After selling the 254 feet Legend and listing the Whisper superyacht, is Google billionaire Eric Schmidt secretely building the mother of all explorer yachts in Spain? The $400 millon vessel will have six decks, 44 crew, and will slice through thick arctic ice like a hot knife in butter

First went the 254-foot icebreaker-explorer, $50 million Legend yacht, then came whispers about the 312-foot luxury vessel Whisper being listed. Will serial superyacht owner Eric Schmidt, the man whose maritime orbit once included Whisper, Legend and Falkor (too), with Oasis and Gladiator before Legend, suddenly be yacht-less in 2026? Once a billionaire gets on a boat, especially one with a yacht-enthusiast wife, there is no getting off. The ex-Google CEO, worth $38 billion, could be planning his next purchase in incognito mode, so much so that his under-construction vessel is also nicknamed Project Incógnita.

There is good reason to speculate why this Freire Shipyard hull, NB-729, being built in Vigo, Spain, could belong to the 71-year-old billionaire. The 351-foot vessel, with Lloyd’s Register Ice Class 1C and Hybrid Power notation, is a serious explorer that aligns with Schmidt’s exploration initiatives spanning the deep-sea and aerospace frontiers. Through the Schmidt Ocean Institute, founded with his wife Wendy, he drives marine research using advanced vessels such as Falkor (too).

Project Incógnita is a 4,117-GT mammoth that will sleep just 16 guests and carry as many as 44 staff and crew to look after them. According to MegayachtNews, the hull underwent extensive design and tank testing intended to make it “one of the most fuel efficient and stable hull designs,” while boasting long-distance and cold-water capability.

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Incógnita carries a 4,990 kWh Corvus Dolphin battery installation, apt for taking significant loads away from the generators and potentially allowing quieter operation at anchor. Her two Quantum QC2200HD XT forward stabilizers should help ensure low-motion comfort, especially in remote locales, allowing scientists to work more efficiently. Imagine anchoring in a remote Norwegian fjord or Pacific bay, turning the generators off and actually hearing the water rather than an engine room. The six-decker, with her high bow and forward-positioned superstructure, looks like a boat that means business and just happens to contain a billionaire’s residence.

During a visit to Freire Shipyard in Vigo, Spain’s King Felipe VI was shown the yard’s major projects, including Project Incógnita. He was later presented with a profile of the 351-foot explorer cut from the first steel plate used in its construction.

verything else about the ship is under wraps, but one very important person, Spain’s King Felipe VI, happened to visit Freire during that phase and get a dekko at the yard’s third-largest build. Marcos and Guillermo Freire presented him with a profile of Incógnita fabricated from an offcut of the first steel plate used for the yacht. While the yard has mentioned a secretive American owner, it doesn’t name Schmidt.

Adding fuel to the fire is the Vigo connection. Eric Schmidt’s 363-foot research vessel Falkor (too) was constructed by Freire. The tycoon, with a deep passion for environmental sustainability, is also interested in acquiring Metalships & Docks in Vigo. With its 531-foot dock, maritime expertise and ocean-research potential, it seems like all the ducks are lining up with the Schmidt Ocean Institute and purposeful yachting.

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This helps make sense of why Schmidt would be selling Whisper, a superyacht he bought in a matter of four days. The 312-foot former Kismet is a splendid pleasure craft, but not one that can help further his ocean-exploration ambitions. There is perhaps little need for a glamorous Mediterranean-style entertainment superyacht featuring an enormous pool, cinema, spa, nightclub and basketball court.

If Project Incógnita is indeed Eric Schmidt’s, it would be his largest vessel by volume. She is approximately 41% larger by gross tonnage and 39 feet longer than the Whisper superyacht, and while she may look glorious anchored off Saint-Tropez, she has been tailor-made for operations in icy waters. It is easy to imagine the vessel landing in $400 million-plus territory. She carries 418,200 litres of fuel, nearly twice Whisper’s fuel capacity, while her 8,200 litres of helicopter fuel hint at serious aviation operations in remote destinations. This will be an interesting leviathan of the high seas, one showing incredible promise already!