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M/Y Legend is 77.4m LOA, 13.5m beam, 5.0m draft, 2,300 GT, originally built 1974 by IHC Verschure (Netherlands) as an ice-class Polish buoy tender, with major conversions in 1985, 2004, and a final extensive refit completed. Twenty-six guests in 13 cabins on the headline configuration, with 12 in 6 cabins in the conventional charter layout. Twenty-five crew. Charter rate runs to approximately €850K/week peak as of May 2026. She is the most toy-heavy ice-class charter yacht in the global fleet, and the only credible polar charter that can run a 20-plus guest party.
The guest count is the lead. The toy inventory is the second. The ice rating is the third. We will take them in that order.
Why the guest count matters
Most yachts at 75 to 80m carry 12 to 14 guests. Legend carries 26 on her larger configuration. The volume that delivers that guest count is real (she is 2,300 GT against the 1,700 to 1,900 typical for the size class), and the result is that she handles multi-family parties and milestone-birthday charters that no other yacht her length can take on a single hull. A 22-person extended-family Spitsbergen week is a real charter inquiry that comes through every season. Legend is the answer. Not many other answers exist.
The larger guest count comes with a layout that is less private than a conventional 12-guest yacht of equivalent length. Cabin volumes are smaller. The owner's cabin is more modest than what a typical 80m delivers. The saloon and dining areas are sized for the higher headcount, which makes them less intimate than the same-size yacht in 12-guest configuration. This is the trade-off and it should be understood at booking.
The toy fleet
Legend carries one of the most extensive toy and tender inventories in the charter fleet. The standard inventory (verify the current list in writing before signing) includes:
- A custom 11m chase tender with full ice-zone capability
- Multiple zodiacs configured for shore landings
- A four-person submarine with a 100m depth rating
- A full dive operation with rebreather equipment
- Heated shore-landing gear and dry suits
- Snowmobiles for polar shore deployment
- Helicopter (touch-and-go) capability with a separate hangar option
- The standard warm-water toy fleet (Seabobs, e-Foils, jet skis, paddle boards)
For a polar week, the right subset of this inventory is the chase tender, the zodiacs, the dive package, the snowmobiles, and the heated shore-landing gear. For a Mediterranean week, the right subset is the chase tender and the warm-water toy fleet. For a Caribbean week, the dive package and the submarine are the differentiators.
What we would actually push back on is the assumption that the entire fleet is operational on the day. Submarines and four-person submersibles in particular require frequent service intervals and certification windows. We would not pay rate-card for the submarine if there is no written confirmation it is operational on the date of charter. The captain will tell you the truth if you ask in writing.
The ice class and the route flexibility
Legend carries which authorizes operation in first-year ice in summer. Her hull is original Polish buoy-tender steel and was built to operate in Baltic and North Sea ice as a vessel. The conversion to a yacht preserved the ice-strengthened hull and added the interior and exterior superstructure above.
In practical terms this means she runs:
- Northern Europe summer: Norway, Spitsbergen, Iceland, Greenland, Faroe Islands
- Mediterranean late summer and autumn
- Caribbean winter (in some seasons)
- Sub-Antarctic and Antarctic Peninsula (with specific itinerary and crew planning)
The Northwest Passage is outside her credible range as a luxury yacht. So is heavy multi-year ice in either polar region. She is not a Polar Class 1 or 2 vessel.
Charter rate and what the rate buys
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Low season weekly | from €700K |
| Shoulder weekly | from €775K |
| Peak weekly | from €850K |
| APA | 30 to 35% (higher for polar) |
| VAT | Per territory, 0 to 22% |
| Crew gratuity convention | 12 to 15% |
| Currency | EUR or USD depending on operating ground |
| Charter contract | MYBA |
The rate is materially above Ragnar at €620K and comparable to Cloudbreak at €1.1M peak. The premium over Ragnar is justified by the larger guest count, the substantial toy fleet, and the better-developed onboard medical and operations capability. The premium against Cloudbreak is undercut because Cloudbreak has more refined interior volumes and a built-to-purpose Abeking hull. The right pick is destination and party-size dependent.
What we would push on
Four items.
First, get the actual toy inventory in writing, dated, with each item's service-window status. Submarines and helicopters in particular should have signed operational confirmation for the date of charter.
Second, ask the captain for the polar-experience log on a polar week. Legend runs polar itineraries every summer, so the log should exist. If it does not for the captain or for the chief mate, escalate.
Third, push back on APA for non-polar weeks. 30% is the right number for Mediterranean and Caribbean. 35% is justifiable only on confirmed polar itineraries.
Fourth, confirm the cabin configuration. Legend can be configured for 26 guests in 13 cabins or for fewer in larger configurations. The configuration on the date of your charter affects the layout and the privacy. Get it written.
Captain and crew
Twenty-five crew, including an onboard medical capability appropriate for remote-itinerary work. Captain. Chief mate. The cohort of senior crew has reportedly been substantially stable across multiple seasons, which is the right signal on a yacht of this brief.
Crew style on Legend is reported by repeat charter clients to be Dutch-and-Scandinavian practical with a more conversational ethic on the polar deployments where guest engagement on shore programs is part of the experience. The crew are competent on shore-landing logistics, dive operations, and snow-and-ice safety in a way that Mediterranean crew typically are not.
What she is good for
A large-party explorer charter is her sweet spot. The Svalbard, Greenland, and Iceland weeks for 18 to 22 guests are itineraries she runs every summer, and she does them well. Multi-family milestone weeks, dive-focused charters in the Caribbean off-season, and well-planned Antarctic-Peninsula weeks are the use cases that fit.
She is also a defensible Mediterranean choice for parties who want the larger guest count and the explorer styling. The trade-off against a Lürssen or a Feadship at the same length is real (interior refinement, finish quality, design coherence), but for the right party the trade-off goes the other way.
What she is not good for
A small party who wants the most refined 75 to 80m experience. The interior is good for the brief but is not at the Lürssen, Feadship, or Abeking finish level. The cabins are smaller. The deck volumes are configured for headcount, not for intimate use.
Charter clients who require a built-to-purpose explorer interior should look at Cloudbreak at 73m, which is the highest-finish explorer in the charter fleet. Legend is a converted ship with a high-spec refit. Cloudbreak is a purpose-built explorer at a higher rate.
Comparable yachts in the band
In the 65 to 90m, ice-class or expedition-capable, charter fleet:
- Ragnar, 68m, ice-class, lower rate, smaller toy fleet
- Cloudbreak, 73m Abeking, polar-capable, higher rate, more refined
- Ulysses, 116m, not on charter, the aspirational comparison
- Yersin, 77m Piriou, Green Marine, more research-vessel feel
- Planet Nine, 73m Admiral, helicopter-focused
Of these, the most-direct competitor on capability is Cloudbreak. The most-direct competitor on rate is Ragnar. Legend sits between the two on both, with the added differentiator of the higher guest count.
Verdict
The right answer for a large-party explorer charter. The rate is fair for the package. The toy fleet is the headline and it deserves written verification. The crew is competent on the brief. We would book her for an 18 to 24 guest Spitsbergen or Greenland week without hesitation, and for a Mediterranean week only if the guest count requires the volume and the party is comfortable with the converted-working-ship aesthetic.
If your party is 10 to 12 guests and the priority is a refined explorer, book Cloudbreak. If your party is 20-plus and the priority is the polar destination, book Legend.
FAQ
Is Legend the same as the Legend mentioned in older yacht media? She is. The name has been continuous since the first conversion in 1985. The history is unusually long for a yacht in the current charter fleet.
Does Legend charter in the Caribbean? In some seasons. The dive package and the submarine are the differentiators in the Caribbean. The week competes against more conventional Caribbean yachts on rate.
Is the submarine always available? No. Submarines have service intervals and certification windows. Confirm in writing before signing.
Can Legend do the Northwest Passage? Not credibly as a luxury yacht. Her ice class is appropriate for first-year ice in summer. The Northwest Passage requires a higher class and a different operations posture.
What is the captain's tenure?. The senior crew cohort has reportedly been stable.
What flag does Legend fly?. MCA-compliant for commercial charter.