L`histoire derrière le projet : M/Y Ursus devient M/Y URSUS 2

• Constructeur d`origine : Acico Yachts (2013 - 2015)
• Chantier / gestion du refit : Balk Shipyard (2022 - 2025)
• Architecte naval : Mulder Design (2022)
• Capitaine de construction : Eric P. Stammel (depuis 2019 ⇒)
• Représentant du propriétaire : Eric P. Stammel (depuis 2019 ⇒)

 

Certains yachts sont construits, mis à l`eau et commencent leur vie en mer.

Et puis il y a des navires comme Ursus.

Son histoire ne parle pas seulement d`acier, de machines et de design. Elle raconte une vision qui a failli se briser contre la réalité. Des revers techniques, de mauvaises décisions et un moment où un yacht a pratiquement perdu sa raison d`être. Mais surtout, elle parle de personnes qui ont refusé de laisser cette histoire se terminer par un échec.

L`histoire commence le 11 août 2013.

Ce jour-là, la quille d`un nouveau yacht d`exploration fut posée aux Pays-Bas. Sous la désignation Bandido 80, un yacht hors du commun devait être construit au chantier ACICO d`Enkhuizen : environ 24 mètres de long, avec un système de propulsion diesel-électrique par azipods, inhabituel pour un projet de ce type.

C`était le début d`un rêve. Mais très vite, ce rêve devint un projet qui allait accompagner ses propriétaires pendant de nombreuses années.

Le premier signal d`alarme

When the yacht was finally launched, something became apparent that no glossy rendering could conceal: Ursus was sitting noticeably too low at the bow. The first sea trials revealed an even more serious problem. The vessel could not reliably maintain its course. Attempts were made to correct the problem-in the most literal sense. The bow was modified. Additional fins were welded onto the stern. Lead ballast was repeatedly repositioned inside the vessel, and at one point even the keel was filled with lead. Yet every measure added more weight without truly solving the underlying problem. For the owners, it must have been a sobering sight: a yacht that was supposed to be finished was lifted out of the water again. Welding resumed on an already painted hull. And still, the hoped-for improvement failed to materialise.

Puis vint le coup suivant.

The original shipyard became insolvent. Eventually, Balk Shipyard in Urk took over the task of continuing work on Ursus and at least completing the outstanding items. At the time, nobody could have known just how important this shipyard would become years later in the second life of Ursus.

Un navire plein de compromis

Ursus incorporated some extraordinary ideas. But several of them proved far less convincing at sea than they had on paper. The anchoring arrangement was a good example. The anchor was positioned behind a hatch in the bow. When deployed, it was intended first to travel along the stem before dropping into the sea. During its very first use in rough conditions, the hatch was torn off.

The garage forward of the bridge was equally unusual: a jet ski below, the tender above it and the associated crane also positioned far forward, despite the vessel already carrying too much weight at the bow. Even the beach club presented its own problems. Its large platform sat only around twenty centimetres above the waterline. At anchor, waves could strike the underside of the platform with considerable force. It was a lesson that would run through the entire story of the first Ursus:

Un bon design ne doit pas seulement être beau. Il doit fonctionner en mer.

2018 - Dans les coulisses

En 2018, une nouvelle phase commença.

At that point, Ursus was at Balk in Urk. It now became clear that the difficulties extended far beyond the hull. Electrical and electronic systems, air conditioning, lighting, navigation, stabilisers, the gangway, and eventually the propulsion system were all affected.

L`analyse des systèmes électroniques révéla des erreurs fondamentales, allant de résistances de terminaison manquantes et de convertisseurs de protocole mal utilisés à des débits en bauds incorrects.

Le système de propulsion était particulièrement critique.

Ursus was equipped with a complex, project-specific azipod solution combining components from several different manufacturers. An architecture like this, however, requires overarching technical coordination: someone has to take responsibility for ensuring that many individually functioning components ultimately form one functioning overall system. This was precisely where one of the project`s fundamental risks lay.

Following further modifications to the hull, another series of sea trials took place on the IJsselmeer. The result was sobering.

Huit nœuds.

Environ douze étaient attendus.

At least Ursus was now running straight. But a conspicuous noise emerged from the stern area. Eventually, the suspicion was confirmed: propeller cavitation. In response, the azipods were rotated by 180 degrees and converted from a push to a pull configuration. This required new propellers as well as modifications to the software, autopilot, and dynamic positioning system. Nobody yet knew that the most difficult moment in the yacht`s history was still to come.

Majorque - Enfin arrivé

In May 2019, almost six years after her keel had been laid, Ursus finally reached Mallorca. After ACICO, Balk, years of delays, and periods spent in Bremerhaven, she was transported by ship to Alcúdia and subsequently moved to Club de Mar. For the first time, she was where she should have been long before.

Ce fut un moment de soulagement.

Technically, the yacht was still nowhere near the level originally envisioned. But after all those years, something else mattered more: She was finally there.

The owners took her on a weekend trip to Ibiza. It was meant to be the reward for six years of patience. It became the first and only proper voyage Ursus would make in this form.

Une fois encore, elle dépassa à peine huit nœuds. Par mer arrière, la poupe se comportait de façon inhabituelle. Puis, soudainement, l`un des azipods pivota d`environ 45 degrés hors de sa position. Ursus regagna le port en sécurité.

Mais la confiance dans le navire avait été ébranlée.

Deux minutes qui ont tout changé

In December 2019, by which time I was already actively involved, Ursus was due to be taken to Barcelona for routine shipyard work. There were three of us on board. The route took us from Palma via Andratx, then between Sant Elm and Dragonera and out towards Barcelona.

Puis les alarmes se déclenchèrent.

• Alerte de température sur l`azipod bâbord.
• Alerte de température sur l`azipod tribord.
• Entrée d`eau dans l`azipod bâbord.
• Entrée d`eau dans l`azipod tribord.

 

En très peu de temps, l`ensemble du système de propulsion était tombé en panne.

With the help of the bow thruster, the crew managed to keep Ursus reasonably under control. Eventually, one pod could be reactivated. The yacht turned around and limped back to Palma at approximately five knots, where an emergency haul-out was arranged. But the true extent of the disaster only became apparent once she was ashore. Both azipods were full of water. They were effectively a total loss.

There were no remaining warranty claims, the original shipyard no longer existed, and according to the account in the underlying document, the insurance did not cover the costs. At the same time, the old problem remained: the hull allowed a speed of only around eight knots.

After six years, Ursus was back on land. Without a functioning main propulsion system. With a hull whose performance fell far short of the original expectations. It was the moment when giving up would have been understandable.

Une fin devient un commencement

Puis vint le COVID.

As difficult as that period was in every other respect, for Ursus the standstill provided something that was desperately needed: Time.

• Du temps pour analyser.
• Du temps pour planifier.

Et du temps pour poser une question fondamentale :

Réparons-nous encore une fois ce navire, ou le repensons-nous entièrement ?

iYacht, under naval architect Udo A. Hafner, had previously developed concepts for extending Ursus. After the catastrophe of 2019, it became increasingly clear that a fundamental transformation might offer the most sustainable solution. The damaged pods were removed. According to the document, their scrap value was less than € 2,000. After around six months at STP Mallorca, Ursus was towed to Barcelona. The major conversion was originally intended to take place there. Ultimately, however, a decision was made that would prove decisive:

Ursus retournerait à Urk. Chez Balk Shipyard.

Elle y arriva en décembre 2022 :

• Au milieu de la nuit.
• Sans générateur.
• Sans chauffage.

Avec une température de cinq degrés Celsius à l`intérieur des cabines.

Ce n`était pas un début glamour.

Mais c`était le début de sa seconde vie.

La naissance d`Ursus 2

At first, nobody knew exactly how far the conversion would go. Documentation from the past was missing or incomplete. Drawings, photographs, and 3D data had to be collected, reviewed, and reorganised. Suppliers had to be found and technical possibilities investigated. Puis vint la présentation qui changea tout.

Previous concepts had focused primarily on extending the stern. But now a more radical idea emerged:

Why extend only the stern? Why not extend the bow as well? For the first time, the drawings showed the vessel that would later become Ursus 2. Four variants were ultimately presented. The owner chose design number 4.

Yet even then, the vision was not complete. The saloon and sun deck were to be extended by another metre. What had begun as a refit had definitively become a fundamental rebuild.

Le point de non-retour

On July 17, 2023, the day came when plans became reality. The machinery moved in.

Ursus fut découpé.
Steel met steel. Sparks flew. Sections of a vessel that had been cared for and lived aboard for years were cut away. It was the moment when everyone involved in the project knew: There was no turning back now.

Additional specialists were brought in. New hull sections were fabricated. In February 2024, the sections were delivered and fitted the existing hull with remarkable precision. This time, as little as possible was to be left to chance. The hull work was voluntarily carried out under the supervision of Lloyd`s Register. Production stages were documented, critical connections inspected, and the work regularly checked. Technically, too, an almost entirely new vessel emerged.

Propulsion, electrical systems, navigation, communications, network infrastructure, monitoring, lighting, stabilisers, gangway, bridge, and flybridge were redesigned or extensively modified. Again and again, the project demonstrated why a refit of this scale can never be planned completely in advance. Behind a panel, you discover a structure nobody expected. One small modification suddenly triggers five more. Delivery times change. Materials become scarce. Prices rise. Ursus 2 therefore did not simply emerge according to a fixed plan. She emerged through a constant process of planning, checking, deciding and deciding again.

Et quelle couleur a un nouveau départ ?

Eventually, the steel was joined together again. Thirty metres of hull had to be filled, faired, sanded, and prepared for a paint finish that would later appear almost mirror-smooth. Then an entirely different question arose:

What should this new vessel look like? Mulder Design presented various colour schemes. The owner took his time. Fourteen days later, the decision was made:

• Coque : Batumi Gold Metallic.
• Superstructure : blanc
• éléments latéraux : noir mat

Depending on the light, the hull changes character from silver-grey through gold to a warm copper tone. The old Ursus had visibly become something new.

9 janvier 2025

Puis arriva le matin vers lequel tant de personnes avaient travaillé.

Dehors, il faisait froid.

Le hall était silencieux.

Ursus 2 se tenait achevé devant son équipe.

Plus un dessin.

Plus un modèle 3D.

Plus une coque découpée en morceaux.

Mais un navire.

Lentement, elle fut mise à l`eau

Et avec elle vinrent les questions que, après une reconstruction de cette ampleur, personne ne pouvait totalement écarter :

Sera-t-elle correctement assise sur l`eau ?

Tout est-il étanche ?

Cette fois, la théorie et la réalité vont-elles enfin coïncider ?

Then the hull touched the water. Seconds passed. And finally came certainty. She sat level. Stable. Watertight. No unpleasant surprises.

Après deux années de travaux intensifs au chantier, Ursus flottait de nouveau.

The following day, January 10, 2025, she was christened by the owner and officially launched. This time, it was not a test. Ursus 2 was born. But a yacht does not prove itself inside a shipyard hall. It proves itself at sea. On February 7, 2025, the first sea trial began.

Après tout ce qui s`était passé avec l`Ursus d`origine, ce moment ne pouvait qu`être particulier. Il allait maintenant devenir clair si des années de travail avaient réellement créé ce qui avait été promis au départ.

Cast off. Slowly, Ursus 2 began to move. The new pods responded. Smoothly. Precisely. Powerfully. Accelerating. Turning. Stopping. Counter-steering. Manoeuvre by manoeuvre, the tension began to fade. The vessel`s behaviour bore almost no resemblance to that of the old Ursus. After hours on the IJsselmeer, the yacht returned to Urk under full control. The lines were secured. The engines fell silent. The first sea trial had been a success.

Retour à Majorque

Further months of testing, optimisation, documentation, and bureaucracy followed. By now, Ursus 2 had also entered an entirely different regulatory world. While Ursus 1, at 23.89 metres, had remained below the 24-metre threshold, Ursus 2 now exceeded 30 metres. This brought new requirements relating to flag registration, insurance, IMO number, call sign, MMSI, and international regulations. Finally, one last important decision had to be made.

Ursus 2 devait-il rejoindre Majorque par ses propres moyens ?

Ou devait-il être transporté ?

La décision fut prise de le transporter.

On December 3, 2025, Ursus 2 was finally unloaded in Alcúdia. Because of the weather, even the final leg to Palma was anything but a leisurely victory cruise. Headwinds and uncomfortable seas forced the crew to take a different route.

à 23 h 30, les amarres furent frappées.

Moteurs coupés.

Silence.

Ursus était de retour à Majorque

Cette fois, toutefois, sous la forme d`un autre navire.

Né deux fois

Plus de douze années séparent la pose de la quille en août 2013 de l`arrivée d`Ursus 2 à Majorque en décembre 2025

Des années remplies d`espoir et de mauvaises décisions.

Faillite du chantier naval.

Problèmes techniques.

D`innombrables modifications.

Un premier yacht qui n`atteignit jamais réellement les performances qui lui avaient été promises.

Une panne catastrophique des deux unités de propulsion.

COVID.

Des années à terre.

And finally, perhaps the most unusual decision of all: Not to give up.

That is why the story of Ursus is more than the story of a yacht refit. It demonstrates just how far vision and reality can diverge in yacht building. It shows how costly a lack of overall technical responsibility can become. And it demonstrates why planning, experience, communication, and trust are at least as important in a project of this magnitude as steel and machinery. But above all, it is a story about people.

About owners who held on to their vision despite every setback. About engineers, shipyards, technicians, designers, and craftspeople who transformed an almost failed project into a new vessel.

Et d`une équipe qui s`est finalement tenue devant un yacht qui, sous cette forme, n`aurait probablement jamais existé sans tous ces revers.

à la fin du rapport source, ce n`est donc pas la technologie qui occupe le devant de la scène, mais la gratitude : gratitude pour tout ce qui a été vécu ensemble, pour la confiance qui s`est développée en chemin et pour la fierté d`avoir créé ensemble quelque chose qui a du sens.

Peut-être est-ce là la véritable histoire d`Ursus



Sa quille a été posée en 2013.



Mais elle est née deux fois.



Une première fois comme un rêve.



Et une seconde fois grâce à la décision de ne pas renoncer à ce rêve.

Eric P. Stammel, représentant du propriétaire & capitaine de construction

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