77-metre explorer: ‘La Datcha’: a charter yacht between the poles

The surroundings are reminiscent of a ski lodge. In each corner there is a rack for drying ski boots and another for warming gloves. Two open-plan walk-in wardrobes and two walk-in wardrobes, along with a central changing bench, complete the ‘mud room’. The ‘mud room’, a rectangular space situated almost amidships on the main deck, is accessed from the helicopter hangar on the port side, the tender and submersible garage on the starboard side, and, in the centre, the staircase leading down to the beach club, which is located one deck below. The mud room acts as a sort of airlock, marking the transition from ship to yacht and from adventure and sport to comfort and tranquillity in the guest areas. “The Mud Room is a central location. This is where the expedition leader’s briefings take place, and where equipment is fitted, put on and taken off,” says Enrique Tintore of the room with the rather unglamorous name. The product manager for Damen Yachting’s Xplorer line deliberately begins the tour at the heart of the 77-metre-long “La Datcha”. The second Xplorer delivery stood out simply because of its name. It derives from the French term for the holiday or weekend cottages originating in Russia. Although, as is well known, in the homeland of all dachas, these wooden cottages can take on truly palatial proportions.

​Yachting experiences far from the usual hotspots

The Xplorer models are a cross between Amels yachts and Yacht Support supply vessels, most of which are built to commercial standards. It was precisely these three ‘white’ brands that the Damen shipyard group brought together last year under the umbrella of Damen Yachting. Division Managing Director Rose Damen commissioned the Dutch studio Azure Yacht Design to create a distinctive design for the X-line. The specialists in Arctic cruises from EYOS Expeditions were also involved in the concept. The result is an exterior that is at times imposing yet self-assured, with a raised bow that leaves no doubt as to where the voyages are headed. ‘La Datcha’ owner Oleg Tinkov took an instant liking to it, as he explained in an interview with the shipyard. “I was on the verge of buying an Amels 199, but I carried on researching Amels and came across the Xplorer. You could say it was love at first sight. The masculine, bold lines immediately caught my eye.”

In external communications, the focus was on autonomy. The owner of ‘Anawa’, the first 62-metre-long Xplorer, can enjoy voyages lasting up to 30 days without having to stop to refuel. For Tinkov, too, the prospect of 40 days of seclusion ranks far higher than the urge to have to make an appearance at yachting hotspots. The Russian entrepreneur described his cruising habits to *Damen Yachting* as follows: “It’s about discovery, not about sipping martinis off the coast of Saint-Tropez. People are fed up with the old haunts. Practically every centimetre of the Mediterranean has already been explored. It’s Portofino, Porto Cervo and Monaco every time – the same boring triangle. There is so much more to the world than the Mediterranean or the British Virgin Islands. That’s only five per cent of the world’s coastline, and as the adventurer that I am, I want to explore the remaining 95 per cent as well.”

An owner who enjoys sport and is interested in chartering

Tinkow is the ideal owner for this new type of yacht. He is a keen road cyclist and skier, whilst fishing and diving also feature on his leisure agenda. It is precisely for these hobbies that he has, until now, set off from five properties scattered across the Alps, Italy and Mexico, all of which are called ‘La Datcha’. Six years ago, Tinkow began letting out his private holiday portfolio and gradually bringing it together under the Tinkoff Collection. It is difficult to separate Tinkow’s professional and private lives; he was an amateur road cyclist in his youth and for a long time ran an international cycling team, for which he most recently acted as the sole main sponsor through his online bank. “When I’m on holiday and practising one of my favourite sports, that’s when I get my best business ideas,” Tinkow explains on the Tinkoff Collection website, where he also shares his philosophy on life: “Work hard, play harder.”

“La Datcha” is chartered centrally through Nova Yachts, though this unique experience can also be booked via Blue Ocean Club. For a weekly rate of 750,000 euros, up to twelve guests do not merely board a yacht, but enjoy a whole package of outdoor activities in unusual destinations. For diving and water sports, destinations such as the Seychelles, the Maldives or Madagascar are visited. For a contrasting programme of heliskiing and wildlife tours, the journey takes guests across the Drake Passage to Antarctica.

The enchanting interior of ‘La Datcha’

And so, back to the Mud Room. The covered living areas of the forward superstructure are accessed via a short outdoor walkway; in freezing or very windy conditions, glass panels form a corridor. The stop-off in the mud room and the brief stroll across the teak deck are a must for guests coming from the spa and gym in the beach club. The forward section, housing the spacious guest accommodation, extends over less than half the length of the hull – an unmistakable sign of a true explorer yacht. On such a vessel, it is not unusual for the main saloon to be located on the upper deck. It is reached by lift or stairs after passing the three double cabins on the main deck.

Vasiliy Shprits’ design philosophy is evident in the saloon. The St Petersburg-based architect first met Oleg Tinkov 20 years ago, when he fitted out an apartment for him in his home city. This was followed by all the properties in the Tinkoff Collection and close collaboration on Shprits’ first yacht project. Referring to the main saloon, Vasiliy Shprits explains: “We gave the interior a Russian touch by drawing inspiration from the fairy tale ‘Fire, Water and Trumpets’. The hero must overcome these obstacles to rescue his beloved. So, in the saloon, we incorporated fire via a fireplace in the dining table and water in the form of the iceberg bar and the synthetic resin coffee table. The bronze window and door frames are intended to symbolise the copper of the trombone.”

Two helicopters for heliskiing adventures

From the Three Elements lounge, the route leads past the outdoor table and up six steps to the helideck. This begins with a synthetic teak surface, on which a RIB and a crane are positioned on the starboard side. Enrique Tintore calls it “a commercial solution” for dropping guests off quickly and safely, for example on glacier tours. When helicopter flights to remote regions are on the expedition itinerary, the standby helicopter is parked here. Tintore points out four hatches that offer “storage space, storage space, storage space”. After all, thinking in terms of self-sufficiency isn’t limited to fuel capacity. That’s covered too. The flight officer refuels the two single-engine Eurocopter AS350 B3s on deck; they carry up to ten cubic metres of kerosene. The older version of the model, now marketed by Airbus Helicopters as the H125, bears the additional designation ‘E’ for ‘squirrel’ due to its manoeuvrability. The B3 is the first choice for heliskiers worldwide, as it kicks up less snow when landing on mountain peaks, is fast and is also suitable for flying at high altitudes, even in extreme weather conditions.

The aircraft are stored in a hangar, which they enter one after the other via a helicopter lift: once a twelve-metre-long aluminium flap in the helipad has opened hydraulically, the lift rises to deck level and picks up the first Aerotender on a trolley. Once at the bottom, the Aerotender – still on its tow bar – is rolled into its parking position parallel to the lift and secured. The second helicopter remains on the lift after it has been lowered and is lashed down there. The lift-and-flap unit is operated via a wireless remote control or a control panel in the hangar. The explosion-proof and sensor-monitored helicopter lift system was supplied by Fassmer, who equipped the unit with extras such as a switchable service mode for safe maintenance work and a programmable display. The Lower Saxony-based company also developed the control technology and software for the automated process, which operates at cycle times measured in seconds.

A ‘Mini Me’ tender for ‘La Datcha’

This great adventure requires a high level of safety, and not just in the air; it is a small detail on the limousine tender, which is a good nine metres long – the grab lines on the hull for rescuing people in the water – that also classifies it as a SOLAS lifeboat. Although the class did not require this for the 77-metre-long ‘La Datcha’, the owner regarded it as an additional precaution. This meant that the tender had to be self-righting. Another requirement set for Fassmer was to build the tender as a replica of the mother ship. ‘Mini Me’, as the project is aptly named, is certified to carry a maximum of 23 people and, due to the undercuts in its exterior, is the result of a complex GRP manufacturing process involving several mould sections. When the Bonsai version of ‘La Datcha’ is not in operation at speeds of up to 25 knots, it is moored in front of the helicopter hangar on the port side of the main deck. The opposite berthing position is reserved for a landing tender from Insider Yachts and, when unoccupied, is used for launching jet skis, snowmobiles or motorbikes. Sheltered behind this are a three-person diving boat from Triton and the tender designated as a ‘Dive-RIB’ – at 9.10 metres, the longest on board. The diving centre and decompression chamber, as well as the entire range of water toys, are housed one deck below on the lower deck, the forward section of which is entirely reserved for the 25-strong crew.

​Redundant owner’s cabin

Even the owner’s cabin on ‘La Datcha’ has been designed with redundancy in mind. This is due to the charter operations planned from the outset, about which Oleg Tinkov said in an interview for Damen’s customer magazine, *Finest Moments*: “Two master suites are perfect for two families. Chartering a yacht designed for twelve guests for just one family is far too expensive, if not downright unwise.” The actual owner’s suite is spread across the forward main deck and is recognisable as such by its size – almost 100 square metres – as well as a freestanding bath behind a dimmable glass front. There is no direct connection to the outside, such as via a folding balcony. Vasily Shprits breaks up the beige colour scheme with blue accents. He drew inspiration from the water for the entire main and lower decks, whilst the upper and bridge decks are characterised by details in earthy colours, including the second master suite, which extends over 70 square metres on the starboard side of the upper deck and is situated next to a VIP cabin.

What is generally striking is the absence of glossy surfaces and the fact that the walls are covered with virtually no framed art. There is, however, some crawling art. Metal ants move across the bed in the alternative owner’s apartment, and their path continues into the adjoining lounge. “Our initial concept sketches emphasised that adventures are constantly all around us and even come on board: in the form of savage tribesmen with spears dancing in the cabin, or white bears popping in for a cup of coffee. Instead, we opted for the ants, as well as fish and butterflies in the coffee tables,” explains Shprits, who has brought to life a total of 675 square metres of comfort zones on “La Datcha”. The Russian designer worked with natural materials such as oak, leather, bronze, woollen carpets and onyx, which appears throughout in the form of backlit veneer. The TV units in the lounges, for example, are made of translucent stone, from which Bang & Olufsen sets rise. Shprits had the bathrooms fitted with bespoke natural stone mosaics and Italian marble. The loose furnishings were supplied by Italian design houses such as Baxter and Pro Memoria.

Exterior designed to enhance the experience of nature

Anyone on ‘La Datcha’ who fancies a little outing – without having to go through the mud-room rigmarole – simply take the lift up to the sundeck, leave the jacuzzi astern, climb the stairs to the aluminium mast and gaze out from the 20-metre-high crow’s nest. Guests are brought even closer to nature two decks below. In the 50-square-metre observation lounge on the forward upper deck, they are first greeted by a bronze sculpture by the Italian sculptor Giò Pomodoro. The TV cabinet, which can be viewed from both sides and is surrounded by numerous seating areas and two skylights, leads the way to the outdoor area, a recess in the steel hull. As the superstructures join seamlessly and are made of the same material, the conventionally powered ‘La Datcha’, weighing 2,300 tonnes, displaces around a third more than steel-aluminium yachts of the same length.

The best vantage point from which to watch the hull cutting through the water at speeds of up to 14.5 knots is the observation deck, which distinguishes the ‘La Datcha’ from its smaller sister ship, the ‘Anawa’, with its enclosed bow section. In such regions, guests can see ice up to 40 centimetres thick in front of the bow, which, in accordance with the hull’s ‘Class 1C FS’ certification under the IMO Polar Code, must not be more than one year old. An operational range of 6,000 nautical miles – achievable at a constant speed of twelve knots – will also prove helpful for the ambitious route planning, which includes the North and South Poles. During long crossings, guests have the best view of the surroundings from the bow. On ‘La Datcha’, you don’t always have to venture far out of your comfort zone to experience adventure.

​​​This article first appeared in BOOTE EXCLUSIV 2/2021 and has been updated for this online version.