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If the expense of booking the world’s largest charter yacht for a week is difficult to wrap your head around, then you’ll really have to do mind yoga to understand the ludicrous cost of actually owning a yacht.

Next up, enter the concept (because it really is just a concept for us mere mortals) of getting a prime yacht parking spot at the Monaco Grand Prix and the staggering figures that go with it.

DMARGE did some digging and spoke to Istanbul-based luxury yacht manager Candaş Balci to divulge approximately how much it costs to moor a superyacht in Monaco during one of its peak annual events.

There are different parking spots (berths) in the main marina that come with different rates depending on how much of the F1 track the yacht can see.

According to Balci, for a 35-metre yacht in a place that has no view of the track and only of the inside of the port, it will cost around €30 000 (R480 000) for the week.

The berths that look directly onto the track can go for around €50 000 through to €100 000 (R1,6 million) for the week, “which is almost their yearly berth fee in a normal marina”.

More digging (through Reddit’s F1 Technical page) uncovered this price list from 2019, which seems more or less consistent with the pricing Balci gave:

Image: Reddit

Forbes also reported on this some time ago, with similar ballpark figures:

“To moor in one of the world’s most expensive marinas during high season, a superyacht owner can be expected to pay up to $4,130 per night, and during prime time events such as the Monaco Grand Prix rates can skyrocket to $100,000 or more for a five-day stay in Monaco’s prime berths.”

According to 212 Yachts, getting a berth during the Monaco Grand Prix is highly competitive, and something one needs to do well in advance as the port gets filled to capacity pretty quickly.

That means hastily completing a port application form:

In order to do this, you must first select your charter yacht as technical details of the vessel must be specified on the form. Those directly associated with the Formula One, the Monaco Grand Prix and the event sponsors are fast tracked in the process, contributing to the extremely competitive nature of this process.

At what stage the yachtie exits their own competition to watch the race, I will never know.

[source:dmarge]