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Building Nations Presents Bering Yachts: From Hobby to Heritage
For some builders, yachting starts as a career. For Bering Yachts CEO and Founder Alexei Mikhailov, it began as a childhood hobby. His first build was a simple wooden box with a little bow, crafted at the age of seven, not a business plan, just a boy’s way of bringing a boat to life.
However Mikhailov's hobby has evolved into a responsibility that reaches far beyond the shipyard gates. Alexei reflects, acknowledging the weight of trust that owners place in every Bering hull launched. The transition from passion project to serious shipbuilding has not dulled that original spark; instead, it has sharpened the yard’s focus on how their yachts are truly lived with at sea.
At Bering, the answer is to keep every department close to the water. The team regularly heads out on boat trips together so that designers, engineers and build teams can experience life on board first-hand. They are encouraged to notice everything: what feels intuitive, what feels awkward, what is comfortable and what simply isn’t right. That lived experience feeds directly back into each project, ensuring that Bering yachts are not just beautifully built, but deeply considered homes for long-range adventure.
Building Nations shines a light on this culture of ownership, not only of steel and systems, but of the onboard experience itself. In turning a boyhood hobby into a modern yacht-building philosophy, Bering proves that the most seaworthy ideas often start with a small wooden box and a very big imagination.
Superyachts.com thanks Bering Yachts for this exclusive access. Stream Building Nations Episode 2 now on Prime and Apple TV.
"Of course it's much more responsibility, it's not a hobby anymore, it's far away from a hobby."
"Of course it's much more responsibility, it's not a hobby anymore, it's far away from a hobby."
Alexei Mikhailov, CEO and Founder, Bering Yachts