EVERY year in late September the wealthiest country in the world hosts the glitziest jamboree on water: the Monaco Yacht Show. Brandnew superyachts worth a combined €3,5 billion (R66bn) will line Port Hercule as the sunshine glints off Yacht Club de Monaco, which is itself designed to resemble a boat.
But in recent years, the most exciting exhibits at Monaco have been vessels that will take you about as far as you can get from the Mediterranean rays: private submarines. These metal pods were first marketed in Monaco in the late nough-ties. Even at an event predicated on glamour, they still turn heads. In 2022 the big draw was the entry-level two-person model Nemo. Its maker, the Dutch submarine manufacturer U-Boat Worx, even offered guests a chance to try a dive at the show. You can pick one up for about €586 000 (R11,1 million) excluding VAT.
More than ever, the world’s wealthiest people are in the market for something beyond a simple boat: a toy, an add-on, a novel accessory that can turn a conventional cruise into a mission worthy of Jacques Cousteau.
Last year, Monaco organisers launched the Adventure Area, an al fresco section to cater to the growing popularity of gizmo-laden explorer yachts, the kind designed to reach not turquoise seas off Ibiza but the furthest corners of the earth.
Accessories range from specialist “tenders” (smaller boats that service the mothership; macho types might go for the Zodiac MilPro MK5 – designed for French commandos, it can land with ease on rocky shores or even a reef) to helicopters that enable quick exits in emergencies.
There are snowmobiles if you’re going to the
