“Nahezu jede Megajacht, die momentan in Bau ist, wird Ambramowitsch zugeschrieben.”
If you understood that, you’re way ahead of me–I had to type it into Babel Fish’s translation program to figure out what I was quoted as saying. Yep, I actually said that–but in English, which was translated into German. Specifically, it was translated for the German financial magazine Euro, which interviewed me a few weeks ago for an article entitled “Jachtfieber,” meaning “Yacht Fever,” about (you guessed it) the popularity of luxury yachts among the super-rich set. The article discusses yachts like Rising Sun, owned by Larry Ellison; Carinthia VII, owned by Heidi Horten; and Pelorus, owned by Roman Abramovich. It also gives a sneak peak at the upcoming edition of the Power & Motoryacht 100 (a.k.a. “The World’s 100 Largest Yachts”).
Since I’m often contacted by reporters researching stories about yachts, the interview–which was conducted in English–went smoothly. But when the issue arrived, boy, was it strange to “hear” myself in another language.
So what exactly did I say? “Essentially every large yacht under construction at the moment is ascribed to Abramovich.” If you’re one to believe everything you read, then you’ve no doubt seen what I was commenting on: anything and everything in the 100-meter-plus range in a shipyard right now is rumored to be owned by the Russian billionaire.
Are any of the projects really his? Probably. Does it really matter, though? No. What does matter is that the megayacht business continues to boom, and the traditional media–whether in the USA or overseas–is starting to take notice.
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