2023 will be a year full of events for the Yacht Club de Monaco which, presided over by Prince Albert of Monaco, is celebrating 70 years since it was set up by Prince Rainier III and has organized a world class event calendar worthy of its ‘Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting‘ approach.
13th Monaco Optimist Team Race (11-15 January )
Festivities kick
off with the 13th Monaco Optimist Team Race (from January 11-15) gathering the international elite in this discipline with 64 under-14 sailors representing 16 nations won over by this unique event. The result is 120 races in the knock-out rounds leading up to the finals and requiring finely tuned skills and tactics.
Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series (2-5 February and 2-5 March) and 39th Primo Cup-Trophée Credit Suisse (2-5 March)
The best J/70 teams, who have established their training base in the Principality, meet again this month for Act III of the 10th Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series of monthly regattas, which has become a fixture on the calendar for international teams. Races are set to be tight for the fleet, currently led by YCM’s Ludovico Fassitelli on Junda followed by Graeme Peterson (Moonlight II) and Stefano Roberti (Piccinina).
The Monaco Sportsboat Winter Series season culminates for the J/70s at the fourth and final act held on the same weekend (March 2-5) as the 39th Primo Cup-Trophée Credit Suisse (2-5 March) that will gather the Smeralda 888, Longtze Premier and RS 21 classes. Launched in 1985 at the instigation of YCM President HSH Prince Albert II, prizes being technical sailing garments from SLAM, it is the largest European meeting of one design boats in the Mediterranean.
Monaco Ocean Week (20-26 March): yachting component run by Yacht Club de Monaco
Richful of events will be the Monaco Ocean Week (March 20-26), organized by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation in collaboration with the Monaco Oceanographic Institute and the Scientific Centre of Monaco. On Thursday 23rd March at the YCM there will be four events, starting with the 12th Environmental Symposium dedicated to the 10th Monaco Energy Boat Challenge on the theme ‘Encouraging the Future for a more Sustainable Yachting’. This highlight precedes the 27th Captains’ Forum that brings owners, captains and superyacht industry leaders together, the theme this time will be ‘Superyacht Commitment: Management, Leadership & Mentoring ‘.
The same day will mark the beginning of the Monaco Smart Yacht Rendezvous, a networking event that continues on Friday 24th March culminating in the Smart Innovative Yacht Awards, with the aim of promoting exchanges between the whole ecosystem to make it more virtuous and promotes innovations that could bring about major changes to the industry.
23rd March concludes with the 3rd YCM Explorer Awards by La Belle Classe Superyachts. It has been recognising owners who stand out for their commitments to protect the marine environment, be it in the design of their yacht or its navigation.
Monaco Energy Boat Challenge (July 3-8) celebrates its 10th anniversary
Festivities will continue in July with the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, from July 3-8. For the last ten years, this event has been bringing young engineers from technical colleges and universities the world over into contact with yachting industry players. The goal is to stimulate their creativity by getting them to design eco-responsible alternative propulsion systems, with everyone sharing information on open source.
A host of new features marks this 10th edition, in partnership with Aqua superPower, including the first ever E-Boat Rally of electric boats already on the market, enabling a record number of these boats to show the public what a cleaner future could look like.
Monaco Classic Week – La Belle Classe (September 13-16)
Last but not least, 
16th Monaco Classic Week – La Belle Classe in September. This event offers a journey through time, synonymous with the celebrated Art de Vivre le Mer lifestyle at sea. For the public it’s an opportunity to see some of the world’s most prestigious classic sailing yachts, period motor-yachts and vintage motorboats that create such a spectacle in the YCM Marina. This edition also celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of Prince Rainier III, who founded YCM in 1953 and was so passionate about the sea and boats.
In short, it is going to be a special year, made up of yachting, sea, boats, events and information, but also with an eye to the future and to young people: all that remains is to enjoy it to the full, breathing in the passion that will pervade the Yacht Club de Monaco’s 70th anniversary celebrations.
