World becomes a tricky place

[valhalla360]

Taking Russian Oligarchs yachts has about as much to do with cruising as, sending a rocket to the moon has to do with rowing a boat across pond.

In times of war, normal rules go out the window. Honestly, I don't think they even care if they keep them permanently. It's about pressuring Russia to back off. If Putin gets overthrown and the new leadership is apologetic, expect them to quietly return the yachts.

Yes, there are concerns outside of the Russian invasion but assuming you don't do stupid things, the risk is pretty small to your average cruiser. If you have a 150ft yacht, I probably wouldn't be trying to sail into St. Petersburg any time soon but visiting the Italian Rivera is pretty safe as long as you follow the appropriate check in procedures and you aren't doing something illegal.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by B_Hunter45

You are lucky to have big uncle Sam behind you, I don't think our polite (Canadian) politicians will do anything to help a stranded sailor.

Uncle Sam ain't doing nothing if your 40yr old 30ft monohull gets impounded by another country because you didn't follow the rules or broke a law.

The biggest difference is the guy who can afford a 150ft yacht can also afford to higher high quality local lawyers who know who to pay off to get the yacht out of impound.

[atoll]

Super yacht crew ,shipyards, marinas and associated services will be impacted as boats are impounded and put out of service,it is also illegal for businesses to receive payment from sanctioned entities.
see link for the latest ,very worried, superyacht industry news

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcJ1rv3yHJY&t=333s

[Tetepare]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Uncle Sam ain't doing nothing if your 40yr old 30ft monohull gets impounded by another country because you didn't follow the rules or broke a law.

The biggest difference is the guy who can afford a 150ft yacht can also afford to higher high quality local lawyers who know who to pay off to get the yacht out of impound.

Even that won’t do it. A friend ran afoul of political ambitions in Solomon Islands and US govt did nothing.

Don’t forget the issue of gold recovered from a Portuguese wreck and US State Dept manipulated a court decision so the finders got nothing so some rich guy got a painting. Wikileaks blew that one in.

Anyone who’s spent any amount of time overseas knows the rules:

AVOID. Don’t get involved, don’t get noticed.
PAYOFF. Figure out fast what to do and get out
RUN AWAY. if you get a chance, run.
EXTRACT: If you have friends or money, shoot your way out

The Russian oligarchs who first got nailed will do the latter. Not with bullets but with blackmail and financial collaboration. The ones that didn’t get hit right away have run.

If one is on a cruising yacht and has issues, try to run it at all possible. Sounds funny, but avoid boarding, confiscation, etc.

Never rely on the home country government to do anything.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

Even that won’t do it. A friend ran afoul of political ambitions in Solomon Islands and US govt did nothing.

Don’t forget the issue of gold recovered from a Portuguese wreck and US State Dept manipulated a court decision so the finders got nothing so some rich guy got a painting. Wikileaks blew that one in.

Anyone who’s spent any amount of time overseas knows the rules:

AVOID. Don’t get involved, don’t get noticed.
PAYOFF. Figure out fast what to do and get out
RUN AWAY. if you get a chance, run.
EXTRACT: If you have friends or money, shoot your way out

The Russian oligarchs who first got nailed will do the latter. Not with bullets but with blackmail and financial collaboration. The ones that didn’t get hit right away have run.

If one is on a cruising yacht and has issues, try to run it at all possible. Sounds funny, but avoid boarding, confiscation, etc.

Never rely on the home country government to do anything.

Never said the US Govt would do anything. They hire powerful and connected locals and pay off the right people (without the US Govt getting involved).

The Russians face a different issue...at least for the time being. The political pressure is incredibly high, so the payoffs will be massive and the local politicos will need heavy cover to let anything happen with the Russian boats.

This is likely a short term issue. If Russia backs down or the West accepts that Russia now owns the Ukraine (similar to when they invaded and took over the Crimea), a lot of the pressure will ease and with some hefty payoffs, they will get their boats back.

[zamber]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I perceive it as a nothing thought that I wasted more time typing this than it is worth thinking about

If you are an American, I would suggest you be careful where your boat goes in the Caribbean, stay far away from Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela. Several days ago the people who owned the seized boats thought like you. You have no idea how much this situation will escalate.

[letsgetsailing3]

From the Washington Post:


When the Soviet Union heaved its last breath in 1991, the vast expanse of factories, mines, refineries, natural resources and other property was privatized to establish capitalism on the ashes of socialism. A small group of fleet-footed young men acquired enormous stakes in Russia’s enterprises, thanks in part to rigged auctions under President Boris Yeltsin, and they became the first generation of Russian oligarchs. When Mr. Putin was handpicked as Yeltsin’s successor in 2000, he replaced the oligarchs with his cronies. They gradually seized the commanding heights of the economy, and now they form several powerful clans that are pillars of Mr. Putin’s authoritarian system.

They all have benefited in various ways from international financial networks, and now they must be subject to all the pressure that the West can bring to bear. Chrystia Freeland, the deputy prime minister of Canada, declared on Friday in the Financial Times, “Russia cannot simultaneously open fire on our system, while also enjoying its fruits. You cannot bomb Kyiv in the morning and dock your yacht on the Côte d’Azur in the evening.”

A good place to start is a list compiled last year by the Anti-Corruption Foundation, led by opposition leader Alexei Navalny, which named 35 business executives and top government officials, each of whom the foundation said “actively participates in the oppression and corruption” of the Putin regime. This was before the onslaught against Ukraine but is a useful guide. Some of those named by Mr. Navalny were on the sanctions list announced March 3 by the United States, including Igor Shuvalov, a former first deputy prime minister who Mr. Navalny said had “significant assets abroad” and “was instrumental in creating the system of state corruption, which has come to dominate the country’s institutions.” Also on the latest U.S. list is oligarch Alisher Usmanov, who Mr. Navalny said is “one of the key enablers and beneficiaries of the Kremlin’s kleptocracy.”


https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...-fancy-yachts/

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

This is likely a short term issue. If Russia backs down or the West accepts that Russia now owns the Ukraine (similar to when they invaded and took over the Crimea), a lot of the pressure will ease and with some hefty payoffs, they will get their boats back.

This isn't a short-term issue.

Neither of those conditions is likely to happen in anything resembling the near future. Supporting a separatist area is one thing. Completely destroying another country in order to make it part of your empire is something else.

Russia has crossed a line here, and we can't be shedding tears over some of their oligarchs' superyachts being seized.

[Island Time O25]

Since most thoughtful people normally limit the value of their "toys" to no more than 10% of their net worth (and the oligarchs did not become oligarchs by being stupid or careless) it is safe to assume that they can afford these seizures. Also, this should be a lesson for the future to all who decide to base their fortunes on support for a murderous regime. For these reasons I will not be shedding tears for the sanctioned individuals anytime soon.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by wingssail

Documented vessels become "Vessels of the United States" and when seized by a foreign government not "At War" with the US, or vessels in violation of treaties or certain other agreements with the US, are afforded protection by the Secretary of State of the United States.



What good this does is unknown but at least there is a specified procedure for notification of the Secretary of State and that official is then supposed to do certain things, arrange for monetary compensation among them.



I don't think they send in an aircraft carrier.

That “ protection “ is based on the on the high seas. In non-Us territorial waters the US avoids you no further “ protection “ then crying at a desk in your embassy.

Your boat does not provide you with diplomatic immunity nor is it US soil in a foreign country.

[GordMay]

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine seems to have had a sobering effect, on a lot of political leaders, in North America and Europe, and persuaded them to do things, that they really didn't want to do before - such as sanctioning Russian oligarchs.

While Boris Yeltsin served as the first president of the Russian Federation, from 1991 to 1999, a group of well-connected entrepreneurs became billionaires, by taking advantage of Russia's entry into global markets, and a gigantic fire sale of Russian assets [gas fields, oil wells, timberland, and mining rights, etc]; enabled by their political connections, as well as connections to organized criminal networks.
These men made their early fortunes, during a time of economic reformation, presided over by the last president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev. By the time Yeltsin came to power, they had the clout, money, and connections, required to secure a foothold in Russia's economy.

Now, in Russia, you cannot really be a big businessman [woman], and not be an ally of the president. The oligarchs are only allowed to enjoy property, wealth, and privilege, because of their loyalty to Putin.

These are people who have tried to have it both ways, for a long time. They're people who have been hangers-on of Vladimir Putin, his sycophants, his enablers, as he has become more and more of a threat to the world. But at the same time, they have enjoyed a pretty fabulous lifestyle in the West, with yachts, and mansions, and having their kids at the fanciest universities, and private schools.

Now governments are sanctioning these oligarchs, in the hope that if you make their life unpleasant, that, eventually, they will get tired of Putin, and move to replace him.
While assuming sanctions on oligarchs will directly influence Putin's actions would be a mistake, it could help turn the Russian population against Putin's leadership, and puts [soft power] pressure on the whole system, which might have an impact, over time.



The yacht "Amore Vero" is seen docked at the Mediterranean resort of La Ciotat on March 3, 2022. French authorities have seized the yacht, which is linked to Igor Sechin, a Putin ally, who runs Russian oil giant Rosneft.
It's seizure may not break him, but it's gotta hurt, just a little.

[atoll]

Russian economic refugee's are fleeing to the Maldives and Seychelles on their superyachts.
Maldives sit's right next to Americas largest naval base in the Indian ocean ,Diego Garcia.
The Maldives have recently signed a defence pact with the US,as have the Seychelles.

https://mu.usembassy.gov/the-united-...ty-operations/

https://www.isas.nus.edu.sg/papers/u...ead-for-india/

Could be a long cold war for some,and a nice warm one for others,Russian assets seem to have moved under the umbrella of US protection!

The plot thickens!

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by atoll

Russian economic refugee's are fleeing to the Maldives and Seychelles on their superyachts...
... Russian assets seem to have moved under the umbrella of US protection!
The plot thickens!

What makes you say that?


Russian Oligarchs’ Yachts Head for Maldives as Sanctions Levied

An estimated 7% to 10% of the global superyacht fleet is owned by Russians, according to industry watcher Superyacht Group.

On Wednesday, authorities in Germany seized Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov’s 500-foot megayacht [$600m], the “Dilbar”, in Hamburg.

The four biggest luxury yachts in the Maldives right now are Russian-owned, according to an analysis of vessel data by Bloomberg News.
The largest, the 459-foot (140-meter) “Ocean Victory”, belongs to steel magnate Victor Rashnikov, according to SuperyachtFan.com, while another, the 238-foot “Clio”, is linked to aluminum tycoon Oleg Deripaska.
The 465-foot “Nord”, owned by Alexei Mordashov, another steel billionaire, is in the Seychelles, after sailing from the Maldives, the data show.
Russian banker Andrey Kostin’s “Sea Rhapsody” is heading to the island chain, after departing Turkey on Feb. 18.
Vagit Alekperov, president of Russia-based Lukoil, is reportedly sailing his yacht “Galactica Super Nova” from Barcelona, to Montenegro.
Roman Abramovich, who is said to be Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest oligarch ally, has his 162.5-meter superyacht “Eclipse” moored in St. Maarten.

More ➥ https://gcaptain.com/all-you-need-to...acht-seizures/

[deblen]

Originally Posted by B_Hunter45

You are lucky to have big uncle Sam behind you, I don't think our polite (Canadian) politicians will do anything to help a stranded sailor.

You never know about Canada.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north...nife-1.6373389

[PippaB]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Its been tricky for a couple of decades, just that you've not noticed.
Everything you have hangs on a whim and the click of a mouse..

+1. Bringing it back to cruising, it wasn’t that long ago (2014) that Mexico seized 300+ boats over supposed temporary import permit violations. When someone in power decides that you pissed them off for some reason, big or small....

https://www.soundingsonline.com/news...er-four-months