A Forum for yachting’s future. The 29th Captains’ Forum held on 26th September 2024 during the Monaco Yacht Show at the Yacht Club de Monaco gathered a hundred captains representing a fleet totaling a linear length of 4,200m. The event highlights the growing impact of the Captains’ Club, not only in dealing with current challenges but also shaping the future. YCM General Secretary Bernard d’Alessandri stressed the shared responsibility of captains and owners to ensure a prosperous yet sustainable sector, one “working together to chart a course towards a sustainable future,” he said , recalling that the Captains’ Club gives captains a strong voice to influence the industry’s direction.
Discussions during this Captains’ Forum focused on three key areas: the importance of leadership, technological and ecological innovation, and best practices to adopt for a greener yachting. Captains have played a key role in identifying practical solutions, be it using renewable energies, encouraging artificial intelligence to optimise resources management or introducing the Blue Pledge initiative, an eco-charter signed by 150 members of the Captains’ Club. Anil Thadani, owner and winner of the YCM Explorers Awards 2024 stressed the importance of encouraging captains to push their owners to think outside the box and adopt more responsible conduct.
Before the 29th Captains’ Forum, a survey conducted among 130 superyacht captains revealed key trends affecting the sector’s future. Feedback from these professionals highlighted the priorities: more than 60% consider ocean protection to be essential, and the majority anticipate stricter environmental regulations in the near future. YCM through the Captains’ Club is asserting itself as a force for proposals to support this transition working closely with owners, builders and maritime authorities.
The Captains’ Club is also an opportunity to complement the role of owners. While the latter are essential to initiate the necessary investments for the ecological transition, captains provide the operational perspective to identify best practices to achieve these objectives.
Yacht Club de Monaco continues to assert its role as a key player in developing and promoting sustainability in yachting. One of the pillars of this mission is its Captains’ Club, a unique initiative that unites over 150 superyacht captains, with a Captain 500 certificate or equivalent. Since it was established in 2007, this club is helping build on collaboration between captains and owners while giving YCM a platform to share its vision and expertise to drive change in the sector.Industry professionals meet again on 9th October for the Winter Pop-Up organised by Cluster Yachting Monaco, a platform for dialogue and networking with decision-makers that has 90 members.
