Monaco Energy Boat Challenge

A sporting and environmental challenge…

Faced with the need to tackle crucial environmental and technological challenges, the Yacht Club de Monaco aims to promote a new vision of yachting and positive ideas through a unique event, the only one of its kind in the world. 
Under the leadership of its President HSH Prince Albert II, and loyal to a tradition of innovation at the first powerboat meetings held here, the Yacht Club de Monaco is an incubator that supports yachting R&D. This event aims to stimulate the creativity of tomorrow’s engineers and the industry to develop propulsion methods using clean energy. 

The days of just raising awareness are over – time now for action!

First organised in 2014, the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge is an international challenge open to the public, which welcomes students and professionals from all over the world to race in three different classes:

Energy Class: In this class, introduced in 2018 by the YCM — which supplies each team with the same hull design — the challenge for students, working with industry partners, is to design the most powerful and durable propulsion system using a clean energy source of their choice, from a given quantity of energy.

Solar Class: Competing at every edition since the first one held in 2014, boats in the Solar Class will be involved in match racing, slalom and endurance races.

Open Sea Class: This class, formerly known as the Offshore Class and mainly open to vessels already on the market or about to enter it, includes a 16 nautical mile coastal course to Ventimiglia in Italy from Monaco, a distance of 16nm (29.6km). An endurance race will also be organised to test the boats’ range. It will be a real test for green-energy propelled boats that are already being marketed or are in development.

Since its creation, this event has brought together young engineers from schools and universities around the world, putting them in contact with the key players in the yachting industry.

The aim is to stimulate their creativity, asking them to develop alternative, eco-friendly propulsion systems and inviting them to pool their knowledge, building bridges between the engineers and industry leaders of the future.

New for this year…

There is plenty new for this 10th edition, with the organisation of the first E-Boat Rally for electricity boats available on the market, in collaboration with Aqua superPower, giving the public a glimpse of what the future holds for yachting.
 A Mentoring Programme has also been created, with industry professionals invited to support students. This programme adds to the Job Forum which gives young engineers the chance to obtain internships or first jobs. 

Watch how the different teams use all their ingenuity to use a variety of renewable energy sources and propulsion systems to create vessels with long range and lightning speed.

Experience an epic week of racing, innovation and networking.