If you’re into superyachts – whether owner, aficionado, fan or follower of this billion-pound industry – from 25-28 September there is only one place to be: the Monaco Yacht Show 2024. For the 33rd time, Port Hercule will be packed with more than 120 of the world’s most spectacular, and many shiny new, superyachts, presented by international builders and maritime brokers. What’s significant about the new launches? What are the current yachting must-haves? How are designers and naval architects using tech and sustainable solutions to make these vehicles more environmentally friendly? This is the place to find out.

The Monaco Yacht Show is divided into zones; in addition to those which predictably house yacht-related equipment, service, interior design and naval architecture companies, there’s a Sustainability Hub and the Adventure Area. This last zone is where you’ll find luxury tenders (the small boats that service the big guns), water toys like jet skis and inflatables, luxury cars and motorbikes (this Luxury London writer once witnessed not one but three supercars being driven out of a yacht into the port in Ibiza).

Of course, being Monaco, there are also multiple lounges for wining and dining, including seafood and Champagne bars, and – again, being Monaco – transport options that include boats, golf cars and helicopter shuttles. For those who can’t make it to Monaco for a glamorous, sun-soaked few days, or are just keen to imagine a luxurious life at sea, we take a closer look at some of this year’s highlights.

Burgess Yachts

Energy

Where to start with Burgess’ stand-out show selection? Surely with Renaissance, making its show debut and, at 112m with space for up to 36 guests in 19 cabins, one of the biggest yachts to enter the charter market in 2024. Marvel at the huge spa deck – which has a gym, yoga area, plunge pools, steam room, sauna, two treatment rooms, and a hair and beauty salon – which guests can enjoy before retiring to the sushi bar or the 19-seat indoor cinema. Energy meanwhile, at 77.8m, has a nifty lift, a helipad, jacuzzi, piano lounge, hammam and sauna; the lucky guests in the main deck VIP suites have private balconies too. Nero has many notable qualities but we’ve mainly been imagining ourselves flying off the end of its huge inflatable slide into the azure waters of the Med.

At 32.6m, and housing six guests in three cabins, sailing yacht Ribelle is rather more compact but no less beautiful. Its hull was constructed in carbon fibre and titanium by British race yacht builder Green Marine and she is in immaculate condition following a recent repaint of hull, mast and boom, complete with new set of cruising sails. Displacing just 90 tonnes, she is capable of speeds up to 20 knots in moderate conditions

Ribelle

YPI

Fast & Furious

The stats at charter broker YPI show that the appetite for luxury charters is far from on the wane; the revenue from its managed charter fleet is up 30 per cent year-on-year, compared to the same period in 2023, with vessels in the 20m to 35m category proving nearly twice as popular.

YPI is particularly excited to be exhibiting AB Yachts’ Fast & Furious at the Monaco Yacht Show, which is available to buy, should you be interested in any of the following: visits to secluded beaches and reefs, possible thanks to a shallow draft; outdoor entertaining on the wide deck or at the new upper deck bar; or excursions in the 12m Seawater Smeralda chase boat. Its name gives away one of its most compelling qualities too – it’s the fastest 40m+ on the charter market, reaching a maximum speed of 42 knots and making it quicker than ever to cruise between Cannes and Monaco, or Nice and Corsica.

Lürssen Yachts

Fourth-generation German builder Lürssen – which specialises in yachts between 60m and 180m – is showcasing new delivery Kismet, a 122m yacht available for charter. The headlines: eight cabins for up to 12 guests, a Balinese-inspired spa and clever tech, focusing on safety and sustainability, which include a heat recovery system in the generators for warming the pool water and ‘dynamic positioning for electronic anchoring in sensitive and remote areas’. Green-minded show-goers will be keen to hear how Lürssen is improving fuel efficiency, lowering emissions and reducing noise levels.

Edmiston

The star of Edmiston’s remarkable line-up is the world’s current most expensive yacht: the 105m Oceanco H3, yours for €295 million. For this sum, you and 19 guests will be accommodated in luxury Reymond Langton-designed quarters, leaving ample space for 31 crew (resulting in quite the guest-crew ratio), a helipad, a hamman, a gym, a pool, a beach club area and an interactive video wall, which we’d guess becomes even more dizzyingly entrancing after a few cocktails. Oh the fun to be had at sea on H3.

Wayfinder

You can also admire Edmiston’s 68m catamaran support vessel Wayfinder from shipyard Astilleros Armon – its helipad doubles as a pickleball court – and the beautiful 2011 sailing grande dame Fidelis. Edmiston, an internationally renowned yacht brokerage company, has been going strong since 1996 and we’re pleased to see CEO Jamie Edmiston leading the way in terms of green innovation. In 2022 he launched a trailblazing collaboration with Levidian Nanosystems; its technology cracks methane into hydrogen and carbon, locking the carbon into high-quality green graphene. Watch this space.

Christie Yachts

Club M

Club M

Christie Yachts is exhibiting the remarkable Club M, which has all the Italian flair you’d expect from a Baglietto-built yacht and the awards to prove it: winner in the ‘Best Motor Yachts 40-50m’ category at the World Superyacht Awards 2021, and winner of ‘Best Motor Yacht Interior Design 499GT and below’ at the Boat International Design & Innovation Awards 2021. We love the contemporary, elegant exterior by Argentinian designer Horacio Bozzo, and the distinctive circle-inspired aesthetic throughout the interior, from curved headboards, bar details and ceiling recesses to rounded sun loungers, Jacuzzi and seating areas. The master cabin, one of five, has its own balcony, skylight and a Portuguese rose marble sink, inspired by the craters of the moon. Why not?!

Sanlorenzo

Sanlorenzo is an Italian yacht builder this writer has long admired and its 50Steel series takes the calibre of its creations to the next level. Thanks to an exclusive agreement with Siemens Energy, 50Steel is the world’s first superyacht to use a carbon-neutral Reformer Fuel Cell system; this significantly extends the time the yacht can remain at anchor without diesel fuel consumption. This covers about 90 per cent of a superyacht’s typical usage time with zero emissions, says Sanlorenzo, and reduces annual emissions by 20 to 30 per cent. No hydrogen needed onboard, which eliminates the associated sourcing and storing risks; instead methanol, available in more than 100 ports worldwide already, is stored and reformed.

50Steel’s main deck

Also notable is 50Steel’s ground-breaking HER (Hidden Engine Room) system which creates additional living space without disrupting the clean, elegant lines for which Sanlorenzo is known. Traditionally the engine room takes up two levels but, on 50Steel, the propulsion systems are arranged horizontally. Each of the five decks can then be arranged on two levels, a solution that surpasses the classic vertical deck division. The main deck has an extraordinary ceiling height of 3.7m, and there’s still room for two pools and a garage with a 7m tender, two jet skis and all the water toys you can imagine.

Sunreef Yachts

The remarkable 100 Sunreef Power 2.0 will be cruising into Port Hercule, complete with a 16m-wide walkaround beach club area with fold-out platforms to accommodate its 12 guests, as they make the most of the yacht’s water toys and diving gear. Oh and the two jet skis tucked away in the invisible aft garage, and an intriguing bespoke element; an enclosed cigar lounge with its own bar and 85-inch TV. We love the panoramic view in the nautically themed cabin, pictured above.

Baltic Yachts

Big news at Finnish shipyard Baltic Yachts, which for more than five decades has been an innovator in composite monohull yachts; it is about to start the construction of its first ever multihull and new CEO Tom von Bonsdorff will be more than happy to chat about it at the Monaco Yacht Show. While you’re there, check out the Baltic 85 Mini Y, for sale via Edmiston and co-exhibited by Baltic Yachts in MYS’s sailing sector. Designed by Bill Dixon, this 26m cruising sloop (a sailboat with one mast and a fore-and-aft mainsail and jib, for those not used to yachting lingo) is notable for ‘her superb sailing performance, ease of handling and an innovative layout for just four guests’ which includes a spacious owner’s suite.

Visit monacoyachtshow.com

Read more: The beginner’s guide to commissioning a superyacht