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Towards a more‐than‐sea geography: exploring the relational geographies of superrich mobility between sea, superyacht and shore in the Cote d'Azur

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Abstract

Geographies of the sea are no longer a marginal concern in the discipline but are increasingly diverse, encompassing connections, relationalities and materialities that transcend typical human–non‐human, wet–dry boundaries. Thus, as studies of the sea become progressively varied, it is necessary to move beyond justifying why we should look at the sea, and towards establishing how, ontologically, geographies of the sea can be done. In response, I present a more‐than‐sea geography. A more‐than‐sea geography not only views the maritime in terms of the sea's connections and divides, but also in terms of the diffuse relations that emerge when we view the sea from the sea itself. Drawing on ongoing ethnographic fieldwork of superrich mobility at sea, I identify relational processes within and between sea, ship and shore that shape and are shaped by those who live, work and vacation on board superyachts. Tracing the mobility of the luxury superyacht presents a unique opportunity to identify the more‐than‐sea relationalities and hyper‐mobilities of the superrich, while identifying potential areas of enquiry that can be further informed by a more‐than‐sea framework.