In Monaco, the world’s most famous yacht show up close

The Monaco yacht show is a bizarre event. Every year, around 120 of the world’s latest and greatest superyachts, and around 60 smaller craft, gather in Monaco’s Port Hercule to show what’s possible when it comes to super-exclusive personal transportation on the water.

This mass gathering of floating metal (and carbon, wood and GRP) is so tightly packed, you could cover the whole of the harbour by walking from deck to deck without even dipping a toe in the deep blue. The variety and volume of yachts on show is staggering but each year, we get a taste of what’s on trend in this high-end niche of the nautical world.

VistaJet makes a splash on its yacht show debut

For a show that attracts the world’s 0.1 percent looking for the latest and greatest in personal transportation on the water, it’s no surprise to find private jet company VistaJet making its debut as the show’s dedicated private aviation sponsor.

We touched down in Nice with its flagship Bombardier Global 7500 – the largest and longest-range business jet, capable of pulling off a 17-hour flight non-stop. Whisper-quiet on the inside, with two rear-mounted General Electric Passport engines powering it to just below supersonic speeds, the plane also has precision-engineered wings that reduce in-flight lumps and bumps.

The plane carries a crew of four – each trained to carry out facials (an aviation first) and also on hand to serve VistaJet’s three-course menu by in-house nutritionist Jenna Daou. With an interior to rival some yachts, the Global 7500 has four separate living spaces, including a permanent en-suite stateroom with a double bed, a cinema lounge, a dining and seating area for 14 passengers or eight sleepers, and a bathroom complete with a full-height on-board shower.

But what of the yachts? Here’s what we saw.

Tender technology – from retro cruisers to the supercar of the seas

Darting between the bigger boats at the show were countless tenders and day craft – some more notable than others. Capturing plenty of attention was the latest from Swedish manufacturer J-Craft, with its elegant 42ft-long Torpedo – a nostalgic nod to the golden days of la dolce vita, only with a hefty dose of Swedish build quality and craftsmanship. Despite its retro styling, J-Craft’s roots date back to 2000, when the first model – then called the Cabrio Cruiser – was delivered to the King of Sweden.

Today, the Torpedo is one of the prettiest day boats on the market, powered Volvo Penta IPS engines and practical enough to sleep four and travel up to 280 nautical miles overseas – enough to go from Saint Tropez to Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda in eight hours.

To showcase the boatbuilder’s latest collaboration with Venetian textile house Fortuny fabrics, it had its latest build, Amazon Queen, running around Port Hercule, complete with an exquisite fabric interior designed by Studio Magnes.

At the other end of the spectrum was Say Carbon Yachts, with its 42 (named for its length in feet) day boat constructed entirely from carbon fibre. The German boat maker, founded by carbon fibre specialist and former F1 supplier Karl Wagner, is on a product offensive, having launched its flagship 52 earlier this year, ahead of a new 32 and 42 Sport, arriving in 2026.

Both boats are engineered for speed, with lean and lightweight designs, rakish lines and crisp carbon fibre everywhere you look, Say Carbon Yachts are the closest thing to a supercar on the seas.

Sustainability on the seas

Sustainability seems like an unlikely subject to discuss at a superyacht show but efforts are being made to decarbonise this niche subset of the marine market. Alongside the many floating motorised palaces were a host of sailing craft, identifiable by their masts towering above even the tallest powered boats.

For Finnish shipyard Nautor Swan, Port Hercule was the place to announce its forthcoming Alloy 44 – a 44m aluminium supermaxi, designed by Malcolm McKeon in tandem with Swan’s Technical Office. It represents a sizeable step forward in stiffness-to-weight efficiency and the ability to customise its layout without altering the elegant profile.

'Alloy gives us new freedom without losing the Swan silhouette, elegance in line, purpose in detail and a sailing experience that feels effortless,' said McKeon at the boat’s launch.

In stark contrast to the Swan was the behemoth Breakthrough, moored outside of the harbour. The 119m Feadship, launched last year, is the world's first hydrogen fuel-cell powered superyacht. Designed to cruise emission-free over short distances on green hydrogen, that yacht plays host to a 92 sq m storage space for hydrogen, as well as vent stacks for the escaping water vapour.

On board, accommodation is for a total of 30 guests, housed in 12 cabins, and a crew of 44, alongside a cinema, library, hospital facility, a semi-submerged viewing area, an 8.2m pool with contraflow and a light-enhancing atrium with a staircase wrapped around a lift.

VistaJet.com, @VistaJet

J-CraftBoats.com, @JCraftBoats, @StudioMagness

SAYCarbonYachts.com, @SAYCarbonYachts

NautorSwan.com, @NautorSwan_Official

Feadship.nl, @Feadship