More than one hundred owners together for lunch, with a total length of 2,207 meters of yachts, all flying the flag of the Principality of Monaco. It was the traditional “Owners Lunch,” the initiative organized by the Yacht Club de Monaco on the opening day of the Monaco Yacht Show. The lunch was an opportunity to sign an agreement with The Explorers Club, an association founded in 1904 to promote scientific exploration at sea aimed at environmental investigations. In 1921 Prince Albert I was named an honorary member of The Explorers Club, while in 2017 the president of the Yacht Club de Monaco, Prince Albert II, received the prestigious Lowell Thomas Award from the same club. Today, The Expolers Club has about 4,000 members from more than 60 countries.
“This agreement once again reflects our Club’s commitment to environmental issues, as well as the link that unites Monaco and The Explorers Club,” emphasizes Bernard d’Alessandri, Secretary General of the Yacht Club. “Our aim is to bring together those who have witnessed climate change and those who are working to combat it”.
Sir William Roseman, Executive Director of The Explorers Club, commented: “This means that we share the same missions, one of which is to preserve the planet in every way we can. We join forces in a noble quest for innovation, paving the way for a brighter, more sustainable future for our oceans and the world”.
Also invited to the lunch was Nina Lanza, Team Leader for Space and Planetary Exploration in Space and Remote Sensing and Data Science at Los Alamos National Laboratory. “The ocean has long captured our imagination. We have always thought of it as an eternal and unlimited resource. But appearances can be deceiving. The oceans are much more ephemeral than we often think”, explained the researcher. “The oceans are probably the cradle of life. That’s why exploration is so important: it teaches us about ourselves and our future”.
The agreement between the Yacht Club de Monaco and The Explorers Club is part of the initiatives to raise awareness and invest in the eco-sustainability of yachting, which fall under the umbrella of the “Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting” project. In this regard, one of the most important initiatives planned will be the 13th Environmental Symposium, which will be held on March 21, 2024 before the Explorers Awards organized by the Yacht Club de Monaco. It is through these international events that the Yacht Club de Monaco is establishing itself as a proactive player in the environmental transition of yachting, positioning itself as a communication platform for all those involved in building the yachting industry of the future.
Dr. Lanza added: “At the 13th Environmental Symposium , we will reward people who genuinely care about sustainability. We need to understand that our impact on the planet is disproportionate and that we can actually alter our environment. This event is an opportunity to recognize those who are doing their best to maintain these sustainable explorations. A sentiment shared by Sir William Roseman for whom this meeting is essential. As he says, “we would not be here today discussing these issues if YCM and its members did not share the same objective”, concluded the Executive Director of The Explorers Club.
