BORN TO ROAM
The Russian word datcha means “a second home in the countryside.” The French definite article la adds a tinge of elegance (and humor). La Datcha seems a fitting name for this new example of the SeaXplorer range, a boat sophisticated enough for Mediterranean bays but built for adventure in faraway places.
From day one owner Oleg Tinkov made it clear that although he intends to spend time on board, he wanted the yacht to generate revenue. Tinkov is a self-made man known for building several strong brands, including his greatest pride, the online Tinkoff Bank. His La Datcha Tinkoff Collection comprises luxury boutique hotels with a sports theme ranging from chalets in Val Thorens and Courchevel in the French Alps to villas in Cabo San Lucas in Baja California (ideal for offshore fishing and watersports). This ultra- luxurious explorer yacht is the latest addition to the portfolio and is being offered for charter in remote areas such as Kamchatka in the far east of Russia, Antarctica and Papua New Guinea.
Born in a coal-mining town in south Siberia, Tinkov, who currently resides in London, lived for a time in the US and studied at the University of California, Berkeley. He has traveled the world extensively, from Madagascar to Greenland. Likewise, his yachting experience is diverse – from a Pershing he uses to entertain guests of the La Datcha palazzo in Forte dei Marmi, Italy, to superyacht charters in places like the Seychelles and Maldives.
“Once we even rented an icebreaker,” says his daughter,
