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While most visitors to Moscow last spring marveled at the
onion-topped towers of St. Basil’s Basilica or gawked at wonders long hidden
inside the Kremlin, there was another group of people, some visitors and
others locals, piling into the city’s Expocentr for the 12th annual Moscow
International Boat Show. Make no mistake; this show couldn’t be confused with
the annual mega-monster-dollar events in Monaco or Fort Lauderdale, but it is
growing—significantly. It expanded by 50 percent from 2004 to 2005 and
another 21 percent this year, with up to 205 companies representing 15
countries.
Yet it’s interesting that most Russians in attendance call
almost any boat over 15 feet a yacht. For some, it may be a translation issue,
but more likely the perception problem occurs because recent generations of
Russians essentially have no yachting background—in fact, no history of
recreational boating at all—to use as a frame of reference. The show is,
however, a good indicator of the current state of yachting in Russia and its
neighboring Eastern European republics: growing like crazy and learning the
ropes as they go.
 Photograph by Brian Courtney. (Click image to enlarge)
"Most Russians get into yachting first through chartering,
introduced by friends," says Valeria Alekhina, a charter broker in Fraser
Yachts’ Monaco office. Born and raised in Moscow, Alekhina understands the
market—and the mindset—more than most, and she specializes in placing Eastern
European clients. "Most new clients don’t understand pedigree. They don’t
care if it’s a [custom yacht], a production boat or a notable yacht that has
been refit. They only look to see how old it is."
 Russians love classic tenders. Photograph by Brian Courtney. (Click image to enlarge)
Designer Fulvio De Simoni, recently quoted in a Design
Showcase article (SBI Oct.
2006), furthers the point. "In Europe, we tend to
have a consolidated culture; clients from countries that have come late to our
global village look without the burden of historical memory. They live in
and for the moment. They look at what is represented as fashionable in
Italian or American magazines, and they want it. They want to have a boat that
looks like the latest, the most glamorous and the most well known." This fits with Russia’s larger appetite for all things Western,
a trend confirmed with a visit to any one of the new shopping malls in Moscow.
It’s hard to find anything that’s not French haute couture, Italian designer
labels or American brand icons, such as Levi’s and Nike.
The Russian owner of Benetti’s Midlandia
has tastefully appointed her. (Click images to enlarge)
"During the last ten years or so, I’ve found that Russian
clients, particularly the newest ones, want Italian-style go-fast boats," says
Alekhina. "Russians, even young ones, remember what it is like to be raised and
live in a world without choices—there was only one brand of clothes, of shoes,
of car. But now, particularly in Moscow, that’s all changed. But the effects of
this upbringing remain, and it impacts how these people, now adults, view
themselves, and how they want to be viewed by others." Several brokers confirm that clients from the former Soviet republics usually
prefer Anglo crew—Americans or Brits—over Europeans or others. And for many of
these clients, the charter itinerary does not include any traveling at all.
Some might make short hops to the next port over for lunch, but mostly their
vacation is about being seen in the "right" port—Monaco or Saint-Tropez or
other high-profile locations. It is all about the image and how they are
perceived, especially by others from their homeland.
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