There has been a shift over recent years in what ultra-high net worth individuals look for in travel. It’s not just about visiting somewhere exotic, relaxing by the pool at a villa with a glass of bubbly or even living the high life on a luxury yacht in the crystal blue waters of a remote lagoon. Instead, many are seeking experiences, memories and adventure. It’s happening across the tourism industry, with adventure tourism set to rise from $800bn in 2025 to a huge $1.6-trillion by 2032.
In the world of sailing, adventure can be both thrilling and luxurious, an experience made even better if you share it with others. That is the idea behind the Oyster Yachts Explorers Club, a superbly curated series of events around the world for owners of Oyster Yachts. This isn’t a charter programme — you do have to be an owner — but what a club to be part of, and it’s fully supported with a concierge who will book everything for you, from training to enhance your sailing skills to luxury experiences in some of the world’s most beautiful destinations.
“Our broader ecosystem plays such an important role,” says Oyster Yachts chair Richard Hadida. “Through the Bluewater Academy, we offer expert-led training that gives new owners the skills and confidence they need, from navigation and safety to onboard systems and ocean readiness. The Oyster Explorers Club connects like-minded owners cruising around the world, providing inspiration, knowledge sharing, and mutual support. What we are doing is building more than yachts; we are building a community, a pathway, and a support system that helps people turn ambition into reality.
As well as the 16-month global circumnavigation that gets under way this month, which admittedly isn’t for everyone, there are four Explorer Rallies. The Arctic Rally is a four-month sailing adventure that sets out from Norway towards the Arctic Circle. It takes in epic Norwegian fjords, breathtaking landscapes and the opportunity to explore Arctic terrain with like-minded adventurers.
You might think the Viking Rally is similar, but this one starts in Newport in the US before heading to Canada and Newfoundland and then crossing the Atlantic to Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands off the coast of Scotland and finishing in Bergen, Norway. It follows the path of the great Viking explorers but with considerably more luxury and support.
If this all seems just a little too adventurous and perhaps a bit too cold, then there’s the Pacific Rally, which starts in Antigua in the Caribbean. From there you sail to Panama and into the Pacific to stop at the Galapagos Islands, Tonga, Fiji and other exotic island locations, finishing up in Auckland, New Zealand.
Finally, there is the Cape Horn Rally, an incredible trip around South America that starts and finishes in Antigua. Along the way it stops at Galapagos, Easter Island, Puerto Montt in Chile and around the famous Cape Horn. Then it’s on to Stanley in the Falkland Islands, Puna del Este in Uruguay and South America’s party capital, Rio de Janeiro before rounding Brazil to stop at Port Louis in Grenada and returning to Antigua.
Now you could join one of the new superyacht clubs like that offered by the Four Seasons that sets sail this year, or the recently announced Ocean Club from Mercedes-Maybach, but they don’t tick the true adventure box. For that you need to immerse yourself in the experience, push your boundaries a little and return with a life-changing sense of achievement that you probably won’t get from choosing which champagne to drink with your canapés on a luxury cruise ship, no matter how exclusive it might be.
“Clients want to build their own stories and legacies through experiences that are deeply personal and meaningful,” says Torsten Müller-Ötvös, former CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and now special adviser to Oyster Yachts. “They expect everything to be effortless and intuitive, but they also want to feel genuinely connected to a community of like-minded individuals who share their passion for exploration and adventure. It’s not enough to simply provide a luxury product; they want a gateway to a lifestyle that feels authentic, exclusive, and transformative.”
Müller-Ötvös has seen firsthand the rising generation of ultra-high-net-worth individuals who are hungry for adventure and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. They want to do things that transform their lives rather than just convey a sense of status. Taking a few months to sail around South America with a group of fellow owners, or taking in Norwegian fjords while feeling the wind in your sails, will probably do all that and a whole lot more.
