Boaty McBoatface and Friends
anything brewing @vj?
(this Russian thing is blowing minds in West Scotland atm.. details below)
£81 million superyacht owned by Russian billionaire turns heads
Argyllshire Advertiser
News
Aug 26, 2025
by Ellis Butcher
It wouldn’t look out of place in a James Bond blockbuster. Two helipads, six decks, Jacuzzis, a sauna, a massage room and a fully equipped gym – La Datcha is a floating palace of indulgence.
The £81 million expedition yacht, built in 2020, has been stealing the spotlight as it sails through Scotland’s sealochs and island-studded coastline. In recent weeks, the 252ft vessel has been seen from Campbeltown to Islay, Arran to Dunoon and as far north as Plockton near Skye.
Social media has been buzzing too, as locals and visitors share snaps of the striking craft.
Some admire its opulence – “Incredible!” wrote one Instagram user – while others are less convinced by its “distinctive” brown colour scheme. Among the more scathing reviews: “The ugliest boat I have ever seen,” and the memorable “A floating butterscotch Angel Delight.”
Owned by Russian-born billionaire Oleg Tinkov, La Datcha offers luxury accommodation for up to 12 guests and can be chartered for what its promoters call “exclusive adventures” and “life-changing encounters with pristine nature.” Guests enjoy the full works: two Jacuzzis, a sauna and steam bath, a massage room and a gym.
Flying under the Panama flag, the yacht has been calling at ports along the west coast, from Gourock and Greenock to Dunstaffnage.
For its owner, it appears to be a welcome escape. Tinkov, 57, is the founder of Tinkoff Bank – once one of the world’s largest online banks – and an outspoken critic of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Posting to his 1.1 million Instagram followers, he recently shared footage from an uninhabited Scottish island, insisting its white sands and turquoise waters were “not the Seychelles” but Scotland. “This is Scotland, can you believe it?” he said to the camera. “No regrets,” he added, whisky emoji included.
The businessman, who is battling Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, told followers to “Enjoy life!” – a message that resonates as he sails the Hebrides in the lap of luxury.
Love it or loathe it, one thing is certain: La Datcha hasn’t gone unnoticed during its adventures on Scotland’s west coast.
It looks like a 1980s Telecom building. I had to zoom in to realise what you were talking about.
I thought it was a building on a harbour side spit.
seeds wrote:It looks like a 1980s Telecom building
haha, doesn't it.. (love the local saying it looks like a butterscotch pudding).. jet skis, launching craft in a matching caramel.. what's with seafaring luxury boats looking like a 1982 Architectural Digest article of a power couple's penthouse in Manhattan. All bachelor brown, wife white, burled wood veneer and layered curtains.
https://www.ladatcha.com/expedition-yacht-77/
anyone know which boat the Slater family have chartered in Fiji?
Only just seen this.
OK.
To get a new account from a participant who was at the action 84 years ago is absolutely remarkable. It's not primary evidence as it will be a recollection from a 108 year old man, but it's as close as we can get today.
Sal runs an amazing channel. When I need to know the low down on what's happening with people sending stuff over the oceans, and more, I'll go here:
I tried one, this one for obvious swellnet reasons. excellent, @vj!!
It's a great channel, so much going on and his knowledge is deep. There's been a few EV fires on car carriers in recent years.
Here's a picturesque one: who would've known that the west coast of Newfoundland got such big waves? Ship on the rocks.
I'm lost in here... but b6, hahaha
Ben owns a shipping company on the sly, who knew?
He knows when to sail!
That’s not right. What’s it called when a MV gets underway?
Steaming.
Something this brand-new tub won't be doing.
Maybe steam.
Throw the lines?
^ I think the crew lean in t'ward the captain
and chant "chug.. chug.. chug.. chug.."
(baltic video great too, @vj..)
Steaming under diesel
That was funny watching that the other day Tubeshooter
Mega rich owner must be spewing
tubeshooter wrote:Steaming.
Something this brand-new tub won't be doing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvTIhMQfTqE
ha, what a Turkey of a yacht..
yeah, it gave me a good laugh too seeds.
At least it had life jackets.
The term does come from the steam engine days but still applies today.
Even sailing vessels have to have a white 'steaming light' on at night if they are using engine propulsion.
Makes sense
Thanks TS!
That's a bit too much top weight with too little ballast = epic boatfail
Now for one of my favourite named ships, the Wimpey Seahorse:
ships, yachts, tinnys, trailer-sailers and charters.