Abstract :
Some German-built river motor-boats in the former USSR were more than simply means of transport or cruise ships. Dubbed ´the Boat of Love,´ the four-deck vessel with comfortable cabins had become Moscow´s favourite dating venue. On board MS Vernadsky, however, due to some minor bureaucratic oversight (of which there were plenty in the former USSR), proof of marriage were not required and four-hour-long trysts during the smooth and affordable river cruise had soon become very popular among the amorous Muscovites.
