Swiss Elite School Buys $17M Solar Yacht For Teen Science Trips

A prestigious Swiss boarding school just spent seventeen million dollars on a luxury catamaran. The vessel runs on solar power and electric motors. It will serve as a floating classroom for wealthy teenagers. The school calls it an investment in hands-on learning.

The yacht spans ninety-four feet and features six cabins for ten students. Inside, there are linen sofas, oak floors, and a dining table that seats the whole group. A coffee bar wraps around panoramic windows. Bedrooms use rare Wenge wood from an endangered African tree. A retractable screen turns the lounge into a media room. Outside, fold-down balconies create a beach club vibe. Water toys include skis, scuba gear, and deep-sea fishing equipment.

The two-week program costs an extra twenty thousand dollars on top of the two hundred thousand annual tuition. Teens aged thirteen to sixteen study ocean conservation, marine biology, and renewable energy. They cruise the Mediterranean and Caribbean. The boat produces zero emissions and runs silently. A crew of five handles all operations.

This school has educated royalty and celebrities since eighteen eighty. Current enrollment includes four hundred students from over sixty nations. Tuition is among the highest in the world. The campus moves seasonally between a lakeside estate and a ski resort in the Alps. The new yacht replaces an older model used since twenty ten.