Arrow: an explorer’s soul, renovated to reach further
Arrow: an explorer’s soul, renovated to reach further
With a powerful silhouette and a disposition ready to cross oceans, the Arrow superyacht, a Sanlorenzo 500EXP model of a 47 length, has been one of the main characters of the year in Astilleros de Mallorca. Between the end of 2024 and June, 2025, our facilities held an ambitious project of technical and structural refit, designed by BYD Group, which adapted the vessel to a new and demanding international navigation plan of long reach.
A new period for Benjamin Rushton – M/Y Arrow’s Captain
Captain Benjamin Rushton, who has been a sailor since he was born and has over fifteen years of experience in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Pacific and Australia, was in charge of this process. Even though this is his first experience at the forefront of the Arrow, he had already sailed in a very similar vessel:
“I’ve been on a similar boat before and I’ve had a very positive experience. This boat is slightly longer and gives us more space for tools and equipment, which we were short on previously”, he explains.
Alongside his usual crew, Rushton established himself temporarily in Palma to carry out a deep transformation, in which Astilleros de Mallorca played a key role:
“This is my first refit with Astilleros and the overall experience has been great. We’ve been kept well informed at all times and we’ve met the delivery date, which is crucial”.
A reinforced explorer to reach further
Although the Arrow was born with the spirit of an explorer, its new phase required upgrades to operate with complete self-sufficiency for up to six weeks without making port. This goal set the priorities for the refit, starting with a key intervention: the installation of a third generator in the engine room, a highly demanding technical task that highlighted the capabilities of the machinery workshops at Astilleros de Mallorca.
“We wanted to take this boat from a mid-distance cruise to a proper offshore long range sort of vessel. Autonomy was key, and this new generator is one of the pillars that allows us to advance in that direction”, explains the captain.
In addition, new refrigeration units, trash compactors, glass crushers, and a higher-capacity water production system were installed. Storage spaces were completely reorganized as well, including spare parts and essential supplies for navigation in remote areas.
Structural transformations: habitability and comfort
Beyond the technical part, the refit included important structural modifications directed to improving the habitability and efficiency of the vessel:
- Conversion of the shipowner’s office (Owner’s Office) into an additional cabin for guests, equipped with a convertible bed system that allows configuring it as double or individual. A strategic solution that amplifies the yacht’s capacity without compromising comfort aboard.
- Construction of a new cabin for the chief engineer in the beach club zone, where there was no enabled space previously.
- Installation of a spa pool (jacuzzi) on the main deck.
- Installation of a windbreak on the solarium (Sundeck) and windbreak doors on the upper deck.
- Upper deck aft brow extension, along with the fabrication of custom furniture to adapt and optimize the use of the outdoor space.
- Opening of a new window on the shipowner’s balcony.
- Authorization of a new lounge zone on the bridge’s deck, protected from the wind and directed to maximize the experience of the guests during journeys and moorings.
“It’s got the most panoramic views and the guests really enjoy it, especially now that we have some shelter from the wind. It's been a big change”, remarks Rushton.
The integral painting of the hull was also carried out, turning the Arrow from white to an elegant grey. It is important to point out that the superstructure was not modified during this process, which focused exclusively on the hull.
New spaces and tailored details
The project also incorporated a series of interior design and equipment upgrades that reflect the attention to technical detail:
- Complete modernization of the control bridge, with screens’ updates and tapestry renovation.
- Installation of a tailored steel footrest bar, behind the operating console of the bridge: a piece that represents an outstanding work of forge on Astilleros’s team behalf
- Construction of two new pantries, one on the main deck and another on the upper deck, improving the operations of service aboard.
- Complete liming of the service counter, accompanied by an automatic elevation system for a professional coffee machine.
- At the aft section of the upper deck, Bromic heaters have been installed on the ceiling, and just below, a custom-made table for 12 guests has been installed, entirely created from scratch along with its bespoke chairs.
Headed to new adventures
With the refit now complete, the Arrow and its crew prepare themselves for an intense season in the Mediterranean, with stops expected in Barcelona, the Balearics, Sardinia, Sicily, Greece and Turkey. But their journey goes further:
“We are planning to come back at the end of this year for any warranty work that may be overhanging, but mostly to get provisions and stores before we set off for the Pacific. Our objective is to reach British Columbia and maybe Japan as well”.