Institut Le Rosey, a prestigious Swiss boarding school known for educating royalty and the ultra-wealthy, recently purchased a $17 million solar-electric catamaran named Ipharra at the Monaco Yacht Show. The yacht will serve as a floating classroom for marine science education during a two-week voyage in Mediterranean and Caribbean waters, catering to students aged 13 to 16 who pay an additional $20,000 on top of their nearly $200,000 annual tuition. Equipped with luxury amenities such as plush sofas, natural oak flooring, and state-of-the-art technology, the Ipharra aims to provide a unique experiential learning environment focused on ocean conservation and renewable energy.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-10,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Switzerland’s Institut Le Rosey, known as the “School of Kings,” purchased a $17 million superyacht named Ipharra for its marine science program. The yacht, which can accommodate 10 students and five staff members, was bought by the former director Phillipe Gudin at the 2026 Monaco Yacht Show and will serve as a floating classroom for ocean conservation, marine biology, renewable energy, and responsible resource management. Parents pay nearly $200,000 annually in tuition plus an additional $20,000 for the two-week voyage on the yacht, which includes luxury amenities like natural linen sofas, oak floors, and Wenge wood bedrooms. The school justifies the expense by emphasizing its educational value in providing students with unique experiences and potential passions.
Written for “Billionaire School Science Yacht Expense” on 2026-10-11,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Switzerland’s ultra-exclusive Institut Le Rosey, known as the “School of Kings,” has added a 94-foot solar-electric catamaran dubbed Ipharra to its extracurricular offerings for teaching marine science.
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Rosey → know → science
The school’s former director Phillipe Gudin purchased the superyacht last month at the 2026 Monaco Yacht Show for $17 million, and insists the high-end vessel — delivered to the school this month — is worth every penny.
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vessel → purchase → school
“For us, the boat is a real platform for giving those young people an opportunity to discover something new, and perhaps to find a passion.”
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boat → give → passion
Gudin said at a press conference after the show.
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Gudin → say → show
The custom-built Ipharra has six guest cabins for the 10 teens who get to call it their floating classroom.
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who → build → it
Parents, who pay nearly $200,000 a year in tuition, have to fork out another $20,000 for the two-week voyage, hosted by a full-time staff of five.
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who → pay → five
The students are surrounded by luxury — including plush, natural linen sofas, authentic oak floors, an elegant oak dining table big enough to seat the whole class and a coffee bar wrapped in panoramic glass windows for natural light.
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students → surround → light
The bedrooms are custom built with exotic Wenge wood, a dense hardwood from the endangered Millettia laurentii tree in West Africa.
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bedrooms → build → Africa
There’s even a retractable, state-of-the-art movie screen that transforms the yacht’s swanky salon into a floating classroom with a screen big enough for movies at night.
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that → ’ → night
After class, students can head to the yacht’s sprawling Ocean Lounge, where fold-down balconies create an expansive waterside beach club, making it effortless for students to dive, swim, sunbathe and socialize.
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students → head → club
“Because we use the boat with students, we also wanted a large outdoor area close to the sea that would be easy to use for diving and for the sailing dinghies,” said Gudin.
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Gudin → use → dinghies
The two-week voyage, part of Le Rosey’s Excellence Camp for teens 13 to 16, has the pint-size billionaires-to-be studying ocean conservation, marine biology, renewable energy and responsible resource management as they cruise Mediterranean and Caribbean waters.
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they → have → waters
The yacht is covered in solar skin — thin, flexible panels layered over glass that convert sunlight into electricity.
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that → cover → electricity
Ipharra is emissions-free, powered by electric motors that make for whisper-quiet, vibration-free cruising.
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that → power → cruising
The school maintains a private Nautical Centre on Lake Geneva for smaller boats like motorboats, and paddleboards, but the Ipharra remains stationed at sea in coastal marinas within its active cruising grounds.
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Ipharra → maintain → grounds
The latest Ipharra is an upgrade for the original model, which the school had been using since 2010.
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school → use → 2010
The famously posh Swiss institution — founded in 1880 — has spent generations educating royalty, celebrities and the children of the fabulously wealthy.
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institution → found → wealthy
Its roughly 400 students, ages 8 to 18, hail from more than 60 countries with no more than 10% coming from a single nation.
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% → hail → nation
Although the school keeps its current list of students under close wraps for security purposes, distinguished alumni include Prince Rainier of Monaco, King Farouk of Egypt, King Juan Carlos I of Spain and Elizabeth Taylor’s children.
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alumni → keep → Spain
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, attended in the 1950s.
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Edward → attend → 1950s
Students spend the fall and spring at main campus in Rolle, overlooking Lake Geneva.
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Students → spend → Geneva
But when winter rolls around, the entire school packs up and relocates to a second campus in the glamorous Alpine resort of Gstaad so students can enjoy world-class skiing.
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students → roll → skiing
The Aporia
