One yacht owner and his family have a simple ambition: to explore the far reaches of the globe with others who have the same dream. Their 187-foot Feadship yacht, Solace, is now available for weeklong charters as it embarks on Solace Odyssey, a multiyear voyage through some of the world’s remotest waters.

Its first adventure unfolded in a more familiar setting, though with experiences that were anything but ordinary. Off the island of Dominica, guests swam within 20 feet of giant sperm whales. “Some swam right past us, another swam underneath me,” says Ben Lyons, C.E.O. of EYOS Expeditions, which arranges the charters. “We watched a couple [of whales] spinning around underwater, interacting with each other. By the end, the guests were so excited… they were high-fiving each other.”

Encounters like that typically require a three-year wait for a permit. They rival the bucket-list moments EYOS coordinates in Antarctica, Greenland, and Alaska. On Solace, they carry added depth. The owner has made scientific discovery part of the mission, carved out a dedicated stateroom for guides or researchers during the yacht’s extensive refit. On the Dominica trip, a scientist studying sperm-whale communication quickly became the yacht’s most popular guest. After the swim, Lyons recalls, “he came to dinner and was peppered with questions about his research.”

With a 4,500-mile range, forward sonar, and copious dry-goods provisioning, the yacht is built to cross the least-traversed waters, from the Canadian Arctic’s Northwest Passage to Papua New Guinea’s Bismarck Archipelago. “The whole idea of the vessel, with its diesel tenders, is that it can be autonomous for a month,” says Teh Chung, Solace’s captain.

Yet this is no stripped-down expedition vessel. Following its renovation, the yacht features revised living spaces with interiors that favor understated luxury, blending midcentury furniture with contemporary pieces from Liaigre and Holly Hunt. “The comfort factor was of paramount importance through the redesign,” says John Vickers of Vickers Studio, who reimagined both interior and exterior layouts. A reconfigured lazarette, for example, now houses a six-person sauna overlooking the rear swim platform. “You can view the water directly through the glass walls,” Vickers notes. In polar regions, Chung adds, “you can jump off the boat straight from the sauna.” 

A forward Jacuzzi, cold-plunge pool, enclosable bridge deck, 20-foot inflatable dock, onboard massage therapists, and multiple toys and tenders (including a 40-foot cruiser designed by Espen Øino) round out what Chung describes as a “seven-star experience, no matter where you are.”

As for the larger mission, it remains clear. “The owner does not want a yacht that’s just lollygagging around the Caribbean or Mediterranean, he wants a yacht with a purpose,” Lyons says. In other words, this is exploration with intent—and access to places few will ever see.