Russian Internet is buzzing with reports that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has purchased a new yacht. From now on, protected person number one will be sailing on the 53-meter-long yacht. Proteksan-Turquoisethat's already decided to be called Sirius.
The new President's yacht was built in 2009 by order of an Italian businessman and was originally called Leo Fun. According to the Office of the President, the yacht "was purchased in the secondary market to save money". The deal is rumoured to have been worth around €30 million, which seems to be an adequate price for this boat. Alexey Navalny can be calm - there are no signs of sawing by market professionals.
A little more about the «culprit»: Sirius (formerly Leo Fun) is an expeditionary class superyacht designed for long-distance autonomous hiking, including in difficult climatic conditions. The steel hull and aluminium superstructure of the yacht were designed by the famous naval architect Paolo Cagliari. The French architect Jean Guy Verger was responsible for the interior design. Sirius can accommodate up to 12 guests, with a master suite on the main deck, one VIP suite and four double cabins on the lower deck. The boat has a crew of 10, not counting the captain.
One of the unique features of the yacht is the unusual asymmetrical layout of the main deck, which gives Sirius approximately one-third more interior space than other yachts of the same length. There is a side passage on deck only on the left side. The rest of the space is gigantic - 100 square meters! - The main salon with its rich interior and huge windows offers a magnificent view. Taking into account that rumors have it that the yacht was also purchased to host world leaders during the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, it is difficult to imagine a better layout.
Perhaps the most impressive room on the new presidential yacht is the owner's luxurious apartment on the main deck. They occupy the full width of the hull (9.5 meters) and flood with light through huge floor to ceiling windows. Panoramic views are available even from the bathroom, with windows overlooking a private terrace at the forward end of the deck. Lying in the bathtub, one can admire the sky through the huge glass windows in the roof.
Sirius is built at the Proteksan-Turquoise shipyard in Istanbul, known for its strong, carefully built and elegantly finished boats with excellent «value»for money. In 2003, Proteksan Vinydrea II (now Sea D) was one of the major discoveries of the Monaco Yacht Show, making a great impression on visitors and professionals. It was the success of the little-known Turkish shipyard Proteksan that inspired Roman Trotsenko's Russian-Dutch project. Timmerman Yachts - yachts under that name have also enjoyed success with the President's Office.
As for the presidential fleet in general, it includes the yacht Olympia from the Dutch shipyard. Feadshipattributed to Sovcomflot, as well as a couple of small 60-foot (18m) yachts from the noble British brand, according to insider information. Sunseeker. These boats stand at the Sea Yacht Club in St. Petersburg and the Burevestnik Yacht Club in Moscow. And the "Sirius" itself, apparently, as a presidential yacht, comes to replace a veteran, the Soviet-built yacht "Kavkaz" of 1982(!), which has long worked out its 25-year resource.
Generally speaking, the idea of having world leaders on board a yacht in the Black Sea in February during the Winter Olympics does not seem to be a good one (officially the reason to buy one). It's not possible to get a tan, to take a swim either. The extensive open decks of this beautiful boat will remain virtually unused. But there will surely be strong winds, and therefore waves, so that the zero-speed stabilizers installed on this boat will not be left idle.
