Floating Status Symbols: Old Money Yachts, New Money Pontoons, and the Ultimate Guide to Boating Etiquette

I believe that one of my favorite photographs of all time is Tullio Abate 1983 by Slim Aarons.

You might not know the title of it, but I'm sure you've seen the image.

It's absolutely arresting.

It's one of his quintessential Lake Como photographs, and it is a study in effortless wealth and Italian summer elegance.

It was taken in June 1983 on the shores of Lake Como, and it depicts powerboat builder Tullio Abate aboard one of his sleek yachts, which happens to be moored directly against the waterfront of a grand Italian villa.

The composition is almost architectural in its precision.

The photograph is shot from across the water, giving the viewer the feeling of quietly observing a moment in time, and dominating the foreground is the polished white stern of the yacht, its sweeping curves and immaculate fiberglass catching the Mediterranean light, which is actually rather subdued.

This is not one of his big sunny images.

And Tullio Abate himself stands at the very back of the boat, very relaxed, very confident, dressed in summer clothing that blends naturally into the palette.

And there is a elegant, slim woman wearing a very chic photo print bathing suit, and there is a young boy in some sort of a bathrobe situation, and then a guest of the villa, one imagines, coming down towards the boat wearing a bathing suit.

And I just thought, you know, this is so romantic.

There's a stone terrace that's descending directly into the water, and there's the foliage that's framing the house, and the house itself looks like it's centuries old, very aristocratic.

And I think one of the most striking things about this photograph is that even though it features a very expensive speedboat, there's a sense of stillness.

Nothing major is happening.

There's no dramatic wake.

There's no champagne.

There's no theatrical posing.

The yacht is simply tied to the side, and the owner's entirely at ease.

It's just an ordinary Tuesday afternoon.

I always tell myself it's a Tuesday.

I don't know why.

But this restraint is precisely what makes the image feel so rich.

Rather than exposing and displaying wealth, it normalizes it.

And I think that the boat acts almost like a piece of modern sculpture placed against the historic Italian architecture.

It's kind of a conversation between two things, both of which are very rich.

Like many of Aaron's photographs, this photo embodies his famous philosophy of photographing attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places.

Yet the luxury here is absolutely not loud.

It communicates permanence, confidence, and belonging.

The boat exists because the villa has always had a boat.

The owner stands aboard because he's done so his entire life.

And I think that viewed today, the photograph has become almost an archetype of what many people imagine as the ideal old money European summer.

An inherited villa, handcrafted boat, impeccable maintenance, and an atmosphere where nothing appears staged, even though everything has been exquisitely balanced.

And it captures not just wealth, but the illusion that luxury can be completely unselfconscious.

And I believe that the boat does a lot of the heavy lifting in this situation.

And that's why in this week of the Awkward Etiquette podcast, Old Money and New Manners, we are going to be talking about boats, which are really a floating status symbol.

So, you know, boats hold one of those rare objects that instantly tell a story about their owner.

Lineage, aspiration, taste, insecurity, bravado.

They condense class signaling, fantasy, manners, and identity into varnish and rigging.

So if you care about what people are communicating, intentionally or not, through objects and ritual, and if you would like practical, tasteful ways to borrow nautical style without having to spend like a tycoon, I think this episode is for you.

You're going to love it.

What you'll get in this episode is a historical and cultural tour of some of the most iconic boats and what they signaled.

We're going to be talking about specific types of old money boats, and we are going to be talking about the etiquette of being on board.

You know, what to do, what to avoid, and how not to be that person on board.

Oh no.

And there are clear behaviors, darling, that peg you as a social climber, and you're going to want to avoid them.

And I'll have a few delightful anecdotes for you, as well as tips on the yacht rental lifestyle, how to do it properly.

And we'll have, of course, some budget-conscious tips for nautical style, lifestyle, fashion, and home, plus rules for keeping it tasteful, darling.