Fox: Inside the 35m Pendennis explorer built for limitless adventure

What a revelation it is to see the vision fully realised when the 35-metre explorer yacht Fox made her debut a few years later. Bathed in the warm glow of the Côte d’Azur’s late afternoon sun and adorned with movable lounge chairs and a selection of water toys, the deck, and the yacht itself, have really come into their own.

“A standout feature on Fox is definitely the 103.5-square-metre main aft deck, which wouldn’t be out of place on a much larger vessel,” says Stephen Hills, group commercial director at Pendennis.

Fox currently carries a 5.5-metre Zodiac Pro RIB, but she’s capable of stowing two 7.5-metre tenders, a submarine, amphibious vehicle, science labs or even an Icon A5 sport aircraft, launched by two 2.3-tonne Hydromar telescopic deck cranes.

With a high bow, transatlantic range and plentiful storage for equipment and provisions, Fox embodies the spirit of exploration. It’s fitting that she’s named after one of Falmouth’s most famous residents, Robert Were Fox “the younger”, the 19th-century inventor of a compass that measured magnetic dips at sea in high latitudes, a compass used in the expedition that discovered the South Pole.

Fox’s owner has a history of having smaller boats and chartering in the Mediterranean, Bahamas and South East Asia. He knew from experience that not all yachts were suitable for fully fledged exploration, and adventure, space and versatility were key requests in his brief to the designers for his first new-build project.

“The client wanted this boat to be the facilitator of great adventures, with a relaxed family feel to it, and it should maximise the opportunity for fun and hosting opportunities,” says James Ratcliffe, technical director at Q London.

“It was also important that we considered the chartering possibilities, and ensured it also functioned perfectly for both colder and warmer climates.”

Q London was launched in January 2019 by James Ratcliffe, Nicki Ratcliffe (creative director) and Alice Le Moignan (art director), who knew the owner personally. “They had mentioned in conversations that they were wanting to delve deeper into the yachting world,” says Ratcliffe.

“Alice mentioned I had trained in yacht design and had previously worked for Princess Yachts and Winch Design, so it was worth having a chat. Alice’s personal relationship and understanding of the client gave us a huge head start when we kicked off the initial design works.”

Pendennis has worked on many explorer and expedition yachts, so the yard had the necessary experience to bring the owner’s vision to life. Refits and rebuilds make up 80 per cent of the British yard’s business (everything from Feadships to Perinis), while new builds like Fox are 20 per cent of the yard’s output.

“It’s exciting when we get to do new builds, and no two are alike,” says Hills. “While we’re not repeating the same product, we’re able to bring all the knowledge from all the yachts we’ve refitted or rebuilt and use that learning and experience.”

Fox began in earnest when the client, wanting to do the work in the UK or Europe, approached Pendennis. The hull had been started in Turkey by Tansu Yachts and arrived at Pendennis as a bare structure.

“While Pendennis has the capability to offer full in-house turnkey builds, especially in aluminium, like many new build yachts, the hull and superstructure were manufactured elsewhere,” Hills says.

“Wherever the hull build is outsourced, our standard approach is first to make sure that the structure has been completed to the correct Pendennis new build standards.”

A team of engineers scanned Fox to create a 3D model of the yacht and her interiors, Hills explains. This 3D model provided a base for the team to design all engineering systems and to translate the interior designs of Q London for outfitters Mivan Interiors.

At the same time, Q London worked with the owner to redesign aspects of the original yacht, greatly changing the layout and modifying the exterior styling.

The general arrangement was rejigged over the course of the project to improve guest and crew circulation

“When we started the boat, the original naval architecture design shell, in our opinion, was more akin to a workboat sitting upright, so we extended the bulwark lines to make the profile sleeker, along with adding a rake to the transom to give her a ‘forward movement’ stance,” says Ratcliffe.

They also decided to reconfigure the aft deck seating area and to enlarge the windows in the main-deck owner’s cabin to allow more light into the space, which had an impact on the look of the exterior.

Fox’s fierce exterior styling is complemented with a two-tone paint job that sees Jotun Mega Gloss AC in Columba Grey on the hull and Auriga White on the superstructure. All the painting and fairing was completed in house by Pendennis’s specialist yacht paint team.

One of the more subtle design features on Fox’s exterior is the use of Tesumo decking rather than real teak. Pioneered by Lürssen and the University of Göttingen, Tesumo is made using fast-growing sustainable wood, which looks and feels like teak but is more environmentally friendly.

According to her build team, Fox is the largest yacht to date that has a full Tesumo deck on board. The general arrangement was rejigged over the course of the project to improve guest and crew circulation.

Initially, the only access to the crew areas was via the main saloon, which isn’t ideal if guests are relaxing there. The yacht also lacked an exterior access to the starboard-side foyer; an exterior staircase to the upper deck originally prevented having a connecting door there.

Q London found a way to solve both problems with one clever change. They removed the starboard-side exterior stairs, retaining a set of port-side steps to provide exterior access to the upper deck.

The foyer could now function as an entryway, solving the crew access issue a well. The new layout also created a direct passageway from the foyer to the crew stairs and main-deck galley beyond.

The internal layout was edited multiple times to best suit the owner’s needs. “We started from scratch with the interior GA,” says Ratcliffe. The upper deck saloon, for instance, was originally planned as an open bar.

“She was built to be ‘mission specific’ – a yacht that can be reconfigured to carry toys and equipment to suit different guests, destinations and activities”

A wine cellar in the lobby now leads into a glass-enclosed lounge that serves as a family-friendly media room with a large drop-down television.

The lounge opens out onto a 46-square-metre deck with a barbecue and al fresco dining seating for 10, while side decks lead forward to a cosy seating area in front of the bridge offering prime views while underway.

Resale value was always a theme during the build, with the owner planning to build a larger yacht in the future. The initial layout had a second full-beam owner’s cabin on the lower deck to make her appeal to dual charter clients.

“This design was developed and new construction drawings made ready, but once the owner saw the potential of the boat and wanted to use it more themselves, it was decided to split this second owner’s cabin into two king-size lower deck cabins to accommodate more friends and families on their adventures, which made the boat more personal without any real loss to the chartering element,” says Ratcliffe.

In addition to these two aft VIP suites, two more cabins can convert from twin- to double-bed configurations.

Fox’s rugged exterior is contrasted by a light and modern interior. Created with young families in mind, the furniture was designed with curved edges and soft profiles to ensure comfort. In fact, comfort was key to the brief, says Ratcliffe: “We ensured the bespoke furniture was designed with this element at the forefront, making sure proportions were considered for maximum lounging comfort.”

A light and inviting beach house at sea, Fox has bright white walls. In the upper saloon wine cellar and day head, this is contrasted by a black marble with white veining called Nero Marquina, while a white Calacatta marble with grey veining gives the en suites a more classic palette to pair with reeded oak on the vanity bases.

Suede and leather details are by Whistler Leather who produced embossed leather panels that were incorporated into the headboard pilasters and wrapped around the base of the beds. To keep the cabins cosy, the ceilings’ headliners were wrapped in faux suede, which also help acoustically to dampen noise. The Loomah carpets in the bedrooms are made of recycled plastic sourced from ocean debris.

The designers also selected stain-, fade- and mildew-resistant outdoor fabrics for the interior to reduce cleaning and upkeep time, in keeping with the overall goal of having a yacht that’s easy to maintain. This is apparent in the engine room, which has a straightforward layout and plenty of space around the machinery.

“Every piece of machinery on this boat you can touch standing up,” says Fox’s Captain Craig Dalgleish, who lauds Fox’s overall simplicity and seaworthiness as an explorer. “She’s heavy and sturdy; there’s a sense of safety,” he says.

Constructed with a steel hull and aluminium superstructure and built to RINA class, Fox has a range of 3,100 nautical miles when running economically at nine knots. “Fox can deliver us safely with all our chosen items and tools to get the most of what the destination can offer,” says the owner. “She is a yacht that is fun and, crucially, flexible.”

Since Fox was delivered last year, the owner has spent a good deal of time on board with friends and family, and their time cruising on Fox has inspired their next new build. “The dreams that led them to build a yacht like this have grown, along with the size of the family,” says Ian Sherwood, sales broker at Burgess, which is currently listing Fox for sale.

“The yachting adventures will continue but on a larger yacht. As first time owners, it is really lovely to see them enjoy yachting so much and now they have the bug.” There’s a good chance that the owners will find themselves back in Falmouth to work with Pendennis on their next yacht too.

“Pendennis has been an exceptional partner to build a yacht with, and their quality can rival that of the best Dutch shipyards,” says Fox’s owner. “This is going to be the first of many projects we will do together.” It sounds as if Fox is the start of many cruising adventures to come.

First published in the September 2025 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.