Yacht Club de Monaco awards exploration and innovation prizes
Le Prince Albert II, who is concerned about the issue, attended the event.
The 7th Monaco Ocean Week was driven by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation along with the Prince’s Government, the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco, and the Scientific Centre of Monaco. During the event, the Yacht Club de Monaco led the debates in the field of Grande Plaisance (Super yachting) on Thursday 21 March, and presented the 4th “YCM Explorer Awards by La Belle Classe Superyachts,” an initiative that was launched in 2019.
A jury of professionals awarded prizes in a number of categories: “technology and innovation”, “science and mediation” and “adventure and environmental ethics”. The Sovereign praised the commitment of these men and women: “who are acutely aware of the environment and are playing and will play a crucial role in marine exploration by providing invaluable support to scientists and local communities.” Prince Albert II also pointed out that the tradition of exploration was deeply rooted in Monaco’s history, and that we owe it to Prince Albert I.
The four winners are:
- S/Y Cachalote, a 25-metre boat equipped with flexible solar panels
- M/Y Archimedes, a 68-metre vessel that explores parts of the ocean that are not well sampled, such as remote areas of the Atlantic, Pacific and Southern Oceans
- M/Y Gigi, a 49-metre boat that symbolises philanthropic adventure, with missions such as distributing tablets to schools to support local education in disadvantaged regions
- M/V Lattitude, a 47m vessel for technical changes such as realigning the engines to increase efficiency and speed while limiting its ecological impact.