“Work hard, play harder.” A personal motto took on an entirely new riff when Damen Yachting handed the La Datcha 77 over to its expectant owner. Even before that, the colossal ship has been the subject of untold media coverage, from the moment it left Damen’s Galati shipyard along the Danube, to its first glimpse near Monte Carlo after her handover, and a recent siting in the Maldives en route through its two-year global tour. No doubt you’ve seen the articles and videos. La Datcha is all bold and aggressive, brutish even. But she ticks all the right boxes for super motor yacht that could be a home anywhere in the world, raising eyebrows and dropping mouths, as she basks in the glow of the Mediterranean sun or out in the spectacular blue of the Caribbean. And that’s precisely where her owner did not wish to cruise.
With 95% of the world’s water routes remaining unexplored, he was looking for something to bring his family to vast and uncharted waters that sleek white superyachts had not gone before. The journey before this journey took him to Dutch shipbuilder Damen Yachting in 2017, originally intending to purchase the Amels 199 part of the haute yachting side of the brand. The series, touted as the perfect balance between custom and semi-custom, delivers fully realized superyacht visions to demanding owners within a shorter period of time. That was until said prospective owner saw the SeaXplorer class. The eventual 77 meter fully custom version is the first in the brand’s recently updated expedition line, which originally debuted in 2015, and can range from 55 to 105 meters, with a gross tonnage between 1100-7,000.
And the idea for La Datcha took hold and evolved, an ultimate crossover between luxury superyacht and expedition cruiser. And with no better builder than the crossover of this brand, the supreme craftsmanship of an Amels yacht with the commercial shipbuilding prowess of Damen whose Dutch yards had constructed both tugs as well as offshore rigs. Ultimately La Datcha’s purpose was for passengers and crew to stay safe as well as comfortable in extended isolation. In her case, comfort and opulence would go hand in hand on board.
As with all successful rearing of children, it takes a village. Fellow Dutch design firm, Azure Yachts, continued its long collaboration with Amels and Damen Yachting to oversee the exterior architecture, designing a distinctive masculine exterior that means nothing but business. She bears a reassuringly commanding presence with her length and impressive height from the waterline. UK-based EYOS Expeditions, the multi-faceted luxury curator/facilitator of one-of-a-kind luxury yacht experiences, also played a part in La Datcha’s early planning stages. In fact, because of their expertise in the logistics of making complex things happen easily in remote areas, EYOS was consulted on the complete SeaXpedition series. Their input on the new build lends a level of security for the owner as well as guests and clients. There’s that distinctive floating band along the profile, curvy overhangs on both transom and deck that provide protection from both the sea and the weather, while permitting the observation of rare wildlife, spectacular scenery, or the escapades of fellow passengers.
La Luxe
Interior design on La Datcha was by St. Petersburg-based Vasiliy Shprits, who in earlier projects with the same owner had overseen interiors for the land-based products in the La Datcha portfolio. “Every house has a story, welcome to mine,” states the site. At each of these homes, opulence knows few bounds. The collection boasts a five-suite ski chalet perched at the highest point of Europe’s highest ski resort (Val Thorens), another five-suite chalet in Courchevel, much-desired 1850, the highest point of Europe’s largest ski resort. There’s a ten-bedroom oceanside villa in Cabo San Lucas, and a ten-bedroom restored 1930’s palazzo in Forte Dei Marmi with its own private beach on the Tyrrhenian sea, a mere 30 meters away. A multi-dwelling compound on the Volga River delta in Astrakhan designed for more tranquil pursuits, like spear-fishing, completes the portfolio. Each of these come fully staffed, including masseuses, drivers, chefs, and carefully-curated wine cellars that would put any of the Michelin-starred venues in the surrounding metro areas like Geneva, Lyon, or Florence to shame. As well, each comes with a fabulous abundance of toys in addition to rooms dedicated solely to playing billiards, smoking cigars, screening films, or analyzing one’s golf swing.
