experiences seven-metre tides and the ability to beach was an important requisite. Zegers, who also appreciated Vripack’s explorer heritage and naval architecture expertise, reached out to them to design a new explorer.

“Even though it was more complex, I wanted to build something that imbues my country’s architecture and spirit and is built in the traditional way of the Chonos”

When Cortés Solari came knocking, Navik Patagonia presented her with the early blueprint of the Patagonia Explorer 80, which they designed with the Dutch design and naval architecture firm. Impressed by the design and their appetite to work with local artisans, she signed on to build the first hull.

“Finding Navik was the perfect moment,” she says. “They shared my vision and approached the build as though it was their own passion project, so I knew they would invest energy and time to bring it to life.”

“The boat has a lot of capacity for storage and additional amenities; it’s just not always on show,” says Assler. “That was an important mandate from the owner.”

The open-plan interior enjoys large sliding glass doors that, when open, allow a cool sea breeze during the hot summer months, yet they can be closed quickly to add a layer of protection when the weather turns bad.

From a sustainability standpoint, the boat’s ability to travel under sail guarantees a low fuel consumption, while Sunbeam solar panels on the roof support the hotel load. Flexiteek decking runs throughout the exterior, capable of withstanding Patagonia’s cold, wet winters and scorching hot summers. Most significantly for Cortés Solari, who has dedicated 12 years to researching the negative effects maritime traffic has on whales, vibrations and noise levels are kept to a minimum, helped by the boat’s quiet DMS stabilisation system.

“Whales are one of the main species under threat in Patagonia, largely affected by noise pollution from marine traffic and the toxic anti-fouling coatings used on boats,” she says. “But the biggest danger is the number of collisions that occur between whales and vessels in coastal waters. I wanted to build a boat that could incorporate new technology to help mitigate that.”

Despite her best efforts working alongside scientists from Boston University, the necessary technology does not yet exist, but their research was not in vain. It served as inspiration for The Blue BOAT Initiative (Buoy Oceanographic Alert Technology), a complex early whale warning system for vessels that includes a network of smart buoys and a passive acoustic and oceanographic monitoring system. Sponsored by the Chilean government and implemented by the MERI Foundation, which Cortés Solari founded in 2012, the first buoy went into action in 2023.

“The original plan was to make the boat available for scientific use,” says Zegers. “But when we discussed the necessary allocation of space with the team of scientists, they took one look at the layout and said, ‘We need all this space. If you want to make it work as a research boat, you need to sacrifice all your personal preferences.’ It became too much of a compromise, satisfying neither party.”

Undeterred, Cortés Solari persevered with what she refers to as “an expensive prototype for the series of research boats I hope to build in the future,” and specified a simple design brief: a comfortable, stable explorer capable of cruising remote regions with minimal impact on the oceans. The result is a boat that pairs a relatively high flared bow with a mizzen mast, made-to-order rigging by Bar Sails and sailing characteristics that are optimised for following and quartering winds.

Regarding the Patagonia Explorer 80 herself, “You have to regard her as a motorboat, because hydrodynamically it makes no sense otherwise, but it means she isn’t fully optimised for sailing high to the wind,” explains Hoekstra. “[However,] she’s incredibly good at seakeeping when running on engines with a virtually unlimited range. When sailing, you follow the wind and there’s practically no rolling or heeling. A quick twist on the angle of the propellers sees her reach up to 14 knots.”

The build was carried out by Navik Patagonia’s Chilean workforce, supported by a host of international suppliers and partners to bring the best in yachting techniques, including a fully engineered build package supplied by Vripack.

“It was impossible to source anything from Chile, so all materials had to be shipped in and built on site,” says Zegers. “It means we now have the in-house capacity for bigger builds and a skilled artisanal workforce.”

The interior aesthetic by Assler takes on a Scandinavian chic vibe, with bare woods sourced from sustainably managed forests and natural fabrics by Sunbrella. The master suite features hand-woven tapestries and loose furniture sourced from Belgium, while the joinery and carpentry were undertaken by Navik.

“The owner wanted traceability and provenance for all the materials, down to every steel plate,” says Assler, who finessed the interior styling. “The wood, which is mostly European oak, is coated with a water-based finish to make it stain-resistant while retaining its natural colour – it’s very typical of Patagonia.”

The boat’s maiden voyage saw it cruise around Chiloé Island in the Gulf of Corcovado in north Patagonia. Frustratingly for Cortés Solari, a horse-riding accident prevented her from joining. On the second trip, she was ready to put Cachalote to the test in northern Patagonia’s icefields.

“I wanted to see the boat navigate the fjords and ice floes that it was built to withstand,” she says. “It’s a dangerous place to sail, because it’s really narrow in places and largely uncharted, but we crossed the Gulf of Corcovado without encountering any problems.” Since then, the boat has cruised around southern Chile three times with Cortés Solari at the helm. In terms of prototypes, Cachalote is a true success. “Chile has developed into one of the strongest economies in Latin America and yet southern Chile still flies under the radar for travellers seeking adventure and exploration,” she says. “My hope is that by building Cachalote we can fly the flag for Chile’s shipbuilding expertise and reinvigorate our seafaring traditions.”

First published in the September 2023 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.