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Billionaire with ties to northeast florida draws attention following russia’s invasion of ukraine.

Anne Maxwell , I-TEAM and general assignment reporter

Jodi Mohrmann , Managing Editor of special projects

Eric Wallace , Senior Producer, I-TEAM

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A yacht harbored in St. Augustine, a Ponte Vedra Beach mansion listed for sale for nearly $17 million and a four-story office building on Jacksonville’s Southside are some of the Northeast Florida connections to a Soviet-born billionaire who has been in the news in recent weeks following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The News4JAX I-TEAM has been looking into Igor Makarov and his web of international companies for several weeks. The I-TEAM has learned Makarov’s dealings have been involved in multiple investigations, but he has never been convicted of wrongdoing or sanctioned.

Makarov made a fortune in natural gas after the fall of the Soviet Union. He founded his company, ITERA, in Jacksonville in 1992 with several other people, some of whom still live here.

According to a spokesperson for Makarov, ITERA began exporting commodities like sugar, coffee and chicken to former Soviet states at a time when basic goods were in short supply. The spokesperson tells the I-TEAM that when Turkmenistan built up a significant debt, instead of paying ITERA in cash, the country paid in natural gas, bringing ITERA into the lucrative energy sector. The company then became a powerhouse, supplying natural gas to Ukraine and other countries.

In 2013, Reuters and Forbes reported that Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft bought a 49% stake in ITERA for $2.9 billion — Rosneft already owned the other 51% of ITERA. The following year, the U.S. sanctioned Rosneft and its CEO, Igor Sechin, after Russia’s first invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea.

A spokesperson for Makarov said, “At the time of the sale, Rosneft was partnered with some of the largest Western-based energy companies in the world. Rosneft was not a sanctioned entity when the transaction took place.”

A few weeks ago, French authorities seized a yacht linked to Sechin, after the European Union sanctioned Sechin and two dozen other people, over the invasion of Ukraine.

As for Makarov, a spokesperson with a New York City-based public relations firm told the I-TEAM, “At no point in time have sanctions by any government been placed against Mr. Makarov or the businesses or projects he operates. There is no indication or reason to believe any will be employed.”

ITERA has been in the spotlight before. In 2006, News4JAX reported that FBI agents spent hours gathering documents at the company’s Southside offices. The raid was one of six happening that day around the country, as federal agents investigated whether Pennsylvania Congressman Curt Weldon helped his daughter’s lobbying firm win lucrative contracts with foreign businesses, including a half-million dollar contract with ITERA. Weldon was never charged, and we never heard anything else about what the FBI found at ITERA.

That Southside building now has a different name on a sign outside — ARETI. That’s the name of Makarov’s current company. A spokesperson said that while Makarov owns the Jacksonville building, ARETI doesn’t have offices there —rather, it’s based in Switzerland.

ARETI, which is ITERA spelled backward, also inspired the name of Makarov’s 125-foot yacht currently docked in St. Augustine, “ARETI I.” The yacht and Makarov were mentioned in an article published by Forbes titled, “Biden And Allies Are Coming For Russian Billionaires’ Yachts: Forbes Tracked Down 37. Here’s Where To Find Them.” The article was published March 1, about a week after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began.

In response to a question specifically about the Forbes article, Makarov’s spokesperson reiterated that neither Makarov nor his businesses have ever been sanctioned.

A spokesperson for Makarov told the I-TEAM that ARETI is not engaged in any energy or business projects with either Russia or Ukraine.

Over the years, dozens and dozens of companies associated with the key figures in the original ITERA company and its related companies have been based on the fourth floor of the office building that now has the ARETI name outside. The I-TEAM is continuing to look into those businesses.

Copyright 2022 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.

About the Authors:

Anne maxwell.

I-TEAM and general assignment reporter

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The West has sanctioned Russia’s rich. But is that really punishing Putin and helping Ukraine?

Igor Makarov poses for a photo during his interview with the Associated Press in Verona, Italy, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. Most of his fortune earned doing business in Russia and the former Soviet Union is frozen, and his plans to develop his energy businesses are currently shelved. Western officials say sanctions against Russia’s billionaires are meant to isolate President Vladimir Putin, choke off support for his war and turn powerful business allies against him. But in the 20 months since the invasion, only a handful of sanctioned businessmen have spoken out against him. (AP Photo/Emma Burrows)

A small craft passes by Igor Makarov’s 128-foot yacht, called Areti I docked at Camachee Cove Yacht Harbor marina, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, in St. Augustine, Fla. Most of his fortune earned doing business in Russia and the former Soviet Union is frozen, and his plans to develop his energy businesses are currently shelved. His yacht is seized and his two private jets are grounded. Western officials say sanctions against Russia’s billionaires are meant to isolate President Vladimir Putin, choke off support for his war and turn powerful business allies against him. But in the 20 months since the invasion, only a handful of sanctioned businessmen have spoken out against him. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

FILE - Oleg Tinkov speaks to the media during a Tinkoff-Saxo cycling team news conference in London on May 28, 2010. Tinkov, a banker and entrepreneur, has renounced his Russian citizenship and called President Vladimir Putin a “fascist,” and was removed from the United Kingdom’s sanctions list. (AP Photo/Sang Tan, File)

FILE - In this file photo taken on Sept. 21, 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, listens to Yandex CEO Arkady Volozh, right, during his visits Russia’s largest internet search engine Yandex headquarters in Moscow, Russia. Volozh has been one of Russia’s wealthy businessmen to have condemned Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine as “barbaric,’ but he has remained on the European Union’s sanctions list. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - Arkady Volozh, head of Russia’s largest internet search engine Yandex CEO, attends an annual VTB Capital “Russia Calling!” Investment Forum in Moscow, Russia on Nov. 20, 2019. Volozh has been one of Russia’s wealthy businessmen to have condemned Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine as “barbaric,’ but he has remained on the European Union’s sanctions list. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

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VERONA, Italy (AP) — Sitting on a terrace in Verona as the bells toll at a nearby medieval church, Igor Makarov sips coffee as he describes his life as a billionaire under Western sanctions.

Most of his fortune earned doing business in Russia and the former Soviet Union is frozen, and his plans to develop his energy businesses are currently shelved. His yacht is seized and his two private jets are grounded, so he flew commercial from Cyprus to Italy on budget carrier EasyJet.

“I ask the question, what is the meaning of these sanctions against me? What do they achieve? They don’t help Ukraine,” Makarov said in a rare interview, blinking in the Italian sunshine.

Western governments have sanctioned scores of billionaires in order to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin, choke off financial support for his war and turn them against him. They wanted the tycoons to “feel the consequences” of doing business with Putin unless they show “a change in behavior,” said Peter Stano, the European Commission’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson.

In April 2022, the White House also announced a proposal to seize the targeted tycoons’ assets in some circumstances and “enable the proceeds to flow to Ukraine.”

In the 21 months since then, however, few of the sanctioned businessmen have criticized Putin and just $5.4 million of an estimated $58 billion in frozen private assets has gone to Kyiv. Some of the wealthy businessmen are now fighting back in court, calling the sanctions process opaque, illegal and unfair.

While sanctions have made life difficult for the tycoons, “it’s not in the short term benefiting Ukraine,” said Nigel Gould-Davies, a former British ambassador to Belarus and senior fellow for Russia & Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

Amid growing concerns about the future of Western funding for Ukraine, former diplomats and experts are asking what can be done to make the sanctions more effective and help Kyiv financially.

They say a different approach is needed that could include offering tycoons a more clearly defined route off sanctions lists in exchange for cash and condemning Putin. It’s a controversial idea among Western governments, not least because they don’t want to suggest tycoons can buy their way off lists. Sanctions relief also doesn’t have the backing of Ukraine.

PUTIN AND THE RICH

While in power, Putin has tapped Russia’s elites to fund his pet projects or fill gaps in government funding. On the day of the invasion, he summoned some of them to the Kremlin to shore up their support. Later, he railed against wealthy Russian “traitors” with pro-Western views who take assets abroad.

The West has long viewed much of the Russians’ wealth as the “proceeds of corruption” and saw the invasion as a “golden opportunity” to crack down, said Tom Keatinge, director of the Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute in London.

Lawmakers wanted to punish Putin for the invasion and engaged in “emotional sanctioning,” said Fiona Hill, a former senior official at the U.S. National Security Council. But, punishment alone, with no intended outcome, is ineffective, Hill suggested.

A ‘POINTLESS’ EXERCISE

The personal asset freezes target a wide range of people: top officials like Putin and so-called oligarchs, regional officials with few assets abroad, and tycoons like the 61-year-old Makarov.

Makarov was born in Turkmenistan when the Central Asian country was part of the Soviet Union and founded a natural gas company in the early 1990s.

He is accused by the U.K. of involvement in the Russian energy sector and by Canada of benefiting from close associations with top Russian government officials to broker energy deals that helped generate revenues the Kremlin used to “lay the groundwork” for its invasion of Ukraine.

Makarov denies any wrongdoing and says he has not done business in Russia since 2013, when he was forced by government officials to sell his company at a bargain price to Russian energy giant Rosneft.

About 90% of his assets — more than $1.6 billion — are frozen by Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.

Most tycoons are not sanctioned in every Western country because each government decides that based on its own legal, economic and geopolitical reasons.

Because he is not sanctioned in the European Union or the United States, Makarov is still able to fund a lifestyle in Cyprus, Italy and Dubai.

He said the biggest impact of sanctions has been on his family — some of his daughter’s bank accounts have been closed and he can no longer access funds in a family trust.

Makarov renounced his Russian citizenship this year, saying he thought it would get the sanctions lifted, but hasn’t explicitly denounced Putin. He called that a “pointless” exercise because of the president’s domestic popularity.

“I have nothing to do with this Ukrainian tragedy, which I am deeply concerned about,” he said. “I am against war all over the world.”

Few tycoons have spoken out publicly and only a handful have unequivocally denounced the war, partly because they know it carries risk. Some still have relatives inside Russia, and they know the Kremlin is able to retaliate against opponents, both at home and abroad.

Banker and entrepreneur Oleg Tinkov had sanctions lifted by the U.K. in July after renouncing his Russian citizenship, condemning the invasion and calling Putin a “fascist.” Arkady Volozh, the head of Yandex — Russia’s equivalent of Google — called the war “barbaric” — but stayed on the EU sanctions list.

A DRAWN-OUT PROCESS

The piecemeal application of sanctions has led some critics to suggest they are a PR tool that does little to force any change in Russia. Current and former Western officials disagree, with experts like Hill calling them part of a “toolbox.”

Sanctions are not “decisive” on their own but do put “pressure on Putin and the whole system,” said Ambassador Daniel Fried, who led the U.S. State Department’s sanctions response to Russia after it illegally annexed Crimea in 2014.

“You don’t expect Russia to be defeated and driven out of Ukrainian territory in a year and a half,” added Gould-Davies. “Why should we expect sanctions to cause the disintegration of the Russian regime in a year and a half?”

As for sending money to Ukraine, the difficulty for Western nations is that the assets of sanctioned individuals generally can only be liquidated if they are related to criminal activity. That can take years to prove, and most tycoons have not been accused of criminal wrongdoing.

New legislation this year allowed the U.S. to send frozen assets to Ukraine, but that related to a tycoon initially sanctioned over Crimea’s annexation. Western nations also are investigating whether they can strip Russia of over $300 billion in sovereign assets.

DEFECT, DENOUNCE, DONATE

Because seizing assets to help Ukraine is complex, some experts suggest governments look at more creative methods.

One idea would be to establish a policy under which Russian businessmen could effectively defect to the West, denounce the war, and make a sizable donation of their assets to Ukraine.

In June, Britain announced a plan in which tycoons could donate frozen funds for Ukraine’s reconstruction. There was no rush to participate — perhaps because the Foreign Office said it would not offer sanctions relief in return, although it could potentially review them if tycoons donate and denounce Putin.

While Western officials say they will never allow tycoons to simply buy their way off the list, Keatinge said both the U.K. Foreign Office and its sanctions office have floated the idea of donation, which suggests “a new chapter ... is around the corner.”

Ukraine does not support sanctions relief of any kind on tycoons and would accept it only in circumstances where “a very serious part of their assets are transferred for reconstruction,” said a sanctions adviser in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office. The adviser, who did not have permission to talk publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Ukraine also would want “a very clear and public statement about Putin and the war.”

Only $5.4 million in assets confiscated by the West — in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea — has gone for the benefit of Ukraine, and “if you can get more than that, it would be a good outcome,” Keatinge said, adding that a tycoon also should have to put themselves at risk “to some degree” by condemning Putin.

Fried said the West should not be looking to “ease sanctions at a wholesale level.”

“But there ought to be a credible off-ramp” for sanctioned individuals, he said, including a denunciation of Putin and handing over some assets to Ukraine.

If a tycoon accepted any such offer, they would probably once again have access to opportunities and fortunes in the West, including assets they might want to pass on to their children. At the same time, they would also trigger Kremlin condemnation and face being branded a traitor.

From the Italian terrace, Makarov seemed frustrated as he mulled the idea.

“For a person to be motivated,” he said, “they must be offered something and it should work.”

Follow AP coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

LOOSE CANNON

Biden Has Only One Russian Yacht He Can Seize in U.S.

Relatively modest example docks at st. augustine, florida.

"We are joining with our European allies to find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets," President Joe Biden said Tuesday in his State of the Union Address. "We are coming for your ill-begotten gains."

Make that “yacht.” Singular, as in just one. And are federal marshals really coming to seize Areti from Camachee Cove Yacht Harbor in St. Augustine, Florida?

Forbes magazine has writers assigned full-time to covering the billionaire beat, and on Tuesday it published a map showing the location of all yachts belonging to so-called Russian oligarchs throughout the world. Only one was in the United States, a 128-foot Burger whose beneficial owner is energy magnate and Florida resident Igor Makarov.

(“Beneficial owner” is the phrase used when sorting out the corporate maze of legal ownership just isn’t worth the trouble. Areti , for example, is registered in the Cayman Islands.)

So, I read the March 1 Forbes story by Giacomo Tognini, who wrote:

 As recently as February 28,  Forbes  tracked the wealth of more than 100 Russian billionaires. Using data from yacht valuation experts VesselsValue , Forbes has compiled a list of every yacht owned by Russian billionaires and recent dropoffs—both those that have been sanctioned and those that have not. At least 12 Russian billionaires fell out of the three-comma-club on Tuesday.

Already, France and Germany have scored.  French authorities Wednesday seized the 280-foot Amore Velo , docked at La Ciotat shipyards on the south coast of France. Beneficial owner: Igor Sechin, chief executive of Russian energy giant Rosneft. Also Wednesday, Germany did not seize a 500-foot, $600 million yacht linked to another oligarch, Alisher Usmanov. Okay, not seized, but cannot leave town either. Under arrest, maybe? Forbes describes Usmanov as an “ore and steel giant.” His putative ship is named Dilbar .

Compared to these trophies to wretched excess, Areti is a positively modest craft. After learning her name, I typed it into the Marine Traffic AIS app on my phone and there she was on the screen, resting alongside the facedock at the entrance to Camachee Cove. I got in my Loose Cannon -mobile and drove over to have a look at America’s only potentially seizeable oligarch yacht.

As I expected, Areti was the biggest boat at Camachee, which happens to be the high-end marina in Northeast Florida. I snapped a few pictures of her from the Vilano Bridge. The onsite Kingfish Grill was closed but overlooks Areti from the opposite side of the entrance channel, in case you want to inspect her while enjoying a decent Painkiller

The yacht’s midship name panel was covered by canvas to hide her identity, something I had not seen since the bad old days in Havana. (Owners of American vessels that had come to Cuba without U.S. permission used to drape carpet or canvas over boat names to frustrate U.S. government marina spies, which were a thing back then.) I also noted a six-foot-tall, air-filled, American-flag tube-man dancing on the upper deck. There was at least one hand on board.

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According to published reports, Makarov engaged in the usual oligarch shenanigans in the 1990s but has otherwise kept a low profile, except in competitive cycling. Before he became an oligarch he raced bicycles, and now pushes his weight around in the cycling world through his high positions in the sport’s governing bodies. Forbes says the guy is worth is $2.1 billion. Makarov’s yacht is named after his company, the Areti International Group, formerly known as Itera, which is Areti spelled backwards.

The Areti I saw was actually Areti I , one of two of aluminum yachts that the Burger Boat Company of Manitowoc, Wisconsin built for Makarov and launched in 2007. Her twin, Areti II , was kept in the Mediterranean and then sold to the CEO of Lending Tree. VesselsValue reports the value of the St. Augustine Areti at $7 million.

(To make things more confusing, Makarov had also owned a 279-foot Lurssen yacht, also named Areti . She was reportedly sold in 2019.)

I’ve emailed the Areti International Group and asked if they would please tell me why Biden shouldn’t take away Makarov’s remaining yacht. If anyone gets back to me, I’ll follow up with their statement.

Makarov was one of 96 oligarchs named in a 2017 CAATSA legislation signed into law by President Trump in 2017 despite his reservations about it. The law codefied the ability to sanction bad actors such as Russia, North Korea and Iran. But the list of individuals turned out to be pretty meaningless after it was learned that officials had just copied it from…you guessed it…the Forbes list of Russian billionaires. No effort was made to ascertain to what degree anyone on the list actually deserved punishment.

The European Union and the U.S. have sanctioned a number of oligarchs for past and present Russian transgressions. Makarov is on neither list.

So, I have no idea whether Igor Makarov, who has had a business presence in Florida since 1992 and seems to be living here too, deserves to have his boat taken away. But if it helps to end the war in Ukraine, I’m all for it.

Below are images of Areti from the Burger website. There’s an accomodations plan at the end.

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Areti: Lürssen’s 85m tour de force superyacht

Areti ’s full-beam decks and profile signal that she has room to host a crowd, or a peloton even. Her owner is a former Olympic cyclist and long-time competitor at the highest levels of road cycling. Now, among other endeavours, he sponsors a world-class team and he likes nothing better than getting his professional riders together to train and to enjoy the sports lifestyle, which does not preclude the occasional beer.

That was the nexus for his recently delivered yacht, complete with convivial bar and beer tap, and why he decided to have it built to the demanding rules of the Passenger Yacht Code (PYC). “He loves to be surrounded by family and friends and, of course, his team,” relates Andrew Winch, whose firm Winch Design created both the exterior styling and the interior design of the 85 metre Areti .

“On his last yacht [a 60.35 metre Trinity , now Mia Elise II ], which had the maximum accommodation under MCA, inviting the team meant he often found people sleeping on airbeds or sofas. He wanted more accommodation with this yacht, which is how we came to the PYC notation. It is our third or fourth PYC build and, although it is the shortest one overall, it measures more than 2,800 gross tonnes and allows billeting 22 among the owner, guest and staff quarters and 28 crew.”

Lürssen is well acquainted with the safety-focused PYC, having built 12 yachts compliant with the code. Areti is the smallest yacht built according to the rules to date. “In general, the major challenge based on the large number of passengers was to combine the rules and regulations of the Passenger Yacht Code with the owner’s requirements concerning the design and functionality of the vessel,” says the builder’s spokesperson, Sylke auf dem Graben.

Areti ’s keel laying, in February 2015, came after some of the first PYC yachts had finessed the rough edges off the new code, resulting in a few more superyacht-friendly modifications. However, PYC ramped up regulations regarding the embarkation of passengers and escape routes for guests and crew.

The layout of Areti ’s main deck alone shows eight escape hatches and four stairways for crew. Add to this such requirements as a mandatory sick bay with an isolated HVAC system, a safety station, a pressurised sea water fire-fighting system and required single cabins for officers, and you have more hurdles than a track and field event.

“The corresponding components, such as the crane beams for launching the liferafts, are located on the aft decks, which are the main social areas for the owners and guests. Therefore, it was essential for us to integrate the equipment as invisibly as possible and to guarantee safe operation at the same time,” Auf dem Graben says.

And, of course, the yacht still has to be the pinnacle of relaxation, a source of calm and a place where nearly two dozen people can find a place to unwind. Which is why Winch Design started with the superyacht spa . “This isn’t your typical girl spa,” says Winch. “It’s a toning spa for athletes. It had to be designed like an important sports facility and it has its own spa manager.”

So what does a toning spa for athletes include? A 5.68 square metre steam room for starters and an eight square metre sauna. These are off a 20 square metre sauna/steam lobby covered in mosaics by Andjelka Radojevic that features a 12 seat spa pool, a full-depth plunge pool chilled to 8˚C and an ice fountain. The sauna comes complete with a selection of birch and eucalyptus twigs for smoking on the small brazier.

Experience showers offer multi-temperature, light, acoustic and aroma settings to simulate a Niagara Falls or a Caribbean storm. On the opposite side of the hull is a hair salon, a massage room and a pair of hydrotherapy showers, including a horizontal Vichy shower that pummels the body with water jets in computer-controlled sequence.

Add to this a 24.65 square metre “wet lounge” with a teak floor that connects the two spaces and features a transom door that opens to the bathing platform and you have a space it would be hard to leave. Windows in the transom door make it a welcoming lounging spot even if the door is closed.

“The idea is that the guys can come back from a ride and go for a swim or relax their muscles in the spa surrounded by everything they need,” Winch says. In the meantime, the support team puts the bikes away in an adjoining dedicated bike and Segway storage room and workshop. Its glass walls framed in stainless steel make it a showcase for the custom equipment. Forward of the spa are four supremely convenient convertible guest cabins that can be arranged with twin or king-size beds.

“What I like about Areti is how calm it is on board,” Winch says. “The owner said ‘no bling’. He wanted a monochromatic palette in soft creams and taupes, and accent colours chosen in concert with paintings curated just for this project by an American art adviser.” In creating the GA, the Winch team also sought to balance spaces that could seat 18 people for a meal with spaces where one or two people could relax. “Everyone needs a place to let the smile come down,” Winch says.

The main deck has one of Areti ’s large-scale gathering spots aft, with a handsome curved bar sporting the aforementioned beer tap and copious sofa seating. Glass doors slide away linking this covered outdoor lounge with a formal main deck lounge complete with an auto-play baby grand piano and a beautiful dining room that seats 18.

Winch is proud of the fact that, to serve these guests, the crew can enter the dining room either via a pantry lobby and a unique wine presentation area facing the dining room or from the guest corridor. Either way, a door never opens directly from the pantry to the dining room to spoil the elegance.

Forward of the dining room is the main circulation centre for guests, with a discreet lift and a grand superyacht staircase offset to starboard so that it can feature windows throughout its height. “Staircases are a Winch signature and there is some Winch history in that staircase,” he notes.

Areti 's style is what Winch calls American Classic. “It’s not a mansion house style of elegance and it’s not classic European; it’s more a Midwest, nautical style,” he says. “The joinery is makore throughout with a variety of strong architectural mouldings.”

The owner’s previous yachts, a pair of Burgers before the Trinity, informed the selection, although makore is a bit lighter in colour than the traditional American favourite, mahogany.

“Of course, it’s in complete contrast to PYC rules against flammable materials,” Winch says. As part of the creative solution, all of the panelling — the interior was manufactured by subcontractors Vedder and Würzburger — was impregnated with a fire retardant material under high pressure.

The balustrade of the owner’s staircase was designed as a very traditional element, with turned wooden spindles and a complex shaped handrail. With staircases classified as escape routes by PYC and with escape routes having the toughest restriction on flammable materials, solid wood was vetoed for the spindles and handrail.

Working in conjunction with the interior contractor, Winch Design found a way to conform to the rules and keep the look. According to Nick Brosnan, who heads the interiors team for Winch Design and who was project director for Areti , the solution for the spindles was a combination of brass and veneered aluminium tubes.

The handrail is 3D milled foam/fibreglass over a steel core for the necessary rigidity, finished with a faux-wood painted top coat. In other places, a fire retardant plaster is shaped into mouldings and faux-wood painted. Even if you know where to look, it’s difficult to believe the surface isn’t solid timber.

“One of the reasons most of the joinery and bespoke furniture has a matt finish is because gloss lacquer is highly flammable,” Winch notes. Throughout Areti , light and dark Emperador and Botticino marble graces the floor. More than just aesthetically pleasing, stone floors easily meet the rules for non-flammable material requirements for PYC yachts and reduce what is called “fire loading” for interior spaces.

Two guest cabins and a staff cabin are secluded between the main deck entrance lobby and the tender garage and mooring deck forward. Each guest suite has neutral décor but with a unique accent colour — emerald, dandelion, camino, blue, crimson, indigo, lilac and coral — portrayed in scatter cushions and curtains.

As with the previous Areti , there is a full deck dedicated to the owner and his family. Concealed doors allow the two guest cabins aft of the master suite to be included in an owner’s family apartment when the children are on board by linking this hallway with the owner’s suite lobby.

The owner’s wife was concerned about the safety of the children with regard to the staircase. “We mocked up the entire thing so they could make sure there were no sharp corners or places for the children to fall through. That’s one reason for the landings,” Winch says. Tiny dots of escape lighting are hidden at the edge of each step.

There are his and hers dressing rooms and bathrooms, each with its own steam room, and it should be noted that, although we aren’t showing photos of these spaces at the owner’s request, her voluminous dressing room could make a photo essay of its own.

The bedroom is situated forward, surrounded by windows that face a partially covered outdoor lounge with a sofa, eating area and a superyacht spa pool . An overhanging brow and a carefully considered placement of the bridge make this out of sight of crew. The fully certified superyacht helideck , for day or night-time use, is forward and its slightly raised position provides a bit of a wind break for the owner’s outdoor lounge.

Aft of hidden crew circulation and another excellent pantry on this deck is the owner’s lounge, with a games table, a large wet bar and a beautiful seating area on starboard with oversized sofas and chairs. A large flatscreen television is disguised by a specially commissioned seascape by Alexander Creswell.

Elsewhere, televisions — and there are many — hide behind mirrors, drop out of ceilings or rise out of cabinets. Glass upper saloon doors slide open on another covered aft deck with a dining table than can expand to serve 16 people.

The bridge deck above is split about 50/50 between crew and technical spaces, and guest areas. In fact, the bridge itself has two banquettes where guests can observe Areti ’s operation. The main staircase terminates in a guest lobby that opens on to a superyacht gym with exercise equipment, wellness balls, weights and yoga gear, as well as fantastic views aft over a bar, 12 person spa pool and sunpads.

While this area is partially covered from the sun, a staircase on port connects to the bona fide superyacht sundeck with chaises, a giant sunpad and a sofa that faces forward, which is the perfect spot to watch from when coming into a harbour.

Areti presents a balanced profile and a homogeneous design aesthetic inside and out, with the exterior areas — directed by Andreas Iseli on the Winch team — matching the interior stride for stride. The layout is very practical for the yacht’s mission and the non-extreme profile is at once timeless and youthful.

First published in the December 2017 edition of Boat International .

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Lürssen Delivers Superyacht Areti

The fourth areti superyacht for this owner is a 279-foot custom yacht from lürssen., michael verdon, michael verdon's most recent stories.

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After completing sea trials, Lürssen delivered the 279-foot Areti last Wednesday, so the owner can spend the summer in the Mediterranean. The newest Lürssen will make its public debut at the Monaco Yacht Show. Winch Design , responsible for both the interior and exterior, gave Areti a quasi-classical profile, with a high-riding forward section and tall radar tower on the sundeck. The hull is cream-colored, balanced nicely by the white superstructure and gray accents. Areti ’s owner chose this color scheme to match his previous yachts.

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The yacht was built to the Passenger Yacht Code (PYC), which allows for more than 12 passengers. Areti has eight guest staterooms and a full-beam master suite on the main deck. The owner worked closely with Winch designers to create an interior with lavish woodwork and neutral fabrics, and entertainment areas with a “beach-chic vibe,” as Lürssen describes it. The spa, for instance, has a sauna, hot tub, full-depth plunge pool, relaxation area, and “experience” shower (with multi-temperature water jets, chromatherapy lights, and aromatherapy scents). The spa connects to the large swim platform at the transom for the full ocean experience.

Photo: Klaus Jordan

Winch also designed in a number of private deck spaces for the owners and guests to enjoy the yacht without intrusion. The owner’s suite has its own forward deck, with Jacuzzi and sunbed, along with a breakfast table. Areti also has a helipad in the bow, allowing easy transfers for the owners and guests.

The owner, chairman of a Russian natural gas conglomerate, had owned three other Aretis before this one. He kept Areti I and Areti II (identical 127-foot yachts built by Burger Boat Co.) in the Mediterranean and the United States so he would have one on each continent. Later, he took delivery of the 198-foot Areti from Trinity Yachts , the largest all-aluminum yacht the U.S. shipyard has built. This larger, bespoke Lürssen Areti promises to open a new yachting chapter for the owner and his family.

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• Trinity Yachts
• Winch Design

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Superyacht Areti: The Latest Launch from Lürssen

By Ben Roberts

Lürssen Yachts has this week unveiled a first-look at superyacht Areti , yet another Top 100 entry believed to be the 85-metre (278’ft) Project Sasha.

Styled inside and out by Winch Design , this stunning new addition to the ‘ Largest Yachts in the World ’ rankings is still a highly secretive project, seen for the first time by photographer Andreas Jens as it enters the water.

Due for delivery later this summer, Areti is filled with notable design elements according to an update by her builder; such as a fresh and traditional interior, sauna, hammam, full-depth plunge pool and a light open beach club.

Areti is built to Passenger Yacht Code and designed to entertain, with ample space for guests throughout both spacious interior and ample exterior decks.  

The launch of the sleek and sophisticated custom superyacht Areti is the second to take place in 2017 for Lürssen , not including the recent and mysterious appearance of three large sections of a superyacht believed to reach over 120-metre spotted only last week.

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ARETI yacht NOT for charter*

38.61m  /  126'8 | burger | 2007.

Owner & Guests

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Special Features:

• Impressive 4,146nm range
• ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) ✠A1, Yachting Service, AMS classification
• Sleeps 10 overnight

The 38.61m/126'8" motor yacht 'Areti' (ex. Areti I) was built by Burger in the United States at their Manitowoc, Wisconsin shipyard. Her interior is styled by design house Burger and she was delivered to her owner in December 2007. This luxury vessel's exterior design is the work of Burger.

Guest Accommodation

Areti has been designed to comfortably accommodate up to 10 guests in 5 suites. She is also capable of carrying up to 7 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience.

Range & Performance

Built with a aluminium hull and aluminium superstructure, with teak decks, she benefits from a semi-displacement hull to provide exceptional seakeeping and impressive speeds. Powered by twin diesel Caterpillar (3508B-DITA) 8-cylinder 1,300hp engines, she comfortably cruises at 14 knots, reaches a maximum speed of 15 knots with a range of up to 4,146 nautical miles from her 14,300 gallon fuel tanks at 10 knots. Her water tanks store around 3,000 Gallons of fresh water. She was built to ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) ✠A1, Yachting Service, AMS classification society rules, and is MCA Compliant.

*Charter Areti Motor Yacht

Motor yacht Areti is currently not believed to be available for private Charter. To view similar yachts for charter , or contact your Yacht Charter Broker for information about renting a luxury charter yacht.

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'Yacht Charter Fleet' is a free information service, if your yacht is available for charter please contact us with details and photos and we will update our records.

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M/Y Areti

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85-metre superyacht Areti finds new Owner

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Written by Rachael Steele

A new Owner has been found for 2017-built  Lürssen motor yacht ARETI (ex.PROJECT SASHA) , a four-deck vessel capable of sleeping up to 18 guests over her eight spacious en-suite staterooms.

ARETI – Lurssen

The exterior styling and interiors were created by British studio Winch Design who opted for timeless surroundings with dark wooden panelling and matching wooden furniture contrasted by cream furnishings throughout. The lower deck comes with a beach club and spa massage room, complete with a hammam, sauna, plunge pool, hot tub and shower.

The exterior guest spaces include an abundance of alfresco dining and lounging areas for hosting large dockside parties, and the helipad on the bow can be used as an additional sun lounging space.

At the time of sale, 85m/278.8ft M/Y ARETI was listed at an asking price of €175,000,000.

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "85-metre superyacht Areti finds new Owner".

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In case you missed it, here are the top stories from the past week at staugustine.com.

Small fixer-uppers listed anywhere from $259K-$349K in St. Johns County

As St. Johns County housing prices continue to skyrocket, even smaller fixer-uppers are moving further out of reach for many homebuyers.

For example, a 448-square-foot home at 112 Moore St. in Lincolnville is on the market for $349,000. The home features one bedroom and one bathroom, and is being sold as-is according to the listing.

Its appearance and price tag drew attention on social media recently, and it's not the only local listing with a potentially surprising asking price.

That house is how much? Small fixer-uppers listed anywhere from $259K-$349K in St. Johns County , March 23, Sheldon Gardner

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Russian billionaire's yacht is docked in St. Augustine

St. Augustine is home to a Russian billionaire's $7 million yacht.  

Igor Makarov's 128-foot yacht, called Areti I, has been in St. Augustine at Camachee Cove for years, a spokesman for his firm, Areti International Group, said. 

But the yacht has gained wider attention after Forbes posted an article by staff writer Giacomo Tognini naming Makarov's yacht among over 30 that are owned by Russian billionaires or billionaires born in Russia. 

Russian billionaire's yacht is docked in St. Augustine , March 16, Sheldon Gardner

St. Augustine chef Tyrone Bennett and wife Lateefa launch new soul food truck

St. Augustine chef Tyrone Bennett is taking a step in a new direction with the launch of his Heart & SoulFood Truck.

Bennett, who has done catering and pop-up dinner events locally, is taking on his next venture with wife, Lateefa.

The couple has lived in St. Augustine for about three years and though she doesn't boast the Johnson & Wales culinary training her husband does, both are "passionate" cooks, Lateefa said.

St. Augustine chef Tyrone Bennett and wife Lateefa launch new soul food truck , March 21, Colleen Michele Jones

Crews struggled to get to pilot in marsh after wreck

After wrecking an airplane into the marsh near the Northeast Florida Regional Airport on March 2, Marianne Fox was trapped in the upside-down vehicle for around 45 minutes. 

Crews struggled to find her plane amid the marsh, and the tide rose as minutes ticked by. Fox, 49, of Oregon, died after she was transported to Flagler Hospital and then to UF Health Jacksonville, leaving behind family and friends to mourn. Her autopsy report has not been released, so the official cause of death has not been stated. 

Crews struggled to get to pilot in marsh after wreck at St. Augustine airport , March 24, Colleen Michele Jones and Sheldon Gardner

Susan Parker | St. Augustine men, tools, food headed to Fort Pierce to help salvage ships

A cannon that had rested on the ocean floor for three centuries was placed in a park in Fort Pierce about a month ago. So, what is its connection to St. Augustine?

Men were sent from St. Augustine to help with salvaging the Spanish fleet that had carried the cannon that is now on display at Melody Lane Fishing Pier Plaza (St. Augustine Record, Feb. 20, 2022). The ships of the fleet were laden with silver ingots, gemstones, medicines from the Americas, foods, and almost 1,000 persons.

Susan Parker | St. Augustine men, tools, food headed to Fort Pierce to help salvage ships , March 20, Susan Parker

Treasure found: Sunken 1715 Spanish treasure ship yields more gold coins

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