TWW Yachts
The 253-foot bronzed La Datcha (meaning “summer house” in Russian) was commissioned by Russian billionaire Oleg Tinkov to be the ultimate adventure vessel. It’s an ambition the boat has more than lived up to, remaining one of the few yachts in the world to have braved the remote Russian peninsula of Kamchatka and even Antarctica.
La Datcha is one of Damen’s SeaXplorer series and was originally meant to be a 236-footer, before the design was extended by another 17 feet to cater for Tinkov’s extensive list of expedition toys, equipment, and operations. So much so, in fact, the entire layout of the main deck aft was reimagined into an enclosed, functional work area for storing toys and tenders. The space includes a dedicated garage for a 30-foot RIB that is launched through a shell door, and a second custom rescue limousine tender designed by Fassmer to be a mini-me of the mothership.
The sharp-edged exterior by Azure Yacht Design is inspired by the jagged edges of polar ice shelves—a theme that continues throughout the boat in both its decor and style, such as the glass-encased elevator that spans all six decks. Delivered in 2020, the expedition superyacht’s globetrotting is set to continue into 2024, with an adventurous year-long charter itinerary that will include Antarctica, the Sea of Cortez, French Polynesia, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. Micronesia and Southeast Asia are in its sights for 2025.
Here are nine cool facts you didn’t know about one of the world’s most serious explorer superyachts, now available to charter with TWW Yachts.
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Icebreaker Hull
Image Credit: TWW Yachts La Datcha was the first purpose-built icebreaker yacht compliant with the International Maritime Organization’s Polar Code. Built to cruise from the Arctic to Antarctica and able to power through 16-inch-thick ice, it has retractable stabilizers and Damen’s signature Sea Axe hull to help with drifting ice floes and submerged logs. The enclosed bridge wings also give panoramic visibility and protection for watchkeepers in bad weather.
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Two Helicopters
Image Credit: TWW Yachts La Datcha is one of only a handful of yachts equipped with two Airbus H125 helicopters. There is a primary helideck on the upper deck aft, a second standby deck, and a shared below-deck hangars. Both helis are stored on the main deck aft. When it’s time to take flight, they’re raised by a lift to the fully certified open flight deck. Tinkov is a passionate heli skier—for which two helicopters is a prerequisite for yachts operating outside the range of rescue services and a regulatory requirement in Antarctica. His ski guides organize bespoke heli-skiing trips across uncharted terrain. It’s a natural extension for the billionaire whose portfolio of boutique hotels carry a sports theme, ranging from ski chalets in the French Alps to villas in Cabo San Lucas in Baja California. The yacht’s two snowmobiles are also on hand to collect weary guests after a testing ski run.
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Triton Submersible
Image Credit: TWW Yachts When not flying in the sky, guests are exploring beneath the waves thanks to the certified dive center equipped with a decompression chamber and a three-person Triton submersible with a depth rating of 500 meters. A wood-paneled dedicated mudroom on the main deck aft is where guests return to after diving or skiing, and where expedition gear is cleaned, dried, and stored. It also doubles as storage for the heli-ski gear.
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25 Specialized Crew
Image Credit: TWW Yachts The 25-strong crew’s skillset is as varied as the yacht’s itinerary. That includes the captain, who holds an ice-pilot license and polar-code advanced qualifications. There are four commercial diving instructors with Nitrox certification, two submersible pilots, one submersible engineer, two helicopter pilots, and two helicopter technicians. And of course, a wealth of watersports, wellness and fitness instructors.
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Elaborate Wellness Center
Image Credit: TWW Yachts There are wellness centers, and then there is La Datcha’s shrine to wellbeing. With direct access to the beach club and gym, it includes two Jacuzzis—one inside, one on deck—a Turkish Hamman, a sauna, and a dedicated massage area. It’s rounded off with a stalagmite ice fountain with LED lighting (the only one of its kind on a yacht) for a frosty shock of cold ice on exiting the hot sauna.
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Private Hospital
Image Credit: TWW Yachts A dedicated medical room may be a luxury that few yachts have the space to afford. But La Datcha’s onboard hospital is essential for when guests take part in higher-risk activities in remote regions. It has quarantine facilities, dedicated air-conditioning and sewage systems, and care from a trained ICU nurse. It also holds a full suite of Tempus equipment (used to monitor all vital signs of patient) and a mobile blood analysis machine that produces and prints results in nine minutes after a sample is taken.
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The Interior is by a Residential Designer
Image Credit: TWW Yachts The yacht’s interior is penned by Russian designer Vasiliy Shprits, who had never designed a yacht. Tinkov’s brief to bring “wildlife” aboard is shown through features like the iceberg-shaped bar in the salon, alongside jellyfish-shaped lamps and fish-themed tables. Contrary to the flashy bronze exterior, the interior features natural oak, leather, marble, onyx, stone mosaics, and wool rugs. The main and lower deck is dedicated to water, while the upper deck is devoted to earth.
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Elaborate Staterooms
Image Credit: TWW Yachts Six guest cabins—including two masters and two VIPs—sleep 12 guests, each with a walk-in closet and en suite bathroom. In addition to the crew’s quarters, there are two more twin-bunk cabins to accommodate up to eight expedition specialists who join private trips and charters to bring another layer of expertise. These include ski instructors, volcanologists, naturalists, professional fishing guides, photographers, and polar region experts.
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Full Autonomy
Image Credit: TWW Yachts Fitted with enhanced fuel tanks, La Datcha can keep autonomy at sea for up to 35 days. Refueling is done via a tank carrying around 10,000 liters of aviation fuel (which is safer to store on board than gasoline), giving the yacht a 5,200-nautical-mile range when cruising at 12 knots.
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Image Credit: TWW Yachts Click here to see more photos of La Datcha.
