We think our vans are expensive

Bigger is not always better..... as my wife seems to keep telling me !:unsure:
 
At least they're used. We back onto one of the biggest Thames marinas, and it never ceases to amaze me the number of 6 figure boats that don't move from one year to the next
 
emjaiuk said:
At least they're used. We back onto one of the biggest Thames marinas, and it never ceases to amaze me the number of 6 figure boats that don't move from one year to the next
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Friend of mine lives in Poole , and says the average use of boats in the marinas is about just 3 weeks per year, with huge mooring fees. Suppose it's nice if you can afford it.
His favourite comment is that there are 2 great days when you have a boat,.....
The day that you buy it, and the day that you sell it.
 
CD8CC8BE-D6F6-4D07-8D57-C41FD77F603A.jpeg

Latest arrival on the quay.
 
PP Bear said:
Wonder how many miles it does to the galleon⚓

Gee, I crack myself up sometimes 😅😂🤣😇🤓
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PP Bear I think they run on miles per ton of fuel not like us poor mortals who put ten quids worth in :LOL::LOL::LOL::LOL::rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
John Barrett said:
When I visited Russia in 1981 it was alleged that nobody earned more than 25 quid a week. Now where did all that money come from in such a short space of time?
John
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McMafia written by Misha Glenny explains this in detail. Enlightening although a few years old now. Great stuff explaining how organised crime flourished, and oligarchs got rich so fast after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was like the wild west. Nowadays the oligarchs mostly use the Courts to attack rivals instead of using hitmen. I found it in a sale in WH Smiths for £1.50. Bargain. A good read during lockdown.
 
Watched one dock in Arenys de Mar last summer, just after the helicopter had landed on the back of it. Russian.
 
ianthebuilder said:
I don’t think that would bother him with his money,, he’d prob leave the car on the side of the road for the AA!! Lol x
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The late Adam Faith did that. Back in the quaint days of "I'm Backing Britain", started by some factory tea ladies who decided to do o/t for free, Faith sold his beloved Royce and traded down to a Jag - early XJ, I guess.

This was in the bad old days when Jag reliability was the pits. His gave nothing but trouble. He started calling the new owner of his Royce, offering to buy it back. He even called him on Christmas Day to wish him Happy Christmas and can I by my Roller back, please?

As for the Jag, it broke down yet again on some m/way. Faith left the keys in the ignition, walked to the nearest phone, told them to collect the Jag and do with it whatever they wanted.

Eventually, he succeeded in buying back the Royce.
 
emjaiuk said:
At least they're used. We back onto one of the biggest Thames marinas, and it never ceases to amaze me the number of 6 figure boats that don't move from one year to the next
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A friend of mine was a skipper to a vessel like that. Huge, ginormous thing, parked in the marina at Palma, MAJ. My friend spent all his time at the bar in the Club del Mar. A crew did basic maintenance. Once a year this thing was fired up and the Arab owner and his entourage blatted over to N.Africa for a few days, came back, moored up .... Same old, same old.
 
Euromobil said:
Private yacht Dilbar just coming into Southampton, slightly bigger than the I o W ferry.View attachment 393789
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My PA, at my boatyard on the Tamar [max draught 6"] had a son who got not a single 'O'Level. He went to work in a picture framing shop. Nice lad, very personable, handy in a boat but few prospects in 1990's Tavistock.

Then his mum paid for him to do the RYA courses - Competent Crew > Day Skipper > Yachtmaster Offshore ...

He ended up with a ticket to skipper the sort of thing in that photo. He went all over the world, supervised the building of the owner's next, bigger [of course] vessel, the order for which was regularly placed as the latest was delivered.

He called me from Valencia once, at GP time. "Guest of honour is Sir Jackie Stewart and Michael Schumacher is coming for tea ..."

Bought a flat in Singapore, and one in Antibes...

The boy done good.
 
i’m pretty sure that’s the Yacht my son worked on during its build in Bremen Germany. He did the full internal electrical installation and if memory serves my right it has 3 cinema rooms which he did as well. All the crew rooms had Pioneer Kuro tv‘s.

The owner owns 5 satellites or did so he could receive Russian tv wherever he was when onboard and threats on people’s life’s were mentioned if he couldn’t lol.

Hungarian cabinet makers were employed to build the galley and other areas, my son said the wood work was that good it looked like it had been made of glass.

He had to attend its sea trials in the Med and said he thought they were trying to sink it with full bore left/right manoeuvr’s 😄

Boys and they’re toys eh!!
 
the wood work was that good it looked like it had been made of glass.

Having been at the very modest end of that business and subscribed to Yachting World, where such vessels were regularly featured, it's true. I think the finest craftsmanship to be found anywhere is in the fit-out of these vessels. The quality of work and materials defies belief.

I remember seeing a piece on the motor yacht of the Aussie media mogul, Alan Bond, before he was pinged for fraud ... "In 1992, Bond was declared bankrupt, with personal debts totaling A$1.8 billion." The dining room was panelled in carbon fibre, which was only just coming into F1, let alone wall cladding.

By the way... how do you get to run up personal debts of A£1.8 billion? Because I refuse to use my o/d facility, my bank reduced it from £5k to £200

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Sorry but it still doesn't make his p***s any bigger!
 
Let's not forget where many of these Russian billionaires got their wealth.
After the break up of the Soviet Union,shares in the national assets were issued to the Russian people.Some individuals went round explaining to the poor Russian people that they did not need that worthless piece of paper and they would take it off their hands for twopence.
At least Chinese billionaires seem to be making stuff.
However,I did see the Dilbar in Barcelona and was so impressed that I went back and googled the owner and the details of the boat.
 
I saw the Dilbar 3 years ago moored in Barcelona harbour. It was almost as big as the cruise ship we were boarding the next day! I think it has 3 helipads.
 
Hilewaychile said:
A friend of mine was a skipper to a vessel like that. Huge, ginormous thing, parked in the marina at Palma, MAJ. My friend spent all his time at the bar in the Club del Mar. A crew did basic maintenance. Once a year this thing was fired up and the Arab owner and his entourage blatted over to N.Africa for a few days, came back, moored up .... Same old, same old.
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My daughter's friend skippers big yachts round the world for a living. The owners will often fly out in their helicopters so they can be seen cruising into harbour - they'll stay on board for a few days - always in the habour and then fly off elsewhere. She said they very rarely actually travel on the vessel and use them as floating hotels.

As long as she gets paid she doesn't care!
 
Pauli365 said:
I saw the Dilbar 3 years ago moored in Barcelona harbour. It was almost as big as the cruise ship we were boarding the next day! I think it has 3 helipads.
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One of them indoors according to the photos

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I wonder how many owners could drive their vessels?

At least King Hussain of Jordan knew how to fly a Royal Jordanian aircraft as he did frequently. As a few other owners of executive jets.
 
We stayed at the Hotel Pari in Monaco, and the boats in the harbour there were indiscri able,
Just to put this in prospective I won in competition a weekend for me and the Mrs. At the Nec. Commercial vehicle show around 1985 , it least we saw how the other half live !!
 

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