Yacht Club of Monaco: Yachting Combining Excellence, Tradition, and Environmental Responsibility
Reflections on Four Decades at the Yacht Club de Monaco
An interview with a key figure reflecting on the Yacht Club de Monaco’s evolution, challenges, and vision for the future.
Interviewer: What are some of the most significant moments you recall?
Bernard d’Alessandri: “There are many. I’ll start with the Monaco-New York transatlantic race in 1985: a true human and sporting challenge. I had the honor of skippering Biotonus-Monaco, representing the Principality, with a young crew of Monegasque sailors. This foundational adventure already affirmed our Club’s international ambitions. In the same year, under the impetus of our President, H.S.H. Prince Albert II, the Primo Cup was born, quickly becoming a European benchmark for one-design enthusiasts. It established itself as a laboratory for regatta innovations, revealing new series and attracting the best racers. This international influence has continued through the numerous European and world championships organized since then.
Among other highlights, I also remember Merit Cup’s participation in the Whitbread Round the World Race 1997-1998, a crewed, multi-stop race around the world. This boat, flying the Monegasque flag (MON 700) and skippered by Grant Dalton, finished second.
In another vein, we have always sought to promote living maritime heritage. The Monaco Classic Week-La Belle Classe, launched in 1994, is a fine example. This unique event, freely open to the public, brings together, every two years, an exceptional fleet of vintage motorboats, period motor yachts, and traditional sailing yachts. A tribute to the owners who allow these exceptional units to transcend time. In the same spirit, we made Tuiga our flagship in 1995. Built in 1909, this gaff cutter perfectly embodies our Club’s values. We then launched and coordinated the Prada Challenge for Classic Yachts (1999-2003), the first Mediterranean circuit dedicated to traditional sailing. A real challenge, but above all a passionate human and maritime adventure.
More recently, we had the privilege of welcoming Malizia – Seaexplorer, also an emblematic ambassador of the Y.C.M., into the Club. Skipped by Boris Herrmann, this IMOCA from Team Malizia, founded by Pierre Casiraghi, Vice-President of the Club, achieved a fine 3rd place in The Ocean Race and a remarkable performance in the last Vendée Globe. Moreover, Pierre Casiraghi will participate this summer alongside Boris in the Admiral’s Cup (July 17 – August 1, 2025). The event makes its grand return after 20 years of absence, with a program combining inshore and offshore regattas, including the legendary Rolex Fastnet Race. The Monegasque team will be composed of two crews: that of the TP52 Jolt 3, skippered by Peter Harrison, and that of the Carkeek 40 Jolt 6, led by Pierre.
I am also very proud to have seen the development of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge (July 1-5, 2025) created in 2014. It’s an event that I particularly cherish. It creates a bridge between yachting professionals and the new generation of engineers, whose creativity and innovations in propulsion and hull design are remarkable. Every year, I am impressed by the level of the projects and the richness of the technical exchanges.”
“As you can see, these forty years have been rich, intense, and exciting. Impossible to summarize everything, but each of these steps has contributed to making the Yacht Club de Monaco what it is today.”
Interviewer: The Y.C.M. is a unique Club, what are its missions?
B. d’A.: “The Yacht Club de Monaco has a dual mission. It is first and foremost a private club exclusively reserved for its 2,500 members (82 nationalities), which also has the particularity of carrying out a public service delegation mission, dedicated to promoting the Monaco destination. Anchored in the heart of the Principality, it is thus a true international platform where owners, sailors, and enthusiasts meet, sharing common values. Our calendar is dense and meets the expectations of the sector and the owners. Our vocation is to bring people together around a common passion: the sea. But we also have the ambition to support the transformation of yachting by highlighting responsible practices. All our initiatives are part of our collective approach “Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting” which is to promote the Principality internationally, positioning itself as the spearhead of an innovative and sustainable Yachting.”
Interviewer: You have worked closely with two princely generations, Prince Rainier III and then H.S.H. Prince Albert II. How would you describe their influence on the club?
B. d’A.: “The Club was founded in 1953 by Prince Rainier III, who had a clear vision: to provide the Principality with a yacht club like those where he was received during his cruises. He was a true sailor and a builder, and wanted to make the sea a pillar of the Principality’s development. Convinced that “Monaco’s future is towards the sea,” the sovereign prince developed a structure capable of attracting and retaining yachtsmen from all over the world. In 1984, when he took over the presidency, H.S.H. Prince Albert II immediately wished to intensify the Club’s sporting dimension with the creation of numerous events, while instilling a vision with a strong environmental awareness. He encouraged international synergies, strengthened our influence, and continues today to drive a dynamic towards sustainable yachting.”
Interviewer: What have been the biggest challenges you have had to face over these four decades?
B. d’A.: “If we talk about challenges, I will mention only one, which is currently relevant in my opinion, and which is also the challenge of our century: the transformation of yachting. Like many other sectors, the world of yachting must evolve to become more responsible and a model. Today, we must transform this industry and mobilize all the players to move towards a sustainable future. The Y.C.M. is today a platform for communication and exchange, highlighting concrete and applicable solutions for the yachting of tomorrow. We are working on the boats of the future and we are supporting the players in the yachting industry in this evolution with La Belle Classe Academy, the Club’s training center, created in 2015. We are proud to contribute to the professionalization of yachting, thus strengthening Monaco’s reputation internationally.”
Interviewer: You have seen some of the world’s most prestigious yachts pass through.
B. d’A.: “Apart from Tuiga, I have had the chance to board exceptional boats. In this year of Monaco Classic Week, I am thinking in particular of Creole. This three-masted schooner from 1927 is considered Charles Nicholson’s masterpiece. But also the Steam-Ship SS Delphine. A pure jewel!
Built in 1921 for Horace Dodge, it is one of the last steam yachts still in operation. It is a magnificent 79-meter motor yacht with three Babcock and Wilcox boilers powering two 1,500-horsepower quadruple expansion engines. Many anecdotes circulate about it. It is on board, it is said, that Roosevelt and Churchill prepared the Yalta agreements with Stalin in 1945. In a more modern register, I am obviously thinking of the Wally, inspired by Luca Bassani in 1994 and whose design office is located in the Principality. These are exceptional sailboats, with a minimalist and uncluttered design and considered truly avant-garde. Today, I am very interested in the new technologies that aim to be used on board: hydrogen, green methanol, kinetic energy storage, wind turbines, and pressurized air solutions, etc. I find these solutions fascinating.”
Interviewer: In your opinion, what fundamental values should the Yacht Club transmit to new generations?
B. d’A.: “Respect for the environment, a taste for excellence, a sense of teamwork, and a desire to transmit. These are values that we embody through our events, our training courses, and our Sports Section. We have a duty: to prepare young racers to become not only good sailors, but also citizens of the sea, aware of their responsibility towards the ocean. We must be innovative to continue to think outside the box, build the future, and attract young people. A good example is the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, which encourages engineering students to work with the industry. I will mention two initiatives that we have developed as part of the event: the Corporate Mentoring Program and the Job Forum. The first allows professionals to support young competitors before and during the event. The second facilitates meetings and the professional integration of students through internships and first jobs. In 2024, more than 90 interviews were conducted. The new generation represents the future for me. If, through my action, I manage to transmit this passion and encourage young people to commit to a more responsible and respectful yachting of our planet, then I will have accomplished something significant.”
Interviewer: After 40 years of experience, what is your personal vision of the future of the Yacht Club de Monaco in the current context of ecological transition?
B. d’A.: “I hope that the Yacht Club remains true to its mission: to be an engine of change. We must show that progress is not a promise, but a reality. My goal is to contribute to ensuring that the Y.C.M. remains a central player in yachting, but also a leader in the ecological transition of our industry. This is an aspect that is very important to me. This transformation must be complete and carried out at 360°, not only at the level of the design and use of yachts, but also in the infrastructures that accommodate them.
For five years, we have also been welcoming an entire ecosystem of young innovators during the Monaco Smart Marina Rendezvous (September 21-22, 2025), whose objective is to present the latest advances to encourage the construction and development of virtuous marinas. Since 2018, we have also been rewarding owners who stand out for their commitment to protecting the marine environment, whether in the design of their yacht or in the way they use it, with the YCM Explorer Awards-La Belle Classe (next edition Wednesday, September 24, 2025).
There is now a real awareness among owners. They are more attentive to their environmental impact, and many want concrete solutions. It is in this spirit that we created the SEA Index® in 2020 in collaboration with Credit Suisse (a UBS group brand), a benchmark tool for assessing the CO2 emissions of yachts over 24 meters.
Thanks to a transparent and impartial assessment, the SEA Index® allows stakeholders to easily assess and compare the environmental impact of a yacht. This involves an official certification verified and issued by Lloyd’s Register, and online tools such as the Lifecycle Emissions Calculator, an operational efficiency assessment method developed in partnership with RINA.
Located in a triangle between Menton, Saint-Tropez, and Bonifacio, around twenty ports, which house the largest yachts in the world, now apply the SEA Index® within their infrastructures, including the YCM Marina and the Ports de Monaco (Ports de Monaco – SEPM). The SEA Index® continues to be deployed internationally, where it is, for example, applied to the Seychelles (Port Victoria and Eden Marina).
It is up to us to continue to innovate, unite, and train. This is a commitment that we carry out with conviction, in line with the vision of H.S.H. Prince Albert II.”
Interviewer: How does the Y.C.M. reconcile tradition and innovation in its activities?
B. d’A.: “Reconciling tradition and innovation is a balance to be found and maintained. As I have already mentioned, the biggest challenge we face today is environmental, and there is no contradiction between tradition and innovation on this level. The yachting sector has understood this well, and we see more and more evidence of this every year. I often take the example of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge. This event, open to the public, is unique. It attracts more than 700 students from all over the world every year, who come to exchange freely, in open source, on technologies and innovations. It is this collaboration that is at the heart of the transition to a more responsible yachting. What a satisfaction to see the growing involvement of major shipyards – such as Monaco Marine, Oceanco, Ferretti Group, Azimut | Benetti Group, Sanlorenzo, and Lürssen, who actively participate in this event. This is very encouraging, and I am optimistic about the future of the sector.
At the same time, our attachment to tradition remains fundamental. This is what makes our DNA. The Monaco Classic Week – La Belle Classe (17th edition: September 10 to 13, 2025), will bring together some of the most beautiful vintage sailboats and motor yachts, in a timeless atmosphere. Thus, we manage to combine respect for tradition and technological advances for sustainable yachting.
As you may know, the Principality of Monaco already organized the first gatherings of motorboats in 1904, attracting all the major engine manufacturers and industrialists from all over the world, who came to test their inventions at sea. A tradition of innovation that we continue to perpetuate.”
Through these initiatives, the Yacht Club de Monaco affirms its commitment to a yachting that combines excellence, tradition, and environmental responsibility. This is how the club continues to pave the way towards a sustainable maritime future.
Enjoyed this post by Thibault Helle? Subscribe for more insights and updates straight from the source.
