Following in the wake of Jacques Cousteau is the 77 metre expedition vessel Yersin which will be one of the stars of the Monaco Yacht Show this year.
The passenger yacht was christened in Monaco recently when Fanny Fiat, the daughter of the yachts owner, broke a bottle of champagne against the hull to wish God speed as she embarks on a voyage of Science, Exploration and Preservation carrying a strong message of oceanographic awareness, as she does so.
The vessel name Yersin in honour of Doctor Alexandre Yersin (1863-1943), who worked for the Messageries maritimes merchant shipping company and whose research, led to the discovery of the bacillus behind the bubonic plague on 20th June 1894.
François Fiat, the owner is a member of the Yacht Club de Monaco. It was he, his wife, his Captain, Jean Dumarais, and his Chief Engineer, Yordan Hristov who designed her themselves without the aid of an agent, naval architect nor designer. Instead construction was entrusted to Piriou a French commercial shipyard in Concarneau.
The owner and his team monitored the whole construction process and selected the equipment and fittings themselves.
Built to passenger ship standards the yacht has been built around the ‘A.S.E.’ project, with three key objectives in mind as to how the vessel will be deployed: Adventure, Science and Education.
Adventure suggests the boat can sail anywhere, in any weather, with a reinforced hull for the ice. As her vocation is exploration the owners have set aside 70% of the space to communal and technical areas.
When it comes to Science the vessel is packed with eco-friendly technology. Electric propulsion gives the yacht a cruising speed of 11 knots while consuming 380 litres of diesel, an hour half of what would be consumed with diesel engines.
At a slower steaming speed of 9 knots, the total consumption (electricity, heating / air conditioning included) falls to 180 litres an hour, giving autonomy for 12,000 miles and 40 days at sea with 40 people on board.
Grey water waste is recycles for washing the boat for example, and reverse osmosis produces freshwater for all the yachts needs.
The element of Education, is covered by taking children on board to educate future generations on protecting the environment.