RISE OF THE BILLIONAIRES SAILING DOON THE WATTER

The world’s super-rich are swapping the Côte d’Azur for the Clyde – and the arrival of their floating gin palaces could be worth millions

FOR a town long used to its Clyde-built reputation for big ships, this was still a real headturner. Far from its usual cruising grounds in the sun-soaked French Riviera, the Eclipse – currently the world’s second largest superyacht – cut a dash after pitching up in the somewhat less rarefied environs of a dreich Greenock.

It was not just the incongruity of the luxury vessel’s dizzying dimensions – 533ft long, or a shade over one-and-a-half football pitches – dwarfing the dinghies and other sailboats in the Renfrewshire town’s James Watt Dock Marina.

Nor even its opulent interiors that would make a pre-revolutionary tsar blush. Two swimming pools (one with an adjustable depth that allows it to be converted into a dancefloor), a cinema, an exterior fireplace, a pair of helipads, his and hers saunas, a beauty parlour, massage rooms, and conference facilities, all spread over 20,000sq ft of living space, roughly the size of 21 average Scottish homes.

What was truly noteworthy was that this conspicuous display of wealth and power was there at all – and with its fabled owner in tow. For billionaire businessman and Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich had opted to spend his summer holidays (or one of them, at least) sailing ‘doon the watter’.

Admittedly, the world’s 151st wealthiest man and his entourage of super-rich friends enjoyed their Clydeside cruising behind a raft of security options worthy of a Bond villain, from the leisure submarine that doubles as an escape pod, armour plating, and bulletproof windows, to a missile defence system and an anti-paparazzi shield designed to dazzle digital cameras.

Yet Abramovich, 51, whose fortune is estimated at £6.4billion, and his wife, Dasha, 36, were still happy to mingle with excitable locals and fellow tourists while island-hopping from Bute to Arran and Islay to Oban, enjoying walks and cycle rides and sampling the wares at a succession of distilleries. More than a few people asked for selfies during that visit in July, 2015, wondering when they would ever see such wealth in their midst once more. Almost as many took pictures of his £724million yacht – for much the same reasons.

And yet, others have followed in Abramovich’s wake.

One of the largest sailing yachts in the world, Eos, also moored in Greenock before touring the islands in 2016. The 271ft threemasted Bermuda rigged schooner was built for media and movie mogul Barry Diller and his fashion designer wife, Diane von Furstenburg. Fascinated passers-by captured pictures of the yacht in various locations, including Skye.

In May this year, the £44million superyacht Lady M, owned by Russia’s wealthiest man Alexei Mordashov, was spotted cruising the West Coast, stopping in Inveraray, Loch Fyne, Greenock and Glasgow. Mordashov, 51, a close friend of President Vladimir Putin, is the majority shareholder of steel company Severstal and worth a reputed £12.9billion.

Two months later, the 257ft superyacht Amaryllis – owned by 91-year-old US billionaire Richard DeVos – moored up at James Watt Dock Marina with its feature pool with coloured lighting, piano lounge, circular dining room, private study, sauna and gymnasium. It is thought the owners of both Lady M and Amaryllis did not make the trip, but whoever chartered them would have had little change out of £150,000 a day.

While hardly ten-a-penny, these sightings are becoming more common, partly due to a concerted effort to lure the superyacht dollar to our waters. Cool Route, a £1.1million EU-backed project officially launched this week to develop a new long distance yachtcruising route stretching from southern Ireland, up the coast of western Scotland, to the Arctic tip of Norway. It aims to link in remote businesses and communities so they can share in the nation’s burgeoning marine tourism industry. HE Scottish Government is already committed to growing the value of the marine leisure industry from £350million to £450million per annum. Its strategy, entitled ‘Awakening the Giant’, aims to boost visitor expenditure in the boating sector by more than 40 per cent to £145million a year by 2020.

Researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University’s Moffat Centre, who are involved in the Cool Route scheme, believe superyachts could be one answer, concluding in one study that there was an ‘enormous amount of “low hanging fruit” within the [superyacht] sector’.

Marine consultant Martin Latimer’s company Blue Sea Marinas spotted a niche in the market and designed and developed James Watt Dock Marina specifically to accommodate superyachts. They worked hard for years on forging contacts with superyacht skippers and ship agents, efforts that are starting to pay off handsomely.

Superyacht visits in Greenock have jumped from 20 in the four years up to 2016 to 20 a year in the two years since.

Mr Latimer said: ‘One superyacht, whose itinerary we organised, spent £500,000 in Scotland during their five-week cruise and lay-over in James Watt Dock.’

Giancarlo Fedeli, research associate at the Moffat Centre, admitted the very biggest yachts are like five-star floating hotels and are largely self-sufficient, only needing to put into port for fuel. But he added: ‘There is still scope for adding value to a trip. They will be looking to dip into what the local delicacies are along the route; they may wish to stop at the local butcher’s to buy fresh produce.

‘If they see opportunities onshore that might add something different or special to their experience, say a trip to a fine restaurant or a distillery, then they might want to do that. Cool Route aims to make businesses aware of potential.’

Scotland’s unpredictable weather gets little mention in the glossy Cool Route brochure. Mr Fedeli said: ‘We focus on other aspects like the stunning scenery and the fact that the West Coast of Scotland tends not to be as busy as more famous spots such as the

Mediterranean and the Adriatic.’ But emphasising Scotland’s getaway-from-it-all credentials may prove a turn-off for some, according to Cardiff University lecturer Emma Spence, who has spent years researching and writing about the superyacht industry.

Her conclusion is that showing off the owners’ wealth and status matters much more than the business of yachting. And, to do that, you need a crowd. Which explains why most ‘superyachties’ year after year head for the Med where they can be guaranteed an audience of their super-rich peers.

The main Côte d’Azur ports remain anchored at the heart of the scene, with hundreds of blinged-up boats lining the docks from Saint-Tropez to Cannes and Monaco, where the chic bars and restaurants also serve up a ready audience of gawping tourists.

‘You have this tension between the privacy that yachts and the sea afford against this desire to see and be seen,’ Miss Spence told The Guardian. ‘Tourists remind the super-rich of their wealth and their social status.’

So does this mean that the stream of super-rich heading for the colder climes of the aptly named Cool Route might soon dry up? Not necessarily, argues Miss Spence, as superyacht owners navigate the treacherous ebb and flow of billionaire one-upmanship.

‘Having their yacht in farremoved locations is a social statement, even if they do not make it on board themselves,’ she said. ‘Mooring your yacht [on the Clyde] is conspicuous in that it is far removed from the south of France where all the other yachts are.’

And where superyachts lead, other lesser craft will follow and part of the project’s hoped-for success lies with attracting trade from these medium-sized cruisers and smaller sailing boats riding the coat-tails of the big boys.

Iain Jurgensen, vice-chairman of Argyll & The Isles Tourism Cooperative (AITC) representing 1,200 businesses, said: ‘Scotland has an amazing product – our coastline is second to none, with some of the best sailing waters in the world. The sleeping giant tag of Scottish marine tourism is well-founded.’

hE added: ‘Focusing on that high level market has the potential to produce a bit of superyacht-spotting, dragging other smaller boats along in their wake – those who want to follow in their footsteps, to see some of those superyachts up close.’

While Eastern European oligarchs and Gulf royals tend to dominate the 330ft-plus, so-called gigayacht market, an emergent class of younger thrill-seeking heirs and dotcom billionaires want to cruise further afield than the Mediterranean and the Adriatic.

Remoter routes, such as the Arctic Northwest Passage, are in vogue. The challenge of navigating Scottish waters could prove equally irresistible.

Then, there are private charters. Mr Jurgensen, who is also general manager of Portavadie Marina on Loch Fyne, said: ‘There are the famous superyacht owners, of course, people like Abramovich who may come, but there is also the huge untapped market of superyacht charters, and each one is bringing 20-odd wealthy people who are coming ashore and spending an awful lot of money.

‘The key is to develop an itinerary and a route for these guys because they are obviously very Isle be there: Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich with his dog at Lochranza, Arran wealthy but they like things to be laid out for them.’ He highlighted superfast digital connectivity as a high priority for the super-rich: ‘They expect to be able to connect to keep in touch with their businesses. It’s one of their requirements that’s non-negotiable and that can still be very much a challenge up Scotland’s West Coast.

‘We could also do with some endorsements from international brand ambassadors who can say nice things about us. Maybe Abramovich could be persuaded?’ he joked. And if not him, then who? Until the demise of Royal Yacht Britannia, the most high-profile fan of Scottish yachting holidays was of course Her Majesty the Queen, who would tour the Western Isles each summer. A new home-grown champion might conjure up Harry Potter author JK Rowling, who just sold her classic superyacht Amphitrite – formerly owned by Hollywood A-lister Johnny Depp – for £15million.

PERHAPS Hollywood director Steven Spielberg will be next to sail up the Cowal Peninsula in his 282ft superyacht Seven Seas, complete with Italian styling and a maximum speed of 20 knots? Or will entrepreneur Richard Branson be tempted away from his Caribbean island hideaway of Necker on board his 105ft catamaran superyacht Necker Belle?

Fashion designers have always been fans of a superyachts’ sleek lines. Giorgio Armani even had a creative hand in his stylish 213ft Main, with its dark green militaryinspired exterior and glamorous internal spiral staircase.

Guitar legends Eric Clapton and U2’s The Edge might be persuaded to perform a superyachting duet, Clapton in his 153ft motor yacht Va Bene and the Irish rock star in his 160ft motor yacht Cyan, which is famed for its outdoor cinema.

And if tennis ace Rafael Nadal is looking to flee the Wimbledon crowds, he could head north aboard his yacht, Beethoven, which he normally sails close to his home in Porto Cristo, Mallorca.

As far as Mr Jurgensen is concerned, Scotland’s future role among ‘superyachties’ is set fair: ‘I see no reason why we shouldn’t be a playground of the rich and famous. They go to Cannes to be seen; they’ll come here to escape and for the sailing experience.’

If he is right, then Greenock, once a world-leader in shipbuilding, could yet become a home-from-home for the world’s most covetable boats.

And the breezy waters of Scotland’s West Coast may prove the coolest new route on the superyacht scene.