The Yacht Club de Monaco welcomed around 30 new members at its traditional induction cocktail reception on Thursday evening, bringing the Club’s global community to 2,500 members across 82 nationalities. Club President Prince Albert II used the occasion to outline a packed calendar of projects for the coming months, from a transatlantic campaign by two of the Club’s historic yachts to the international expansion of its environmental rating system for vessels.
“The Yacht Club of Monaco is deeply rooted in our country. But its vocation is resolutely international,” the Sovereign Prince told members. That ambition will be on full display this summer, when the Club’s flagship yachts Tuiga (1909) and Viola (1908) sail to New York to take part in Sail 4th 250, a major maritime parade marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the American Declaration of Independence and bringing together 50 tall ships from around 20 nations. From New York, the two yachts will continue their American campaign along the East Coast, calling at yacht clubs in Newport and Nantucket, in what the Club is positioning as a landmark showcase of Monaco’s maritime heritage abroad.
Closer to home, the Club’s international reach will also be on show at the 13th Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, running from 8 to 11 July. The event will bring together 52 teams from 21 nations, with students, researchers, engineers and shipyards testing and comparing new propulsion systems for the maritime sector. Since launching in 2014, the Challenge has drawn more than 6,500 students from around 50 universities, establishing itself as a hub for innovation in sustainable boating.
Passing on knowledge to prepare for the future
Training the next generation featured prominently in the Prince’s address. “No ambition has meaning unless it is passed on,” he said, pointing to the Club’s La Belle Classe Academy as a central pillar of that effort. Established in 2015, the Academy has grown into an internationally recognised training centre, with its Yachting Masterclass diploma now accredited by the International Association of Maritime Institutions, and several of its technical courses certified by the Royal Yachting Association.
That commitment extends to younger participants through the Club’s Summer Yachting Camp, open to 16 to 22-year-olds with no prior experience required. Over one or two weeks, participants learn to handle motorboats and jet skis, alongside first aid, weather forecasting, knot-tying and maritime safety, working towards recognised qualifications such as RYA Powerboat Level 2. Careers in yachting will be promoted further at the YCM Yachting Student Fair, scheduled for 13 March 2027.
Supporting the yachting industry’s transformation through innovation
On the environmental front, the Prince announced a significant expansion of the SEA Index, the environmental rating system launched by the Yacht Club in 2020 in partnership with Credit Suisse, a UBS Group brand, to measure the environmental performance of yachts. This year, the Port of Marseille Fos has joined the SEA Index network, while Pampelonne has implemented the first operational system offering environmental incentives for anchoring.
The Prince confirmed the Index’s methodology will now be extended to cover vessels from 10 metres in length, as well as catamarans, considerably widening its scope. “This advance is decisive,” he said. “It widens our scope and, while preserving an independent methodological rigour, it now opens to the great majority of the world’s fleet.”
A community looking to the future
The Prince also marked the 10th anniversary of Team Malizia, the offshore sailing team founded by Yacht Club Vice-President Pierre Casiraghi, which he credited with proving that sporting performance, technological innovation and environmental awareness can be pursued together.
Closing his address with a line from William Butler Yeats, “in dreams begins responsibility,” the Prince called on members to continue building on the Club’s achievements collectively. “Individually, we inspire,” he said. “Collectively, we build a future: one that serves young people, the sea, and the global standing of the Principality.”
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Photo source: YCM