The steel explorer was launched in 2006 at the Chinese Penglai shipyard as the 45-metre-long "Etra" and checked in with Lusben in the years that followed. As the "Aspire", it grew by six metres in Greece in 2019. Italian fashion entrepreneur Pier Luigi Loro Piana acquired the 51-metre ship in October 2020 and had it moored at Lusben again. Piana had to mourn the loss of his 40-metre Baltic "My Song" after it fell from the deck of a cargo ship during transport from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean at the end of May 2019. "Time is the most important factor for an owner," said Pier Luigi Loro Piana on the occasion of the ceremonial relaunch. "I am very pleased that Lusben has completed this incredible transformation in just a few months. My project for the immediate future is now to go travelling around the world with my family."
The usable aft deck area was doubled and now measures around 200 square metres, partly because the crane was moved to the lazarette. In addition, the Lusben shipbuilders extended both the bridge and upper deck by 1.50 metres. The latter required a 3D scan of the yacht, as there were hardly any construction plans available. Nauta designer Mario Pedol says of the exterior modifications: "The profile is now much slimmer and more elegant. By redesigning the stern, we have succeeded in creating a 'pieds dans l'eau' feeling."
To reduce noise and vibration, the three new generators are housed in customised casings and both the bow thruster and the hydraulic rudder system are now electrically operated. The Azimut Benetti Group's refit shipyard also replaced the air conditioning system, power converter and propeller. The two 820-kilowatt CAT gensets (3508B) remained in place; they helped the old hull reach a top speed of 14 knots. However, Francesco Rogantin recalculated the 51 metre long "Masquenada", partly due to the relocation of the crane.
Lusben realised interior designs by Italian interior designer Misa Poggi, who has been advising the "fabric pope" on interior yachting matters since 2002. Loro Piana also operates a 48-foot chase boat, which was originally intended for "My Song" and will in future be joined by a smaller but sportier sailing mother ship.
