From 13 to 16 September, the Principality will host the 16th
Monaco Classic Week – La Belle Classe, one of the most important dates on the
calendar for the prestigious Yacht Club de Monaco.
It is one of the most hotly anticipated events of the early autumn,
partly because it takes place only every two years, but mostly for the quite
exceptional boats that gather off the coast of the Principality for four days
of wonderful spectacle.
Reflecting the Yacht Club’s commitment to maritime heritage and the
Principality’s historically close relationship with the sea, Monaco Classic
Week is the first meeting in the world to showcase both sailing and motor boats
of yesteryear. Echoing the first motorboat meetings of the early twentieth
century, this event is the only one to bring together the most beautiful
traditional sailing boats, with vintage motor-yachts and old motorboats.
For 2023, more than 110 boats will come together, including Tuiga, the
flagship of the Yacht Club de Monaco, Maliclaire, a 35 metre schooner from
1909, and Atlantic, a replica of the three-mast craft that made yachting
history with its crossing of the North Atlantic in 1905.
A number of special prizes will be presented during the event, including
awards for the best restored and most elegant boats, and one for the best chef.
And since 2023 also marks the Centenary of Prince Rainier III, there
will also be an exhibition of photographs dedicated to the man they called the
“Builder Prince”, founder of the Yacht Club and himself a keen yachtsman.
Finally, Monaco Classic Week will conclude in fitting style with a
parade in which the participants will gather just off the Oceanographic Museum,
and file one behind the other eastwards towards Larvotto Beach!
Photo credits:
Studio Borlenghi - YCM