yacht man meaning

Definition of 'yachtsman'

yachtsman in British English

Yachtsman in american english, examples of 'yachtsman' in a sentence yachtsman, trends of yachtsman.

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In other languages yachtsman

• American English : yachtsman / yˈɒtsmən /
• Brazilian Portuguese : iatista
• Chinese : 帆船手
• European Spanish : aficionado a la vela
• French : navigateur
• German : Segler
• Italian : yachtsman
• Japanese : ヨット乗り
• Korean : 요트 타는 사람
• European Portuguese : proprietário ou timoneiro de um iate
• Latin American Spanish : aficionado a la vela

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Definition of yacht noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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aback: the wind is on the wrong side of the sails

abaft : at the rear or back of the yacht

abeam : at a right angle of the length of the yacht

abreast : side-by-side with the yacht

aft : toward the stern of the yacht

aground : the yacht’s bottom has scraped the ground in shallow water

amidships : at the center of the yacht

anchor locker : a locker used for storing the yacht’s anchor

astern : toward the stern (behind) of the yacht

autopilot : a device that automatically steers the yacht

BST : basic safety training

backstay : rope or cable used to support the mast on a sailing yacht

ballast : weights at the bottom of the yacht used for stability

bare boat : a sailing or motor yacht for hire without crew

beam : the widest part of the yacht

bearing: the direction a vessel or object appears to be heading in relation to the observer

berth : a place where the yacht is secured

bilge : the lowest part of the yacht where water collects

bilge pump : removes water from the bilge

Bimini : covers the cockpit and protects it from the sun

bosun : on a sailing yacht, the crew member responsible for keeping the sails and all of its related rigging and equipment in repair

bow : the front of the yacht

breaking seas : large waves with crests

bulwarks : the sides of the yacht above the upper deck

cabin : rooms on yachts where passengers and crew members sleep

captain only yacht charter : a sailing or motor yacht for hire with a captain as the only crew member

cast off : to detach the mooring lines

chine : the place on the yacht where the hull and the deck intersect

cook only yacht charter : a sailing or motor yacht for hire with a cook as the only crew member

chartering : renting a sailing or motor yacht by the week; renting a yacht for the day is simply called renting

cockpit : where the helm of the ship is located

course : the direction the yacht is traveling or planning to travel

crewed : a sailing or motor yacht for hire with a complete crew

daywork : term for a temporary worker on a yacht

deck : the areas surrounding each level of the yacht where people can stand, walk, or lounge

depth sounder : instrument used to determine how deep the water is an a specific location

dinghy or tender : a small boat attached to the yacht that is used for transporting people from the yacht to shore

dock : anyplace where the yacht can tie up to and be secured

draft : the depth of the yacht

dry dock : a location where the yacht is pulled out of the water; major maintenance or repairs are usually performed at a dry dock

fore, forward: toward the front of the yacht

fore and aft : from one end of the yacht to the other

forepeak : the storage unit on a yacht that is closest to the front of the vessel

founder : a yacht that is having difficulty staying afloat

GMDSS : global maritime and distress safety system

GT : gross tonnage

galley : the yacht’s kitchen

global positioning system : like GPSs used on land, these are used to help crew members stay on course

green water : water that washes aboard the yacht in one wall of water rather than spray

harbormaster : the person at each harbor who is in charge

head : the toilets onboard a yacht

heading : the course the yacht is traveling at a specific point in time

headseas : waves coming from the front of the yacht

heeling : when the yacht shifts away from the wind

helm : the wheel or tiller of the yacht, which is used for steering

helmsman : the crew member at the helm

high tide : a point of time in a day when the ocean is at its highest at a certain location

hull : the basic body of the yacht

IMO : International Maritime Organization

ISM : International Safety Management

iron sail : what some people call an engine on a sailboat

keel : a flat surface attached to the bottom of the yacht that helps keep it stabilized in the water and against the wind

knot : the rate of speed a yacht can travel; one knot equals one nautical mile per hour

lee : the direction the wind is blowing

lee side: the part of a ship most protected from the wind

life boat or life raft : small boat required to be attached to each yacht, it is used during emergencies

lines: ropes

list : a list describes the yacht leaning to one side or the other when it is not in operation

log: tracks all the miles the yacht has traveled

logbook : where the yacht’s log is kept

low tide : a point of time in a day when the ocean is at its lowest at a certain location

MARPOL : the international convention for the prevention of pollution by ships

MCA : Maritime and Coast Guard Agency of the United Kingdom

make fast : to attach a line to an object so that it does not move

marina : seaside location where ships and boats of all kinds can find fuel, provisions, and other needed services

master : person in charge of the yacht, usually the captain

mate : the captain’s assistant

nautical mile : equal to approximately 6,067 feet

navigation : the process of plotting the course of the yacht from its current position to its destination

navigator : the person responsible for navigating the yacht

offshore : located away from land

parallel : latitude line

passage : getting from one place to another via a boat

personal flotation device : an object used to keep someone afloat in the water in case of an emergency

poop deck : the deck closest to the yacht’s stern

prevailing winds : the winds that are common at a specific location

provisioning : food and beverages for the cruise

prow : the part of the brow at the forward part of the yacht, where it leaves the waterline

rail : the yacht deck’s edges

ride out : waiting for a storm to pass through, whether you are at sea or anchored

right : to return a yacht or boat to an upright position

roll : a side-to-side motion of the yacht, usually due to high waves or rough waters

STCW : Standards of training, certification, and watchkeeping developed by the IMO

SOLAS : Safety of Life at Sea

sea anchor : an anchor used to stop a yacht while at sea, usually in inclement or rough weather

seagoing : a vessel designed to endure ocean crossings

shove off : to push a boat away from another boat or a dock

squall : sudden, intense wind storm

starboard : the right side of the yacht

stern : the aft portion of the yacht

stow : put away

swell : large waves that don’t break

toe rail : small rail that surrounds the decks

transom : the aft side of the yacht’s hull

USCG : United States Coast Guard

underway : a yacht that has begun its journey

wake : waves created by other boats in the water

weigh anchor : a command given to bring up the anchor from the ocean floor in preparation of setting sail

wheelhouse : room on a yacht where the steering takes place

yacht charter broker : an agent that arranges charters

yacht broker : an agent that sells yachts

yaw : when a yacht or boat veers off-course, usually due to rough seas

As a member of CruiseJobFinder, we want to provide you with a one-stop-shop for all things yachting. However, we know that this is a complex industry and the more resources you can turn to, the better. Click on the link below to access a list of some magazines, websites, and other sources that you can use for even more information.

Yachting Websites, Magazines, Resources

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a person who owns or sails a yacht , or who is devoted to yachting .

Origin of yachtsman

Usage note for yachtsman, other words from yachtsman.

• yachts·man·ship, yacht·man·ship, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use yachtsman in a sentence

The year was an important one in its annals, for some of the best known of yachtsmen became members of the community.

Kingstown Harbour, so admirably adapted for sailing, has long been a favourite spot with yachtsmen.

In 1887 a most determined and well-planned movement was made by Scottish yachtsmen against the 'America' Cup.

At this time the minds of our yachtsmen were sorely fretted by the performance of the cutter 'Minerva' from Scotland.

As the day approached the excitement became intense; yachtsmen and sportsmen flocked to New York from all parts of the country.

British Dictionary definitions for yachtsman

Feminine yachtswoman.

/ ( ˈjɒtsmən ) /

a person who sails a yacht or yachts

Derived forms of yachtsman

• yachtsmanship , noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

SailingEurope Blog - Sailing, Yacht Charter and Beyond

The Yacht – The Meaning and the Origin of the Word

In my language there are a few words for a floating object, or a vessel. According to the size and the purpose of the vessel, those words could be translated as “dinghy”, “yacht”, “boat” or “ship”. Some types of vessels have international names, for example “catamaran” or “hovercraft”.

What Does Yacht Mean?

However, when you say “ yacht” in my language, everyone know exactly what it is about. The word “yacht”, unlike other terms, has certain connotations. It always links with something classy, fancy, wealthy, elegant, and even glamorous.

For example, if you say that you have spent a week aboard a sailing boat , the recations of people will be more or less neutral. On the other hand, if you say that your week aboard a yacht was excellent, many people will become jealous. They will imagine you in a scene from a James Bond movie : aboard a massive white yacht in Monte Carlo , having a cold martini (shaken, not stirred)…

I wanted to share with you this language introduction because I found an interesting story about the word “yacht” and its origin. The word “yacht” became an English and an international term after an event that happened a long time ago.

How Do You Spell ‘Yacht’?

This word comes from the Dutch word “jacht”, which means “hunt”. Furthermore, “ j achtschepen” was the name for narrow, light and very fast sailing boats that the Dutchmen were using for intercepting larger and slower boats and ships.

One of the ‘hunters’ was given as a present to the British king Charles II . In His Majesty’s free time this vessel was not used for intercepting. Instead, was using it for fun. That is why the word “yacht” eventually became the term for vessels/boats made for pleasure.

I would highly appreciate comments from the native speakers of the  English and Dutch languages. Especially since I am not one of them. No matter whether this story is true or not, it still sounds interesting to me.

Find out more about sailing quotes and phrases here .

I wish you a calm sea, a fine wind and a strong mast!

8 thoughts on “The Yacht – The Meaning and the Origin of the Word”

I looked up the origin of the word yacht, and it said it is a mid 16th century, Early Modern Dutch word from ‘jaght,’ from ‘jaghtschip’ meaning “fast pirate ship,” from ‘jaght’ which means “hunting” + ‘schip’ meaning “ship”.

I like the story of King Charles. It makes sense that that is why a yacht has the definite aura of wealth and pleasure!

Almost but not 100%. Actually the verb ‘jagen’ to hunt goes back to middle high German,i.e. Deutsch not Dutch, and before that it was ‘jagon’ in lower high German. But it seems that it all started with Greek and travelled North.

I guess that mid 16th century, the Dutch word jaght or jaghtschip was the word that got picked up. Not the earlier middle high German word where it came from.

Today it is jacht in Dutch, meaning hunting and it also the word for a luxury sailing boat.

In German Jagd is the word for hunt. Germans use the Dutch or English Jacht or Yacht for the boat.

Did the Germans design the original schooners? I think not! Since some Netherlanders speak a form of the Deutschland language, this word is shared (jacht/Dutch—jagd/German: meaning to hunt). It was the Dutch (Netherlanders) who designed the “flyut” or flute sailing ships, l-o-n-g before any British ever thought of such a ship—and—any German. The schooner grew out of the basic designs of the Dutch flute sailing ship (known for it’s speed). The Dutch economy relied heavily on trade and shipping, and were, thus, cutting edge innovators in ship building. Their engineering skills, was and is, plainly seen in their dike system, as well.

My father built a beautiful wooden replica of the”yacht” referred by the author (“Yacht Mary”) which was a present from the city of Amsterdam to King Charles II of England in 1660. They wrecked the ship a few years later (already too much partying on yachts, perhaps?)

I noticed the plaque that came with the model ship spelled the name as “Yatch” Mary. First, I thought, maybe, it was old English or Dutch spelling but it looks like it was just an error.

Nice, We have made an eplainermovie about this subject!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3HDZHF8w2E

In my head yogurt used to be spelled yoghurt and yacht used to be spelled yaught. Am I completely mis-remembering?

Dear Margaret, you are quite right for the spelling of the word yogurt that used to be, and sometimes still is, spelled with its old spelling yoghurt. However, there are no traces of the word yacht to have ever been spelled as yaught, but it would be best to take an etymology expert’s word for it.

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Definition of yacht

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Definition of yacht  (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

Examples of yacht in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'yacht.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

obsolete Dutch jaght , from Middle Low German jacht , short for jachtschip , literally, hunting ship

1557, in the meaning defined above

1836, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing yacht

Articles related to yacht.

Why does English have so many silent...

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Inexplicable silent letters, explained

Words of the Week - March 4

The words that defined the week ending March 4th, 2022

Dictionary Entries Near yacht

yacht chair

Cite this Entry

“Yacht.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yacht. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of yacht.

Kids Definition of yacht  (Entry 2 of 2)

from obsolete Dutch jaght (now jacht ), short for jachtschip, literally, "hunting ship"

More from Merriam-Webster on yacht

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for yacht

Nglish: Translation of yacht for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of yacht for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about yacht

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Meaning of yacht in English

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• They spent their annual vacation on a chartered yacht in the Caribbean .
• He spent three days adrift on his yacht.
• His eyes were fixed on the distant yacht.
• If they can afford a yacht, they must be rolling in it.
• She sailed around the world single-handed in her yacht.
• cabin cruiser
• dragon boat
• rubber dinghy

yacht | Intermediate English

Examples of yacht, collocations with yacht.

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Renowned and celebrated (Words meaning ‘famous’)

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yachtman noun

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What does the noun yachtman mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun yachtman . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

How common is the noun yachtman ?

How is the noun yachtman pronounced, british english, where does the noun yachtman come from.

Earliest known use

The earliest known use of the noun yachtman is in the 1820s.

OED's earliest evidence for yachtman is from 1820, in the Examiner .

yachtman is formed within English, by compounding.

Etymons: yacht n. , man n. 1

Nearby entries

• yacht broker, n. 1882–
• yachtdom, n. 1901–
• yachter, n. 1828–
• yachtery, n. 1861–
• yachtian, n. 1842–
• yachtie, n. 1874–
• yachting, n. 1836–
• yachting, adj. 1847–
• yachtist, n. 1895–
• yachtling, n. 1872–
• yachtman, n. 1820–
• yachtsman, n. 1862–
• yachtsmanship, n. 1862–
• yachty, adj. 1950–
• yachty, adj. 1892–
• yacht-yard, n. 1933–
• yack, n.¹ 1789–
• yack, n.² 1860–
• yack, v. 1873–
• yacker, n. 1882–
• yacker, v. 1961–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, entry history for yachtman, n..

yachtman, n. was first published in 1921; not yet revised

yachtman, n. was last modified in July 2023

Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:

• corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into yachtman, n. in July 2023.

Earlier versions of yachtman, n. were published in:

OED First Edition (1921)

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Citation details

Factsheet for yachtman, n., browse entry.

Decoding Hollywood's Disturbing "Yachting" Culture Beneath the Glamour

Dec. 19 2023, Published 10:41 p.m. ET

We explore the hidden meaning of "yachting" in Hollywood: individuals, often women, get paid large sums to spend time with wealthy individuals for career advancement.

Individuals may face uncomfortable situations, including sexual assault, trading dignity for fame, and money in a corrupt industry.

Prominent figures like Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Nina Dobrev, Hailey Bieber, and Emily Ratajkowski have all been linked anecdotally to Nonsense Pudding .

Thanks to influencers like Deux Moi , normies are finally getting a peek into the life of the rich and famous. And while pictures aboard yachts surrounded by luxury may look glamorous to all of us, it isn't necessarily all that it’s cracked up to be. Stories have been coming out for decades about people, often women, who subject themselves to “yachting.”

We may associate yachting with rich guys sailing in races, but it actually has a much darker meaning in Hollywood . It’s often considered Hollywood’s oldest “open secret,” but what actually is “yachting”? Keep reading for all of the details.

In Hollywood, "yachting" is the practice of getting paid large sums of money to spend time with wealthy people.

At its most innocent, “yachting” is a PR opportunity for an up-and-coming actor or model. However, it’s often much more sinister. Basically, typically women on their way up in the industry may get paid a large sum of money — five, six, or even seven figures — to spend time with wealthy men. The benefit for the women is the money, the photo ops of luxury, and a potential opportunity to meet someone who could give them a leg up in the industry.

However, they often aren’t told what strings are attached before agreeing to “yacht” with someone. Many of these excursions often lead to sex and other forms of assault. Although the women tend to be up and coming celebs and influencers, they are essentially selling their body for the entirety of their time on the yacht. It gives “the implication” a whole new meaning.

“Yachting” is a common and known practice in Hollywood, but it could also be considered prostitution.

In 2007, businessman Elie Nahas was convicted of running a prostitution ring at the Cannes Film Festival. He claimed that he was only responsible for getting women to Cannes and had nothing to do with what happened after, but even if he did, there are hundreds of other men doing the same thing.

Many of us see pictures of celebrities on yachts and luxury vacations and think, "Wow, imagine living that life!" But in reality, they're being paid to spend time with someone they may not like just because it could further their career. But in doing so, many give up their bodies.

In fact, one Redditor wrote : “You are essentially being bought for a certain period of time. Hence why people get drugged, raped, fondled, sleep with men older than their fathers, pissed and shat on. Once everything is said and done, the trauma and memories of doing those things stay with you forever. Your dignity is being leveraged for fame and money. Let’s not forget a lot of these encounters are filmed and can easily be used to blackmail these young stars.”

It’s an example of powerful men taking advantage of young women with dreams of succeeding in an already corrupt industry. But the practice is so common that stories have circulated about Selena Gomez , Ariana Grande, Kylie and Kendall Jenner , Nina Dobrev, Hailey Bieber, and many other big stars.

@al.laure1209 Best way to fill the pool 🛥 #yacht #yachtlife #yachtdesign #boat #boating #luxuryyacht #sailing #superyacht #topyacht #yachtinglife #yachtingworld #yachting #yachtlifestyle #yachtcrew #cannes #cannesyachtingfestival ♬ original sound - Alex

Emily Ratajkowski also talks about it in her memoir, My Body . She explains how she was paid $25,000 early on in her career just to accompany Jho Low to the Super Bowl, without understanding what she was expected to do. So while the idea of riding around on a luxury yacht might sound ideal, many paths there aren’t as great.

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Why the U.S. put a $1 million bounty on a Russian yacht’s alleged manager

On Sept. 3, 2020, the staff of a $90 million yacht placed an order with a U.S. company for a set of luxury bathrobes that came to $2,624.35.

For roughly two years before that, according to federal prosecutors, the yacht’s management had been falsely claiming it was working for a boat named “Fanta.” But the luxury bathrobes came embroidered with a monogram that, prosecutors said, revealed the yacht’s true identity: “Tango.”

That was a problem, officials say in court papers, because Tango was owned by a Russian billionaire under U.S. sanctions, and doing business on his behalf violated federal law.

Late last month, U.S. authorities unveiled a $1 million reward for information leading to the arrest and or conviction of the man they say was running the yacht staff and orchestrated the deception with the robes — Vladislav Osipov, 52, a Swiss-based businessman from Russia. In a new indictment , federal prosecutors say Osipov misled U.S. banks and companies into doing business with the Tango yacht despite the sanctions on the Russian owner, whom the Justice Department has identified as billionaire Viktor Vekselberg .

Osipov has denied the allegations. Osipov’s attorney has said that the government has failed to demonstrate that Vekselberg owned the yacht, and that its management was therefore not a sanctions violation.

The reward offer for Osipov reflects the latest stage in the evolution of the West’s broader financial war against Russia two years into the war in Ukraine, as the United States and its allies increasingly target intermediaries accused of enabling Russian oligarchs to circumvent sanctions.

Many Russians close to President Vladimir Putin have been under sanctions dating to 2014, when Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine and sent proxy forces into that country’s eastern Donbas region. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, President Biden vowed to deal a “crushing blow” with a barrage of new sanctions on financial institutions, industries, business executives and others tied to the Kremlin. But roughly two years later, Russia’s economy has proved surprisingly resilient after the nation poured tens of billions of dollars into ramping up its military industry. Moscow has also worked around the sanctions, finding new third parties to supply it with critical military and industrial hardware, as well as countries beyond Europe to buy its oil.

Now, the West is trying to increase the reach of its sanctions by digging deeper into Russian supply chains. Late last month, the Treasury Department announced more than 500 new sanctions targeting Russia , primarily on military and industrial suppliers. The Justice Department also announced charges against two U.S.-based “facilitators” of a Russian state banker who is under sanction, as well as the guilty plea of a dual national based in Atlanta who was accused of laundering $150 million through bank accounts and shell companies on behalf of Russian clients.

Prioritizing criminal charges against — and the arrests of — Western employees of Russia’s elites represents a new escalation of the U.S. financial war against Putin, experts say. One Moscow businessman, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said many influential Russians are concerned about the arrest of two associates of Andrey Kostin, the head of VTB, Russia’s second-biggest state bank. These associates, Vadim Wolfson and Gannon Bond, were charged with helping Kostin evade sanctions by maintaining a $12 million property in Aspen, Colo., for Kostin’s benefit while concealing his ownership. Kostin has said that the charges of sanctions evasion against him are “unfounded” and that he has not violated any laws . Bond has pleaded not guilty; Wolfson hasn’t made an initial court appearance yet.

Wolfson, also known as Vadim Belyaev, had been a Russian billionaire until the Russian government took over his bank in 2017. Bond, 49, is a U.S. citizen from Edgewater, N.J. For all Russians living abroad and working with people in Russia, the threat of criminal charges is a much more worrying prospect than the sanctions imposed by the Treasury Department last month against hundreds of individuals and entities, the businessman said, in part because sanctions are far easier to dodge than criminal charges.

“What you have seen through today’s public announcements are our efforts at really targeting the facilitators who possess the requisite skill set, access, connections that allow the Russian war machine [and] the Russian elites to continually have access to Western services and Western goods,” David Lim, co-director of the Justice Department’s KleptoCapture task force, which is tasked with enforcing U.S. sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, told reporters last month.

Thad McBride, an international trade partner at the law firm Bass Berry & Sims, said the crackdown on intermediaries reflected the natural evolution of the U.S. sanctions campaign in response to Russian adjustments.

“It seems to me they have gone through a comprehensive list of the oligarchs, and you can debate whether or not it’s had a meaningful impact on the Russian war effort,” McBride said. “Because they’re getting smarter about who’s who, they’re finding other people who play meaningful roles in these transactions, even though they’re not showing up in the headlines.”

The charges against Osipov related to his alleged management of the Tango yacht illustrate the mounting potential consequences for people in Europe and the United States who attempt to do business with Russians targeted by Western allies, as well as the opaque structures allegedly employed by those seeking to evade sanctions.

With a net worth estimated by Forbes in 2021 at $9 billion, Vekselberg, 66, has long drawn scrutiny from the West — and sought to safeguard his wealth. He made his initial fortune in aluminum and oil in Russia’s privatization of the 1990s and then expanded into industrial and financial assets in Europe, the United States and Africa, with Putin’s blessing. In addition to the yacht, federal prosecutors say, Vekselberg acquired $75 million worth of properties, including apartments on New York’s Park Avenue and an estate in the Long Island town of Southampton.

Vekselberg, who declined to comment for this article, has not been criminally charged by the Justice Department. In a 2019 interview with the Financial Times, he denounced the sanctions as arbitrary and harmful for international business, saying he had been targeted just because he was Russian and rich and knows Putin.

In April 2018, the Treasury Department under the Trump administration sanctioned Vekselberg and six other Russian oligarchs as part of broader financial penalties over the Kremlin’s invasion of Crimea, support for President Bashar al-Assad in Syria and interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Vekselberg was also targeted for his work for the Kremlin as chairman of the Skolkovo Foundation, an attempt to create Russia’s version of the Silicon Valley — evidence that appeared to undermine the Russian businessman’s claims that he operated independently of the Kremlin.

But with Vekselberg’s payments monitored by U.S. banks, according to the federal indictment , Osipov used shell companies and intermediaries to avert the bite of sanctions. Vekselberg kept other major assets out of the reach of U.S. authorities by making use of the Treasury Department’s 50 percent ownership rule, which stipulates that it is illegal to transact with firms only if an owner under sanction controls more than 50 percent of the business.

For example, a month after Treasury imposed sanctions on Vekselberg in April 2018, his Renova Innovation Technologies sold its 48.5 percent stake in Swiss engineering giant Sulzer to Tiwel Holding AG, a group that is nevertheless still “beneficially owned” — meaning, owned in practice — by Vekselberg through Columbus Trust, a Cayman Islands trust, according to Sulzer’s corporate filing. Vekselberg’s longtime right-hand man at Renova, Alexei Moskov, replaced one of Vekselberg’s direct representatives on the board. Moskov told The Washington Post that he stepped down from all his executive positions at Renova Group in 2018 after U.S. sanctions were first imposed and from that moment ceased to be Vekselberg’s employee.

The attempts to circumvent the sanctions appear to have found some success in the U.S. legal system. Columbus Nova, a U.S.-based asset management fund controlling more than $100 million in assets in the U.S. financial and tech industry, is run by Vekselberg’s cousin, Andrew Intrater. The firm battled for more than two years to lift a freeze on Columbus Nova’s assets, imposed by Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control because of the sanctions on Vekselberg, and won, reaching a settlement agreement with the Treasury Department. After renaming itself Sparrow Capital LLC, Columbus Nova successfully argued that Intrater — not Vekselberg — owns the fund. Intrater argued that the company was 100 percent owned by U.S. citizens and that no individual or entity under sanction held any interest in it. Intrater said Columbus Nova had earned fees for managing investment funds owned by Renova. He said he had repeatedly told Treasury he would not distribute any funds to Vekselberg.

Now Osipov, the alleged manager of Vekselberg’s $90 million yacht, is attempting a similar argument as U.S. authorities seek his arrest on charges of bank fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and violations of sanctions law.

The federal indictment states that the Tango was owned by a shell corporation registered in the British Virgin Islands that was in turn owned by several other companies. The Virgin Islands shell company, authorities say, was controlled by Osipov, who also served in senior roles for multiple companies controlled by Vekselberg. U.S. officials also say Vekselberg ultimately controlled the other companies that owned the Virgin Islands shell company.

According to the indictment, a Tango official instructed a boat management company in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, to use a false name for the yacht — “Fanta” — to disguise its true identity from U.S. financial institutions and firms, which try to avoid doing business with an entity or person under sanction.

Working at Osipov’s direction, according to the indictment, employees for Tango bought more than $8,000 worth of goods for the yacht that were unwittingly but illegally processed by U.S. firms and U.S. financial institutions, including navigation software, leather basket magazine holders provided by a bespoke silversmith, and web and computing services. The management company running Tango, run by Osipov, also paid invoices worth more than $180,000 to a U.S. internet service provider, federal prosecutors say.

The Tango was seized by the FBI and Spanish authorities in the Mediterranean not long after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and Osipov was first indicted last year. The owner of the Spanish yacht management company hired by Osipov, Richard Masters, 52, of Britain, was criminally charged last year by federal prosecutors with conspiracy to defraud the United States and violating federal sanctions law. A request for comment sent to Masters’ firm was not returned.

But in recent court documents, Osipov’s attorney argues that the yacht was not more than 50 percent owned by Vekselberg, and that the government hasn’t demonstrated it was. Barry J. Pollack, an attorney at Harris, St. Laurent and Wechsler, also says the government never warned Osipov of its novel and “unconstitutional” application of federal sanctions law.

“The government points to no precedent that supports its extraordinary interpretation and cites no authority that allows the traditional rules of statutory construction to be turned on their head,” Pollack wrote in a defense filing. The filing adds: “[Osipov] is not a fugitive because he did not engage in any of the allegedly criminal conduct while in the United States, has never resided in the United States, did not flee from the United States, and has not concealed himself.”

Still, the State Department’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program has said it will provide up to $1 million for information leading to Osipov’s arrest, warning that he may visit Herrliberg, Switzerland; Majorca, Spain; or Moscow.

The case demonstrates the extent of the U.S. commitment to tighten the screws on those seen as aiding Russian elites, even if they themselves are not closely tied to the Kremlin.

“When DOJ levels legal action against an individual or entity, they have quite a bit of evidence, especially because the threshold to press charges for money-laundering and sanctions evasion is so high,” said Kim Donovan, director of the Economic Statecraft Initiative within the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center. “We’ve had quite a bit of experience targeting Russia directly, and what you’re starting to see is the U.S. go after the facilitators enabling sanctions evasion. That’s where the U.S. is focusing its efforts right now.”