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Modern Yachts of Westhampton, Mattituck and Hampton Bays is eastern Long Island's leading boating retailer. For more than 40 years, Modern Yachts has provided unparalleled sales, service and support to three generations of Long Islanders on the water.

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We're happy to announce there are early order discounts on all brand new boats. What are you waiting for? Let us help get you into the boat of your dreams. Call any of our 3 locations to inquire about this deal!

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New 2018 Jupiter 30 HFS

In the market for a sleek, powerful multi-tasker? From offshore fishing to waterfront dining, secluded beaches to the yacht club, the 30 HFS with its variety of features and seating options can do it all. With panache! More Info...

2024 Jupiter 380LS

Discover the revolutionary 380LS, a marvel in the boating world that elevates the art of navigation to unprecedented heights! More Info...

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Modern Yachts is pleased to offer our full complement of winterization and storage services to all Long Island boat owners. We offer both indoor and outdoor storage, and full service for boats ranging from 13 to 58 feet.

We'll make sure that your favorite ride stays safe and is protected from the elements so that you'll be ready to enjoy it once warm weather arrives.

Please contact Mike Brown for Westhampton Beach (631-288-2400), Brian Frezza for Hampton Bays (631-728-2266), or contact the team at our Mattituck facility (631-298-5800) to make your reservation today!

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Who Owns Superyachts In 2023 —And What Does That Mean For You As Crew?

Where once oligarchs, oil tycoons, royals and old money ruled the roost in the yachting world, tech billionaires have increasingly dominated the superyacht market. Who are these people — and more importantly — what does their different style of ‘yachting’ mean for you as crew?

The list of tech billionaires (at least, the list we know of) is long and getting longer by the year. And as their wealth grows, so does the size of the boats they own!

Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison (Musashi), Charles Simonyi (SKAT), Sergey Brin (Dragonfly), and Larry Page (Senses) are just some of the tech billionaires known to own a superyacht. Mark Zuckerberg, meanwhile, is rumoured to own Andromeda.

While we can only speculate on how these exact individuals use their yachts or what they are like onboard, some general traits might set the tech billionaire yacht owner out as using their yachts differently than generations of yacht owners before them.

Overall, tech billionaires are often younger, more adventurous and less hidebound regarding old rules and service styles. Here are a few general trends we can assume.

They want to eat well, but less fussily, and with a greater premium on health.

Where silver service, ultra-decadent meals, and mountains of wasted food were — and often still are— preferred by old-money yacht owners and charterers, the modern tech billionaire is more likely to be health-conscious and eat food that is plated rather than buffet style or silver service. Yacht chefs now need to be more skilled in special diets, such as plant-based or keto, and offer a broader range of cuisines.

They want to WORK.

Superyachts used to be for holidays only. This was partly by necessity —the lack of connectivity meant that work went on the back burner for summer months as guests swanned around the Mediterranean. Now, the extraordinary technological strides on board allow yacht owners to have offices where they can work anywhere in the world.

They want to go far beyond the milk run.

While anchoring off St Tropez or Cap Ferrat for weeks in August will always be in style, there has been an explosion in remote cruising, often fuelled by this younger, more adventurous set of yacht owners who can work from anywhere- Antarctica to Alaska and beyond.

This has fed into the next point…

A desire for adventure and exploration has changed yacht design.

As younger, more adventurous owners like tech billionaires have joined the superyacht market, the design of yachts and the toys they carry have changed markedly. New types of vessels have been created to meet this desire for off-the-beaten-track cruising, from support yachts to water toys to the massive growth in explorer yachts. Gone are the days when one yacht layout was almost identical to another. Now, we have winter gardens, submarines, ice rooms, ski rooms, large onboard offices, and helicopter hangars.

Not all of these changes have been driven by tech billionaires, granted. Still, their vision of what is possible has dramatically changed what yachts look like and how they operate as machines, with new types of propulsion, greater ranges, and a considerable amount more tech onboard.

Some things never change.

One thing hasn’t changed, though—a wealthy person’s desire for privacy. Discretion remains perhaps the most essential trait in any crew member, which you must keep in mind when working on yachts —even in the day of constant social media and shows like Below Deck.

A wealthy person’s desire for privacy and discretion is a constant that crew forget at their peril. Are you ensuring that you are a trusted asset? You may have signed that NDA, but do you let stories slip now and then at the bar? Are you careful about not taking photos onboard that give away anything about the boat or the owners? Do you make sure you don’t share the yacht’s cruising plans?

In a world where stories about tech billionaires will fly around the globe at light speed, you must be the gatekeeper. Stories cannot leave the passerelle.

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Raising the Bar, a distinguished think tank comprised of experts from across the superyacht industry, is thrilled to announce the official launch of Superyacht Industry Careers. This groundbreaking initiative, developed through voluntary collaboration and graciously hosted by the Superyacht Alliance for Professional Standards, aims to provide comprehensive career maps tailored for superyacht crew across all departments.

Interview with Sheila, Founder of Source Training: Elevating Standards in Luxury Cleaning and Laundry

We had the privilege of sitting down with Sheila, the visionary founder behind Source Training, a pioneering platform that offers specialised training for luxury cleaning and laundry personnel in the yachting, chalet, and hotel industries. With decades of experience in the yachting world and a passion for preserving nature, Sheila shared her journey and insights into the need for professional training in these essential roles.

Stripes on Yachts: What Do They Mean?

Whether you are new to the yachting industry or an experienced professional, we’ve all asked ourselves the same question at least once in our career, “what do those stripes mean?” This article breaks down the meanings behind these cryptic stripes.

MODERN YACHTS

We create the perfect aluminum ships. They are effective, innovative in their functional properties and attractive in design.

Yachts Design

Our work and our services begin with studying and understanding the needs of the market, finding new ideas and suggestions for future yacht owners. Then follows the development of the internal Terms of Reference, the development of the conceptual concept of the yacht and the creation of advanced design, from sketch sketches to the final 3D-visualization and layouts.

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The Own Design Bureau prepares the full project of the yacht in the 3D model with all details of its parts and parts, produces working files and drawings, assigns the assembly technology and issues the drawings to the assembly of production.

Our experienced specialists from precisely manufactured parts collect the quality hull of the future yacht and install ship equipment on it.

The Our main value is our own elaborate line of modern yacht design in direct relationship with our own production.

Our production is located in St. Petersburg, the largest shipbuilding and industrial center of Russia, with high-tech enterprises, design bureaus, and qualified expert in the shipbuilding industry, whose history begins since 1706. In the whole history of the Russian Navy, every fourth vessel was built at the St. Petersburg shipyards.

The base of our company is the historical part of the legendary city - Galernaya Gavan (Galley Haven). Founded by a decree of the Emperor of Russia Peter I in 1721 as the main military port of the galley rowing fleet of those times and built by the leadership of Domenico Trezzini. Nowadays the port is still a monument of fortification art.

Our company continues the shipbuilding traditions of the Haven. Among the much larger competitors we took part in contest for the best design of littoral zone corvette. Our special pride - a well-earned reward for the prize place.

In our company’s history we created spectacular boats in classic and modern style - motor and sailing ships, and their design was always ahead of its time.

Now at our shipyards we built magnificent modern yachts made of aluminum for sophisticated customers.

The shapes and styles of our boats and yachts are always unique, they are developed in our own design bureau by our professional close-knit team in team with the best marine engineers. That is why our boats are so elaborated from the first sketches of a bold innovative design to an exact and technological embodiment in metal.

All decisions are weighted and discussed many times, and the results are re-checked in modern computer programs and in rigorous tests of finished models.

The needs of customers, the conditions of ergonomics, new interesting ideas and suggestions in the usage style of the yachts, their interiors - all that sets the requirements for the appearance of the yacht design.

Our thoughtful choice of materials and the assembly technology ensures high quality and comfort on board. The main distinguishing feature of our projects and finished yachts is a surprisingly roomy interior with a relatively small width of the hull.

It is the correct ratio of length to width that gives the very good running performance and seaworthiness of our hulls.

Yachts and boats from Modern Yachts are reliable, because they are assembled with high accuracy from laser-cut and laser-processed parts using materials and components from leading world manufacturers.

Motor yachts and boats from the company Modern Yachts are:

Always new and interesting product in the market of boats and yachts.

New conceptual developments from our own design.

Advanced design, new ideas and suggestions to our potential buyers who are knowledgeable in yachts and who have good taste.

Precisely and finely worked out, spacious and bright interiors of yachts and boats.

High-quality, long-lasting aluminum cases from its own shipyard in St. Petersburg.

We are pleased to realize that the design of our yachts and their technical characteristics have positive review and review from people interested in yachts, potential buyers who are still dreaming of purchasing a modern stylish yacht and those who already own our yachts

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50m luxury motor yacht BEL1 launched in Pisa by Rossinavi

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47m motor yacht KING BENJI embarks on a luxurious voyage of opulence and adventure

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The 50m Bilging 163 charter yacht ETERNAL SPARK launched

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From Solar-Powered Catamarans to Giant Sailing Yachts: The 12 Most Innovative Boats on the High Seas

These yachts are shaping the future of luxury boating., julia zaltzman, julia zaltzman's most recent stories.

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Yachts that make you look twice. That’s what our round-up of future-forward superyachts on the water today make us do. From aft decks dedicated to the ultimate helipad to silent hybrid cruisers, and even optical illusion design, it’s a rubbernecker’s paradise of top notch amenities and visionary thinking all rolled up into one dynamic yacht package. Whether you’re a salty sailor at heart or keen on speed machines, here we identify eight innovative vessels that will make you want to hop aboard without a second thought.

Feadship 312-foot ‘Bliss’

Launched in May 2021, Bliss has the Dutch shipyard’s all-new hybrid propulsion system. Designed and engineered in partnership with De Voogt Naval Architects, the diesel-electric hybrid system is paired with Polar Code compliance, meaning guests can cruise the more sensitive Polar regions with greater efficiency and as light a footprint as possible. Welcoming nine guests in an interior designed by Remi Tessier, the 312-foot world traveler packs true go-anywhere capabilities, along with a gym, wellness space, a pool and a convertible helideck.

Royal Huisman’s 184-Foot Sailing Yacht ‘Aquarius’

When design simplicity meets cutting-edge technology, the result is 184-foot ketch Aquarius . Built for an owner who likes to race and explore in equal measure, the Royal Huisman sailing yacht shows how performance and classic design do not have to be mutually exclusive. Fast yet easy to sail, Aquarius has a ketch rig developed in collaboration by the yard, its sister company Rondal, and Dykstra Naval Architects. She pairs 9,843-square-feet of sails with the latest in navigational aids to be a world explorer. Classic teak decking and good seakeeping qualities make her a true sailor’s yacht.

Heesen 262-foot ‘Galactica’

The 262-foot Galactica, built by Dutch shipyard Heesen in 2022, rewrites the rules of engineering. The owner’s brief requested fast and big, which led to an all-aluminum build to keep weight down and achieve speeds close to 30 knots, and a newly patented “backbone” for strength and rigidity. Developed in partnership with Dutch hydrodynamicists Van Oossanen, Galactica ’s fast displacement platform is created using two long, flat metal plates that are joined together by a vertical plate in the middle. This prevents the hull from flexing in water. Four MTU engines deliver 19,000-hp, and the addition of a fully-certified helipad means no place is off limits.

Ulstein Verft’s 290-Foot Motor Yacht ‘Olivia O’

Olivia O is a yacht that means business. Robust in every way, she is owned by a commercial shipping magnate with a love for industrial boats. Built by Norwegian shipyard Ulstein Verft Olivia O ’s rustic appeal is exemplified by the use of metal in the Espen Øino-designed interior, from windows with steel borders to corridors with painted metal ceilings. On water, she is defined by Ulstein’s trademarked X-Bow, which was originally designed for use on offshore vessels. Olivia O is the first yacht to ever feature it. Launched in 2020, she bridges the gap between luxury superyacht and authentic rugged explorer.

Oceanco’s 350-Foot Sailing Yacht ‘Black Pearl’

Scooping the top spot for largest DynaRig sailing yacht in the world, Black Pearl is designed by Nuvolari Lenard (assisted by Villate Design). A tri-deck sailing yacht, she boasts three revolutionary 70m DynaRig carbon masts and a sailing system designed by Dykstra Naval Architects. What’s more impressive is that all 2,900sqm of her black, highly distinctive sails can be set in a rapid seven minutes, and all at the push of a button. Her hybrid propulsion system, and other environmental onboard systems, such as waste heat recovery, propel her among a new generation of environmentally sustainable, and highly efficient vessels.

Benetti 351-foot ‘Lana’

One of the most exciting additions to the gigayacht club, Lana was built to discover the four corners of the globe. One of the largest yachts delivered by the Italian builder, Lana is powered by an unusual Rolls-Royce hybrid-electric propulsion, delivering fuel efficiency and long-range cruising. Delivered in 2020, she boasts a large pool on the sun deck that comes with its own heating system, meaning guests can enjoy a splash wherever she cruises. A waterside beach club with folding terraces creates a floating apartment at sea, equipped with a Hammam, massage room, and a dedicated professional therapist makes up one of the 33 full-time crew.

Bilgin 262-foot ‘Tatiana’

Launched in 2020, Tatiana the new flagship yacht from Bilgin Yachts heralded the arrival of cutting-edge, metal-hulled Turkish-built superyachts. With an internal volume of 1,689 gross tons—more than twice that of Bilgin’s previous flagship— Tatiana is defined by long overhangs and a sweeping sheer line penned by Unique Yacht Design. But it’s the 1,200-square-foot lower deck beach club with its two fold-down sea terraces that steal the limelight. The centerpiece is a 30-foot long, freshwater swimming pool. A second glass-bottomed pool on the main deck bathes the beach club below in dappled sunlight. When the shell doors are closed, guests can pamper themselves in the spa that enjoys a hammam, massage room and wet bar with a backlit floor.

Oceanco’s 360-Foot ‘Kaos’ (ex-‘Jubilee’)

The mighty motor yacht Kaos , formerly known as Jubilee , was built by Dutch shipyard Oceanco. For her Moscow-born exterior designer Igor Lobanov, she represents the need to always have faith in your own vision. Topping both length and volume records in the Netherlands at the time of her launch, Kaos’s layered double decks—the very thing that originally put so many people off the concept—are, for Lobanov, the key to the design’s success. “When you’re travelling on a small tender it gives the scale of a bigger yacht, but as you get closer to the yacht you realize her actual size. That’s what we wanted to achieve. We wanted it to be a design trick.” The illusion has been created with smoked glass panels between the decks that run the length of the superstructure and areas of teak decking inaccessible to guests, but which from a distance look like genuine deck spaces. Perfection.

Nobiskrug’s 262-Foot ‘Artefact’

Renowned for a truly striking exterior before she had even hit water, Artefact is the latest launch from German shipyard Nobiskrug. Designed by Gregory C Marshall, she boasts an extensive use of both structural and decorative glass, and includes a number of new technological and engineering features to minimise its environmental impact. These include a large battery storage system which allows the boat to operate without internal combustion engines for a limited time. The biggest-volume 262-foot superyacht in the world, she is also among the first superyachts to meet IMO Tier III emissions regulations and features an innovative diesel-electric propulsion system developed with electric motor manufacturer ABB.

Sanlorenzo 112-foot SX112

As the flagship of Sanlorenzo’s SX crossover line, the premise of the 111.5-foot SX112 is to introduce a new way of living at sea. Described by the Italian builder as a “floating building,” the innovative design enhances guests’ onboard connectivity to the outdoors. It’s achieved by reducing barriers to the outside and closer indoor-outdoor connection. Greater emphasis has been placed on the stern, which has a spacious internal beach area with easy access to the water and beyond, and elsewhere, retractable terraces maximize the outside connection. Exterior designed by Zucccon International, the SX112 gifts superyacht living space typically found on a much larger yacht aboard a compact platform.

Sunreef 78.7-foot 80 Eco

Is there anything more responsible than an electric sailing yacht that creates renewable energy? We don’t think so. The Sunreef 80 Eco is a sustainable transatlantic catamaran that combines electric propulsion with superyacht living and reliable sailing performance. Designed for long offshore navigation, it even generates its own electricity while under sail via a hydro generation system. A total of 1,765-square-feet of ultra-lightweight composite-integrated solar panels are spread across the mast, boom, superstructure, Bimini and hull sides generating up to 32kWp. Inside, the 78.7-foot multihull enjoys living quarters and accommodation for up to 10 guests, thanks in part to a 38-foot beam. It’s like a luxury pied-à-terre on water.

McConaghy Boats’ 140-Foot Trimaran ‘Adastra’

Costing over $20 million to build when launched in 2012, the owner of this custom-built transatlantic trimaran—shipping magnate Antony Marden—has cruised the seven seas for seven years turning heads everywhere he goes. Adastra ’s space age design comes from the boards of British studio Shuttleworth Design and was built in China by McConaghy Boats. Her speedy and light-weight hull is made from a super-strong e-glass/Kevlar foam sandwich, while her superstructure is made up of carbon fiber with a lightweight Nomex honeycomb core. Currently for sale, she provides the rare opportunity to own a yacht with “amazing seaworthiness” and looks like nothing else out there right now.

This story was originally published on August 7, 2020. It has been updated to reflect the most innovative vessels on the water as of the current publishing date. 

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Video: See inside 9 of the most amazing modern sailing superyachts

• September 10, 2020

Sailing superyacht technology has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years - we take a closer look at nine of the most stunning examples...

1. Aquarius

The brief for Aquarius included that she should be, ‘an elegant, muscular sailing yacht with a classic profile for family enjoyment.’ But that barely scratches the surface of the main requirements for this giant ketch. The owners also wanted a yacht that would combine good seakeeping characteristics with performance, reliability and quality.

Essential features included relative simplicity, robustness of systems and a contemporary interpretation of elegant, classic lines, with a clean and uncomplicated appearance. Aquarius ’s graceful lines and timeless shape belie a rugged world cruiser configured to be self-sufficient for extended periods when voyaging well beyond the popular Med and Caribbean circuits. In addition, the yacht is welcoming for family and friends, while providing sufficient performance to compete in superyacht regattas.

Specifications

LOA: 56.18m (184ft 4in) LWL: 41.17m (135ft 1in) Beam: 9.51m (31ft 2in) Draught: 4.80m (15ft 9in) Displacement: 264 tonnes (591,360lbs) Mainsail: 520m2 (5,597ft2) Mizzen: 440m2 (4,736ft2) Blade: 430m2 (4,628ft2) Air draught: 58.50m (192ft 11in) Spars: Rondal carbon with Rondal/Carbo-Link continuous standing rigging Builder: Royal Huisman Launched: 2017

Photo: Baltic Yachts

2. Pink Gin VI

The Baltic 175 Pink Gin may have captured most of the headlines for her sheer size and cleverly engineered topside balconies, but below decks a collection of Cuban art and some phenomenal styling demand equal attention.

Mark Tucker’s team at Design Unlimited in the UK worked closely with the yacht’s owner, Professor Hans Georg Näder, with whom they had co-operated on his previous Pink Gin , to produce an unusual exercise in interior styling.

LOA: 53.90m (176ft 10in) LWL: 45.27 m (148ft 6in) Beam: 9.55 m (31ft 4in) Draft: 4.50-7.00 m (14ft 9in – 22ft 12in) Displacement: 250 tons (560,000lbs) Ballast: 79 tons (176,960lbs) Naval architect: Judel/Vrolijk & co Interior: Design Unlimited Builder: Baltic Launched: 2017

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Aquarius: Modern classic masterpiece makes for a surprisingly sensible superyacht

A demanding brief for Aquarius from experienced sailors has produced a masterpiece from some of the most experienced and talented…

The Baltic 142 Canova  may not be using the hydrofoils popularised by the America’s Cup , but her 29ft 6in long (9m) horizontal sliding foil employs the same principle of lift to reduce heel and boost speed. The designers of the Dynamic Stability System (DSS) say it could improve the performance of this super-cruiser by 20 per cent, delivering a sustained 25 knots – not bad for a superyacht that displaces 146 tonnes. This is the first time the DSS has been used in superyachting, but its benefits will be used for comfortable, fast long-distance cruising rather than gaining an edge on the racecourse.

With styling and interior design by Lucio Micheletti as well as the in-house team, Canova  sports a sleek, low deck saloon with a hard, fixed bimini extending over the forward cockpit area. Below, her vast deck saloon, providing panoramic views, forms the focal point of her luxury accommodation.

Unusually, the owner’s suite is located almost amidships, where motion is at its least, with further accommodation for six guests in three cabins. Other features include a Rondal rig with electric in-boom furling, a lifting keel and a propeller leg rotating through 180 degrees.

LOA: 43.3m (142ft 1in) LWL: 41.6m (136ft 6in) Beam: 9.m (29ft 6in) Draft: 3.8-6.5m (12ft 6in-21ft 4in) Displacement: 146.5 tons (328,160lbs) Naval architect: Farr Yacht Design Interior design: Baltic Yachts / Lucio Micheletti Exterior design: Lucio Micheletti Builder: Baltic Launched: 2019

Photo: Perini Navi

Part of the world’s largest sailing yacht series by length, Seven is hull number 3 in Perini Navi’s 60m ketch series, after Seahawk and Perseus 3 . Launched in 2017, she was feted for her groundbreaking interior lighting design throughout all five guest cabins. A powerful motor-sailer, her twin MTU engines and 47,000-litre fuel capacity mean a globe-trotting range of 3,600nm when motoring at 12 knots.

LOA: 60m (197ft) LWL: 50.4m (165ft 4in) Beam: 11.4m (37ft 4in) Draft: 4.3m-12.3m (14ft 1in – 40ft 4in) Mast height: 62.2m (204ft) Total sail area: 2,097 m2 (22,572ft2) Displacement: 575 tonnes (1,288,000 lbs) Naval architect: Ron Holland / Perini Navi Builder: Perini Navi Launched: 2017

Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget / Wally

This may be the fourth 100ft yacht designed to the Wallycento box rule, but it’s one that raises the bar with regard to combining form and functionality with outrageously cool aesthetics. Considering that Wally is yachting’s deity of style, that’s saying something.

Tango is at the very forefront of modern fast monohull design and advanced technology. Its stealthy black livery and long, low lines combine with a bold reverse sheerline to create a potent, powerful look. The ruthlessly clean deck is signature Wally. The image of the single helmsman on deck, with all that power and beauty controlled simply by the touch of a network of buttons on the pedestals, has become an icon for the Italian brand.

LOA: 30.48m (100ft) Beam: 7.20m (23ft 7in) Draught: 4.4-6.2m (14ft 5in-20ft 4in) Displacement (light): 47,500kg (104,720lb) Upwind sail area: 640m2 (6,889ft2) Downwind sail area: 1,398m2 (15,048ft2) Naval architecture: Mills Design Exterior design: Wally / Mills Design Interior design: Pininfarina Builder: Persico Marine Launched: 2017

Photo: Breed Media

The owner’s brief for Ngoni would be challenging for any size of yacht: “Build me a beast. Don’t build me a sheep in wolf’s clothing. This has to be an edgy and innovative weapon; fast and furious.” When the boat in question is a giant 58m (190ft) sloop with a displacement of nearly 400 tonnes this project was always going to push hard against existing boundaries of design, deck hardware and materials technology.

“The owner wanted me to take a fresh look at large yacht design,” Dubois recalled before his untimely death four years ago. “He wanted me to go back to my roots in the late 1970s and ’80s when we were designing race boats, but he also knew we had designed a number of high-performance yachts that were nevertheless seaworthy and comfortable cruisers. So I had to reset my internal computer, if you like, and look hard at how we could save weight and add strength.

“That’s how the reverse sheer came about. I was worried he might not like it. The next time we met in London I showed him the design and he loved it – in fact he gave me a big bear hug!”

LOA: 58.15m 190ft 9in LWL: 51.20m 167ft 12in Beam: 9.54m 31ft 4in Draught: 5.3m-81m (17ft 5in-26ft 7in) Displacement: 353 tons (778,224lb) Upwind sail area: 1,950m2 (20,989ft2) Downwind sail area: 3,093m2 (33,293ft2) Air draught: 75m (247ft) Naval architect: Ed Dubois Interior design: Paul Morgan / Rick Baker Builder: Royal Huisman Launched: 2017

Photo: Vitters Shipyard

Ahimsa is a 216ft sloop-rigged aluminum yacht, designed by the late Ed Dubois. Built with a combination of innovation and advanced technical craftsmanship, Ahimsa boasts a low superstructure and deck clean. Key features include the ability to hoist her mainsail in less than two minutes and tack the boat within 30 seconds.

The 83m carbonfibre mast is the largest ever produced by Southern Spars and had to be transported to The Netherlands in two pieces. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Ahimsa ‘s Code 1 sail is the world’s largest artwork on canvas, designed by the Norwegian artist Magne Furuholmen.

LOA: 66m (216ft 6in) Mast height: 83m (272ft 4in) Naval architect: Ed Dubois Builder: Vitters Launched: 2012

Svea , the newest addition to the now nine-strong J Class fleet, is one of the most outstanding new yachts of modern times – a harmonious meeting of historic and modern design; a blend of J Class lines and maxi grand prix yacht technology.

All Js dazzle on the water, but Svea simply stops you in your tracks. Her lines and deck are kept spectacularly clean, thanks to the compact wheelhouse, sunken wheel and wonderfully low boom.

Her dark metallic grey hull and black and red sail wardrobe lend her timeless lines a slightly menacing appearance – a purposeful racing look that belies the luxurious interior below decks. The aggressive aesthetics are in keeping with her name, a Viking word (it means Swede).

LOA: 43.6m (143ft 1in) Interior design: Pieter Beeldsnijder / deVos deVries design Builder: Vitters/Bloemsma Launched: 2017

Not only is Liara a masterpiece of style, thanks to UK-based super designers Malcolm McKeon and Adam Lay combining to stunning effect, but she clearly represents a formidable amount of experience. And that all stems from the boss.

This is the fourth Liara for British serial yacht owner Tony Todd, who is now in his seventies. His initial brief was for a safe, comfortable family cruising yacht for circumnavigating the globe , hence the deep and well-protected cockpit. However, Todd has been racing yachts all his life, and once his competitive side kicked in and the odd regatta was mentioned, the speed, weight and deck layout to make this possible became critical features. The result is Liara , the definitive multi-role superyacht.

Specification

LOA: 112ft 0in (34.14m) LWL: 105ft 0in (32.00m) Beam: 25ft 11in (7.90m) Draught: 13ft 0in-20ft 2in (3.95m-6.15m) Displacement (light): 88 tonnes (194,000 lbs) Design: Malcolm McKeon / Adam Lay Builder: Baltic Launched: 2019

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Istros: Inside the award-winning renovation of the historic 42m superyacht

A bold and eco-aware project has turned a neglected classic into the comfortable, modern 42m yacht Istros

It was a momentous year: 1954 was the first time a British monarch travelled to Australia, it was the year the Americans tested an H-bomb in Bikini, the year the Soviet Union stopped asking for reparations from West Germany – and a Dutch yard finished the construction of 42 metre Istros .

The post-war reconstruction had rewarded enterprising Greek shipowners, such as Aristotle Onassis and Stavros Niarchos, whose massive fleets allowed them to create two of the world’s most iconic yachts. For Onassis, that was 99 metre Christina O, the converted anti-submarine frigate that went on to host every mid-century celebrity from Winston Churchill to Marilyn Monroe; for Niarchos it was 115 metre Atlantis.

The Pappadakis family invested in fewer tankers but did well enough to finance the construction of Istros, which was then the largest yacht built in The Netherlands. Good thing a couple of nosey Dutch reporters were at the Amsterdam De Vries Lentsch shipyard for the launch, to record for posterity details such as the yacht’s radar, white private telephone – both of which were pretty cutting-edge in 1954 – and violet-blue bathrooms.

The size and luxury of his yacht notwithstanding, the family patriarch did not enjoy the limelight and taught his children the art of going unnoticed in a crowd. This may explain in part why Istros – which was known for a time as Andros – left very few breadcrumbs that would allow her history to be retraced. Little is known, therefore, about Istros’s next half-century.

We do know she had a fan club, however. An admirer snapped her up and embarked on a major refit about eight years ago, but the project came to a screeching halt. It happens, family and business circumstances change, and passions rise and fall. Another suitor came along but perhaps realised that the project was a bit much to handle – Istros was left to languish tied to a quay in Malta.

That’s where captain Tristan le Brun first spotted her. He was there with the successful charter yacht Etoile d’Azur , a 30m Moonen which he and the owner had refitted, and he decided to take a closer look at Istros under the cover of night. He was intrigued, but made no further intimations of interest at that time.

A competitive sailor who studied economics before becoming captain at the age of 22, he occupies whatever idle time he has searching boat listings and sorting the boats that are for sale by category. A few years after his Malta encounter with Istros , he was engaged in one such search – this time for a new project that the owner of Etoile d’Azur might enjoy – when he noticed that the classic boat was on the market.

“It was easy to get the owner excited about this because he loves projects. He is in yachting because he loves beautiful machines and that’s why we get along,” he says. “Before the refit of the Moonen 97 , we already had looked at doing a restoration but eventually concluded that it wasn’t worth it.” Instead, they focused on other challenges, doing “double seasons in charter and two Atlantic crossings”. Once they ticked off all those boxes, they found themselves in need of a new challenge. Istros looked like the right project: a pedigreed yacht with loads of charm at a very attractive price.

“The owner told me, ‘let’s buy it but keep it to ourselves and carry on researching the project’,” Le Brun says. They priced the cost of materials and asked several shipyards for bids. Le Brun was very keen on working with Feadship, but it took time to agree on financial terms. It helped in the negotiations that the project also appealed to Feadship , which has been building its heritage fleet, as well as launching new yachts. Eventually they reached an agreement and work began in Malta in late 2018.

Even the best-laid plans sometimes hit a snag, and the refit of Istros proved to be a bigger challenge than anticipated. First, there was not much available in terms of archives and drawings; the specs of the original engines, for example, were non-existent. Because of their age and of the way they worked, the owner and captain had decided to replace them. “The owner likes elegant things, but he is very modern. Neither of us like old things. And we weren’t interested in turning Istros into a museum piece,” Le Brun says.

The original engines were not practical for a yacht that was going to charter frequently, and they weren’t efficient. “To reverse or go forward, you had to turn off the engine and restart in the other direction. Some people love that,” Le Brun says, “but that was not for us. We wanted a magnificent boat that could move in and out of port like any modern yacht.”

They took the decision to repower the yacht with two fuel-efficient C18 Caterpillars. What no one expected was that the original engines, weighing 36 tonnes, represented more than 15 per cent of the boat’s weight – by comparison, the new engines are two tonnes each, with the gearbox. That was very significant in terms of the yacht’s stability and would warrant an enormous amount of lead ballast.

Another discovery helped derail the initial plans – extensive corrosion all around the steel superstructure had particularly weakened window and door frames. The owner and captain wanted the yacht to be compliant with Lloyd’s and the classification society said that to comply they had to replace the original teak doors with watertight ones anyway. Eventually, it became clear the better path forward was to excise the problematic superstructure.

“ De Voogt Naval Architects came up with the solution of building a new superstructure in aluminium, much lighter than steel, and that we could make with good frames and good doors. Today what costs the most are man hours, more so than materials,” Le Brun says. In other words, it’s more cost-effective to buy new aluminium than spend months repairing corroded steel. “On all levels, it was the most logical solution.”

Before cutting the original superstructure off, the refit team did a full 3D scan that would be used to build a new structure. Then Istros left Malta on a barge bound for a metal specialist in The Netherlands where the partially riveted steel hull would undergo additional repairs. Finally, in August 2019, the yacht arrived in Makkum for 11 months of detailed work and outfitting.

“A ship that is 65 years old holds surprises,” says Pieter Dibbits, manager of special projects at the Koninklijke De Vries shipyard. It wasn’t an easy time in the project, but everyone was invested in a successful outcome.

To that end, the yard had to reinvent the way it works, Dibbits says. They had eight to 10 drawings to go by, compared to the usual 5,000-plus available on a new build. Back in the 1950s, a boatbuilder worked very differently – they relied on their eyes and feel rather than precise mathematics with a tolerance measured in millimetres. And the original boatbuilder had a very good eye. “She is a rather narrow boat, which is part of her beauty, and she has many curves, (in fact) there is not a straight line on her,” Dibbits says.

Part of the challenge was to preserve the beautiful balance the original boatbuilder had created but also to make her better able to accommodate modern comfort and what comes with it – lots of electrical cables and pipes.

“We decided to make the superstructure slightly higher, about 10 centimetres, and the bulwark is also a little higher, so that the lines are the same,” Dibbits says. “It was a chilling moment to see the superstructure land on the hull that it had never seen. It fitted like a glove and the lines are spot on. From a distance you won’t be able to tell that the superstructure is higher. It turned out amazing.”

There are many details that are not visible at first glance. The shipyard moved bulkheads to accommodate a new modern layout suited to charter and new machinery. This entailed moving several portholes laterally. To avoid having to install storm shutters on the lower portholes, the yard came up with a custom-made solution borrowed from a new build project: they made a hatch using two layers of tempered glass separated by a void and sealed it in a watertight frame. The class society approved a similar solution for the portholes. “We had it tested and it is stronger than steel,” Dibbits says.

The shipyard also replaced the original teak masts with identical-looking structures built in aluminium and clad in a wrap that mimics teak. The same wrap is used on watertight doors that replace the original teak ones. “Not only does the wrapping look like teak but it also feels like teak,” Dibbits says.

The funnel, which on many classic yachts becomes an ornament (sometimes used to store deck chairs or brooms and brushes) still works as a conduit for the clean exhaust produced by a very modern class-approved Capstone microturbine. “It’s funny,” says the captain, “when we start the turbine, a little steam rises that looks like a white cloud.”

The owner wanted the interior to be modern, comfortable and family-friendly. To this end, he decided to keep the original teak wheel in what is now a paperless wheelhouse. Children, he thought, would get a kick out of turning it, but he did not care if it still worked.

The shipyard could not abide the idea of a decorative wheel and so they rigged it to work with the modern electronics. “It works flawlessly; that’s the only thing we used on sea trials,” Dibbits says. “All (the captain) has to do is to make sure he disengages it when the kids play with it.”

The traditional teak wheel is an eye-catching piece in the otherwise white pilothouse. “It looks like it’s made for Captain Haddock,” says Tracey Canavaggio of Van Geest Design . The designer, who does work for Feadship, was introduced to the captain by the shipyard. The boat was classical enough; they did not want darker woods and historical references, they wanted something fresh and livable.

“It was clear it would be a family boat, uncluttered, simple to live and practical for the crew,” says Canavaggio who handled the project with design partner Pieter Van Geest. “We started with a Scandinavian design, minimal lines but keeping it warm as well, and because it’s going to be mostly in the Med, we said let’s keep it white and crisp,” she says.

The main idea was that of a beach house for carefree living. The cabins have large comfortable beds and the showers stalls, all with bench seats, are spacious. The materials are easy to care for. The children’s cabin is part of a two-cabin suite in the aft section of the boat and has bunk beds, because kids love to climb. They gave the crew direct access to the galley on main deck and had a good time outfitting the galley with all that’s needed to serve up quality meals and drinks.

Contrasting with white bulkheads and ceilings, are oiled teak floors, dark stained spruce details and touches of colour for throw pillows and accessories.

Almost nothing was pulled off a shelf in a boutique. The owner introduced the designers to Belgian furniture maker Reul Frères and together they created nearly all the innovative, stylish furniture on board.

Most of the outdoor furniture is built out of Corian, including the outside of sofas that look as smooth and shapely as eggshells. Because the yacht has a lot of camber, they devised a creative way to fasten the furniture to the deck using two disks on wedges. “You turn them until you find the right curvature,” Canavaggio says. They also designed foldable deck chairs built in teak, stainless steel and linen. They are wide, sturdy, stable and elegant. Like Istros herself, they are a mix of classic and modern – timeless but new.

It’s unavoidable that people will ask, could the owner have built a new Feadship and get the same results? The answer is no. “If you try to build the same boat new, you would not be able to do it (because boatbuilding and rules have change so much). You can’t just make a replica. It’s not how it works,” Dibbits says.

“A new boat is just not the same. When you get on board an older boat, you know it has a history. You can feel it. It’s psychological but it is also the way it looks,” the captain says.

Istros no longer has blue-violet bathrooms or a big white telephone. But she has plenty a nosy reporter can marvel at – an internet-based TV system, fast induction phone chargers, flat panel antennas and a small turbine that spins on air bearings to power them all. She is a better version of her former self.

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U.S. Eyes $156 Million Yacht in Dubai Linked to a Russian Oligarch

The U.S. Justice Department is taking steps to seize the Madame Gu, a 324-foot luxury yacht, but it will be diplomatically thorny.

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By Kate Kelly ,  Michael Forsythe and Julian E. Barnes

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — On a clear morning in late October, the jewel-blue hull of the Madame Gu, one of the world’s most luxurious superyachts, gleamed, its aluminum rails shimmering in the sun. Workers on the pier said they had recently seen people painting, cleaning and generally keeping the ship with its helipad and six guest staterooms in pristine condition.

In past years, such a scene would not have been noteworthy. Many superyachts come and go from Dubai’s Mina Rashid Marina, best known as the home of the Queen Elizabeth 2, the trans-Atlantic ocean liner-turned-hotel that dominates the waterfront here.

But Russia’s war in Ukraine has turned an otherwise routine tableau into a diplomatic battleground between the United States and the United Arab Emirates, an important American ally that has established itself as a safe haven for Russian money and assets out of the reach of U.S. sanctions.

The $156 million Madame Gu epitomizes the problem. In June, the United States designated the vessel, which is linked to Andrei Skoch, a Russian steel magnate and lawmaker under sanctions, as blocked property. That means the yacht cannot use American companies for its upkeep, employ U.S. citizens or even use the dollar. The Justice Department is now taking steps to seize the Madame Gu, according to people with knowledge of the plan.

But the United States can’t seize property in a sovereign nation without permission from its government. The Emirates, which has taken a friendlier position toward Moscow, is balking at cooperating with the United States to pursue oligarchs, American officials said. The Kremlin is also using oligarch-controlled companies in the Emirates to acquire war supplies that the West is trying to keep out of Russia’s reach, according to a Western official involved in the sanctions effort against Russia.

Emirati officials did not comment specifically on the Madame Gu but said in a statement that they took their role “protecting the integrity of the global financial system extremely seriously.”

A closer examination of Russian assets in the Emirates shows that even before the war in Ukraine, Dubai had become a playground for Russians with links to President Vladimir V. Putin. At least 38 businessmen or officials with ties to the Russian president own homes in Dubai that are collectively valued at more than $314 million, according to the Center for Advanced Defense Studies. Five of those owners are under U.S. sanctions.

Since the Russian invasion, Dubai has established itself as a safe haven for Russian yachts and aircraft unable to sail or fly elsewhere. After Russian jets were barred from the European Union in late February, the Emirates became the destination for 14 percent of all private flights leaving Russia, up from 3 percent before the invasion.

“It’s frustrating when you see huge assets that are sitting out there and it appears that the country is not cooperating,” said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island, referring to the Emirates. “It would be nice if there were more common cause against Putin while he’s busy shelling hospitals and schools.”

Mr. Whitehouse is sponsoring legislation that would use proceeds of the sales of seized Russian assets to help rebuild Ukraine. Senior officials at the Treasury and State Departments have also complained publicly about the situation.

U.S. officials view the presence of superyachts in places like Dubai and Bodrum, Turkey , as a symptom of wider Russian circumvention of sanctions and continued access to financial markets. Yachts have also come to symbolize the decadence of Russia’s oligarchs, especially at a time when Russian soldiers are scrounging for body armor and sleeping bags on the front lines.

Pursuing the Madame Gu

Built by the Dutch firm Feadship and put into service in 2013, the Madame Gu has a large helicopter pad on its forecastle with a hangar underneath that can double as a squash court when the chopper isn’t on board. The vessel has berthing for 36 crew members, according to one trade magazine.

Mr. Skoch, a member of Russia’s Parliament who is linked to assets worth billions of dollars, according to U.S. court filings, has had sanctions imposed on him twice by the United States, first in 2018 and then after Russia’s invasion this year. The Treasury Department has cited his “longstanding ties to Russian organized criminal groups.”

Mr. Skoch could not be reached and did not respond to messages left at his office at Parliament.

In an interview in October about the government’s broader efforts to go after the assets of oligarchs, Andrew Adams, a federal prosecutor leading the Department of Justice’s KleptoCapture task force, declined to discuss the Madame Gu. But the United States, he said, is warning companies they must not do business with individuals and assets under sanctions. The government, he said, will pursue oligarch-owned assets whose sale could be used to aid Ukraine.

“Where we know there is an asset that can potentially provide significant remuneration for Ukraine, that obviously is an attractive case to pursue,” he said.

U.S. officials are likely to use the case they made for impounding a $90 million Airbus business jet linked to Mr. Skoch in August as a blueprint for seizing the Madame Gu, said people familiar with the plan.

That means investigators will aim to show that the owner of the vessel, or the companies that have been providing services to it, have intersected with the U.S. financial system.

“If there are U.S. dollars or a U.S. nexus associated with supporting this vessel, massive enforcement actions could take place,” said Adam M. Smith, a former official overseeing sanctions at the Treasury Department. Companies that provide support to entities under sanctions could potentially face their own sanctions, said Mr. Smith, who is now a lawyer at Gibson Dunn in Washington.

This year the United States has carried out two high-profile seizures of yachts tied to Russians under sanctions, working with cooperative governments. The $300 million Amadea was taken in Fiji in May and sailed to San Diego under an American flag. In April, the United States worked with Spanish police to seize the $90 million Tango.

A Problematic Partner

Diplomatically, the Emirates has been reluctant to take a clear anti-Russian position when it comes to the war in Ukraine. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, recently met with Mr. Putin in St. Petersburg, and the Emirati foreign minister recently hosted his Russian counterpart. Yet Sheikh Mohammed has also talked with Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, more than once and recently gave the country $100 million in humanitarian aid.

The United States has publicly expressed dismay over the mixed messages.

During a visit to Dubai in June, Wally Adeyemo, the U.S. deputy treasury secretary, warned of the need for vigilance and proactive steps in combating Russian evasion. That same month Barbara Leaf, the State Department’s under secretary for Near East Affairs, said at a congressional hearing that regarding the Emirates, she was “not happy at all with the record at this point” on sanctions enforcement. Mr. Adeyemo reiterated his concerns in a meeting with Emirati officials in October in Washington.

A senior State Department official said in a statement to The New York Times that the agency continues “to reinforce the importance of conducting enhanced due diligence to prevent sanctions evasion and investigating allegations of such activity” to the Emirates.

The Treasury Department declined to comment on the Madame Gu or the relationship with the Emirates.

Last month, the Treasury Department announced it had placed sanctions on an Emirates-based company, Constellation Advisors Ltd., that the American government said was operating on behalf of a nephew of another Russian oligarch, Suleiman Kerimov. Mr. Kerimov, according to American court documents, was the owner of the Amadea superyacht .

American officials are also worried the Russian government is using the Emirates to acquire military supplies for its war in Ukraine. On Nov. 15, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on two Emirates-based transportation firms that had worked with another Iranian firm under sanctions, which in turn had helped transport drones and personnel from Iran to Russia.

Moored in Dubai

Based on a recent visit to Dubai’s Mina Rashid Marina , where the Madame Gu is moored, it is clear that international companies are playing a critical role in its care.

The Emirates-based company DP World, through its subsidiary P&O Marinas , oversees the pier where the Madame Gu is moored. Employees from another DP World subsidiary , World Security, staff the small guard box at the entrance. That makes DP World, which is owned by Dubai’s royal family, potentially vulnerable to American sanctions.

DP World “fully complies with all applicable local and national laws and intends to continue doing the same regarding the Madame Gu and other vessels utilizing our services,” said Adal Mirza, a spokesman for the company. He added that DP World had not yet heard from the United States or other countries that had placed Mr. Skoch under sanctions, including Britain and the European Union.

A generator set that dock workers said in late October was powering the Madame Gu — two container-like structures near its stern — bore the distinctive orange logo of Aggreko , a British company. The generator set was connected to the superyacht by thick cords; one of the containers was emitting grayish exhaust.

At the Mina Rashid Marina, soon after Aggreko was contacted by The Times, workers removed the generator. “Having identified that the generator was being used to power a vessel that is allegedly connected to a sanctioned person, we immediately terminated this rental and have since recovered the generator,” the company said in a statement.

Mr. Mirza, the DP World spokesman, said the Aggreko generator had been replaced with one from a local supplier.

P&O Marinas arranged for the diesel generator to provide power for the Madame Gu because that part of the pier, a holding area, has no shore-supplied electric power, said a port official in Dubai, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the press.

“At the end of the day, if the U.A.E. hasn’t imposed sanctions, it’s not really their job to enforce other countries’ laws within their borders,” said Nabeel Yousef, a Washington-based partner at the law firm Freshfields, where he runs the sanctions practice. Nevertheless, “companies should not take comfort in the fact that their country has not imposed sanctions,” he added, “because even the smallest connection to the U.S. can lead to U.S. penalties.”

There has also been a notable absence onboard the Madame Gu in recent weeks: a flag. Unlike other ships moored nearby, including the Quantum Blue, a superyacht linked to the billionaire Sergei Galitsky, the Madame Gu appears to be stateless, apparently having been deflagged by the Cayman Islands.

Cayman Islands officials didn’t respond to an emailed inquiry about the ship’s status.

If DP World were to face fallout from U.S. sanctions enforcers, it wouldn’t be the first time the company has been the focus of attention in Washington. In 2006, DP World was seeking to manage some terminal operations at six American ports but dropped out of the deal after a bipartisan uproar in Congress.

Anton Troianovski contributed reporting from Turin, Italy, and Oleg Matsnev from Berlin.

Kate Kelly covers money, influence, and policy as a correspondent in the Washington bureau of the Times. Before that, she spent twenty years covering Wall Street deals, key players and their intersection with politics. She is the author of three books, including "The Education of Brett Kavanaugh." More about Kate Kelly

Michael Forsythe is a reporter on the investigations team. He was previously a correspondent in Hong Kong, covering the intersection of money and politics in China. He has also worked at Bloomberg News and is a United States Navy veteran. More about Michael Forsythe

Julian E. Barnes is a national security reporter based in Washington, covering the intelligence agencies. Before joining The Times in 2018, he wrote about security matters for The Wall Street Journal. More about Julian E. Barnes

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Cruising the Moskva River: A short guide to boat trips in Russia’s capital

There’s hardly a better way to absorb Moscow’s atmosphere than on a ship sailing up and down the Moskva River. While complicated ticketing, loud music and chilling winds might dampen the anticipated fun, this checklist will help you to enjoy the scenic views and not fall into common tourist traps.

How to find the right boat?

There are plenty of boats and selecting the right one might be challenging. The size of the boat should be your main criteria.

Plenty of small boats cruise the Moskva River, and the most vivid one is this yellow Lay’s-branded boat. Everyone who has ever visited Moscow probably has seen it.

This option might leave a passenger disembarking partially deaf as the merciless Russian pop music blasts onboard. A free spirit, however, will find partying on such a vessel to be an unforgettable and authentic experience that’s almost a metaphor for life in modern Russia: too loud, and sometimes too welcoming. Tickets start at $13 (800 rubles) per person.

Bigger boats offer smoother sailing and tend to attract foreign visitors because of their distinct Soviet aura. Indeed, many of the older vessels must have seen better days. They are still afloat, however, and getting aboard is a unique ‘cultural’ experience. Sometimes the crew might offer lunch or dinner to passengers, but this option must be purchased with the ticket. Here is one such  option  offering dinner for $24 (1,490 rubles).

If you want to travel in style, consider Flotilla Radisson. These large, modern vessels are quite posh, with a cozy restaurant and an attentive crew at your service. Even though the selection of wines and food is modest, these vessels are still much better than other boats.

Surprisingly, the luxurious boats are priced rather modestly, and a single ticket goes for $17-$32 (1,100-2,000 rubles); also expect a reasonable restaurant bill on top.

How to buy tickets?

Women holding photos of ships promise huge discounts to “the young and beautiful,” and give personal invitations for river tours. They sound and look nice, but there’s a small catch: their ticket prices are usually more than those purchased online.

“We bought tickets from street hawkers for 900 rubles each, only to later discover that the other passengers bought their tickets twice as cheap!”  wrote  (in Russian) a disappointed Rostislav on a travel company website.

Nevertheless, buying from street hawkers has one considerable advantage: they personally escort you to the vessel so that you don’t waste time looking for the boat on your own.

Prices start at $13 (800 rubles) for one ride, and for an additional $6.5 (400 rubles) you can purchase an unlimited number of tours on the same boat on any given day.

Flotilla Radisson has official ticket offices at Gorky Park and Hotel Ukraine, but they’re often sold out.

Buying online is an option that might save some cash. Websites such as  this   offer considerable discounts for tickets sold online. On a busy Friday night an online purchase might be the only chance to get a ticket on a Flotilla Radisson boat.

This  website  (in Russian) offers multiple options for short river cruises in and around the city center, including offbeat options such as ‘disco cruises’ and ‘children cruises.’ This other  website  sells tickets online, but doesn’t have an English version. The interface is intuitive, however.

Buying tickets online has its bad points, however. The most common is confusing which pier you should go to and missing your river tour.

“I once bought tickets online to save with the discount that the website offered,” said Igor Shvarkin from Moscow. “The pier was initially marked as ‘Park Kultury,’ but when I arrived it wasn’t easy to find my boat because there were too many there. My guests had to walk a considerable distance before I finally found the vessel that accepted my tickets purchased online,” said the man.

There are two main boarding piers in the city center:  Hotel Ukraine  and  Park Kultury . Always take note of your particular berth when buying tickets online.

Where to sit onboard?

Even on a warm day, the headwind might be chilly for passengers on deck. Make sure you have warm clothes, or that the crew has blankets ready upon request.

The glass-encased hold makes the tour much more comfortable, but not at the expense of having an enjoyable experience.

Getting off the boat requires preparation as well. Ideally, you should be able to disembark on any pier along the way. In reality, passengers never know where the boat’s captain will make the next stop. Street hawkers often tell passengers in advance where they’ll be able to disembark. If you buy tickets online then you’ll have to research it yourself.

There’s a chance that the captain won’t make any stops at all and will take you back to where the tour began, which is the case with Flotilla Radisson. The safest option is to automatically expect that you’ll return to the pier where you started.

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