From the hairpin turns of the Formula 1 circuit to the five-deck superyachts docked in Port Hercules, Monaco’s connection to racing and boating is everywhere.
But its desire to be known as a sustainable destination is less obvious.
Monaco’s “Green is the New Glamor” campaign, launched in 2018, highlights the country’s many environmental efforts. There is another year 2023 Tourism activities Consider sustainability one of the three key pillars of attracting new visitors, alongside Instagram appeal and digital nomad appeal.
Its green ambitions are at odds with its greenhouse-gas-emitting superyachts and beloved Formula One race. The latter carbon footprint According to Formula 1 reports, CO2 emissions for the 2022 season exceeded 223,000 tonnes. But they do align with the new rowing competition E1, which features 100% electric speedboats.
Monaco, a small country known for its charm and wealth, is making a big push for sustainable tourism.
Source: Shiv Gohil | Spacesuit Media
Monaco is one of six locations to host the competition, which launched in Saudi Arabia in February.
During the Monaco race on July 28, Bernard Alessandri, secretary-general and managing director of the Yacht Club of Monaco, said that the E1 demonstrated new technologies in rowing.
“Before E1, it was impossible to race with electric boats,” he said. “E1 has proven you can.”
like a high-tech hummingbird
Nine teams, co-piloted by one man and one woman, are competing in the Racebirds, all-electric speedboats custom-built for E1. Resembling a high-tech hummingbird, its small wings, head and body are punctuated by an elongated snout and a sleek metallic exterior.
The racing pigeons arrive in Monaco before the race.
Source: Shiv Gohil | Spacesuit Media
According to race organizers, the Racebird is a certified zero-emission boat that releases no oil or fuel into the water and generates about half as much noise and waves as a typical motorized boat, all of which can cause distress to marine life .
E1 chief executive and co-founder Rodi Basso, a former Formula 1 engineer, said race organizers are also using robotic anchorless buoys to mark the route, which do not damage the seafloor like anchors.
A close-up of the “Team Rafa” racing boat owned by tennis star Rafael Nadal.
Source: Shiv Gohil | Spacesuit Media
Since the first edition, organizers have gradually reduced the time and containers required to host the competition. Organizers say they are now building boats near competition venues rather than moving them for each event.
Basso said the match had attracted the attention of important “stakeholders” in the country, including Prince Albert II of Monaco.
“They see that we take seriously the values we’re trying to build,” he said. “They care about the future of yachting.”
Elite acceptance of electric rowing
Racebird founder Sophie Horne said it was not easy to attract the attention of Monaco’s rowing elite.
She said that during the design phase of the Racebird, few believed in it. But racing changed that, she recalls of a recent meeting in Monaco with a megayacht designer she had always admired.
Model and actress Cara Delevingne (centre) with boat designer Sophie Horne and E1 co-founder and CEO Rodi Basso in 2022 The Venice Boat Show was held in Venice, Italy on June 4th.
Lloyd Images | Getty Images Sports | Getty Images
“Sitting in his office, discussing the concept of Racebird in detail with his naval architects and eliciting a different way of thinking – that meant a lot to me,” Horn said.
Horne is the founder and chairman of Seabird, an independent company focused on the design and development of electric power boats. She said she is now taking orders from local boating enthusiasts interested in electrification.
“They see how cool it is and they want something that their friends don’t have,” she said. “The racing bird is very different than anything they’ve seen before…and they wanted to know if we could make it a little sister, but also family-friendly.”
celebrity factor
E1’s celebrity factor has also raised eyebrows – a deliberate move for a race whose boats can reach a top speed of 58mph, slower than the Formula 1 H2O speedboats, which can reach speeds of nearly 150mph.
Nine team owners – actor Will Smith, tennis player Rafael Nadal, singer Marc Anthony, NFL player Tom Brady, football star Didier Drogba, cricketer Virat Kohli, Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez, DJ/record producer Steve Aoki and billionaire businessman Marcelo Claure – they are the central figures in the game and they ‘s name and face are emblazoned on marketing materials.
Team owners Didier Drogba and Tom Brady spoke with E1 Series co-founder and chairman Alejandro Agag ahead of the second race of the E1 series in Venice, Italy .
Daniel Venturelli | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images
Brady and Drogba were seen embracing in Monaco’s VIP lounge after his team topped the standings after just their fourth game of the season.
But team owners are being asked to do more than just fuel their boats. E1 challenges owners and teams to take an active role in ocean conservation. E1 will not only crown the champion itself, but also its conservation program Blue Impact. Nadal is working to protect the endangered seagrass meadows found in the Mediterranean, which also surround his native Mallorca and Monaco.
Professor Carlos Duarte, a climate change scientist and E1 chief scientist, said the celebrity factor has also brought conservation awareness to the public.
In late July 2024, spectators will watch the Racebirds in Monaco.
Source: Shiv Gohil | Spacesuit Media
“Having someone like Tom Brady talk about committing to ocean action has a huge impact on public engagement,” he said. “Then we can talk about solutions, we can talk about new technologies, we can talk about what the communities in the cities where we compete are doing.”
The remaining two races of the E1 series are scheduled to take place in Lake Como, Italy on August 23, followed by Hong Kong on November 10.
