An expedition yacht
Designed at the Piriou shipyard in Concarneau, this 76.60 m long yacht will serve as an exploration platform for scientists, in the manner of the Calypso, many years before. It will be at the disposal of researchers, in partnership with the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. Its steel and aluminum hull allows it to navigate in all the seas and oceans of the world, including polar zones and in extreme conditions. However, she was built according to the standards of a passenger ship according to the wishes of François Fiat, his wife and his two sailing companions, Jean Dumarais, her captain and Yordan Hristov, the chief engineer. All together, they designed the M/V Yersin, followed its construction and chose the equipment and did not call upon any architect or designer.
70% of the ship's space is reserved for common and technical areas, since the ship is dedicated to exploration. The M/V Yersin is an ecological ship, which operates with electric propulsion, powered by generators that provide energy on demand. At a cruising speed of 11 knots, it consumes 380 l/h of diesel, half the consumption of a diesel unit. At 9 knots, the economical speed, the consumption (electricity, heating or air conditioning, etc.) is 180 l/h with a range of 12,000 miles and 40 days at sea with 40 people on board. The expedition ship does not discharge anything into the sea since it recycles waste water and produces its own fresh water.
"The boat is named Yersin in homage to Dr. Alexandre Yersin (1863-1943), a doctor with the Messageries maritimes, to whom humanity owes a great deal, notably his discovery of the plague bacillus on June 20, 1894. I wanted to use one of his phrases as the motto of the boat: "It is not living to stay still" commented François Fiat.
Values to carry
The M/V Yersin construction program is based on 3 values: Adventure, Science and Education. The adventure is to create a boat that François Fiat has dreamed of since his childhood, as he himself explained " It is a dream born since childhood at the side of Tintin, then in the wake of Prince Albert I's Hirondelle and Captain Cousteau's Calypso, which in three years has become reality. I wanted a boat that could sail on all seas and in all weather, with an ice-class hull." Science refers to the technological characteristics that equip the boat and its use, reserved for scientists. Finally, E corresponds to Education since the boat will be able to welcome on board children to make them aware of the protection of the marine environment. Such a mission has already been carried out with H.S.H. Princess Charlene of Monaco and was a real success.
A christening with great pomp
It is in the Principality of Monaco, in the presence of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, that the M/V Yersin, a private exploration vessel, was blessed by Monsignor René Giuliano, Vicar General of Monaco. Fanny Fiat, godmother of the ship and daughter of the ship owner, François Fiat, broke the traditional bottle of champagne against the hull of the ship, with a bagpipe tune in the background.
"Yersin is an exceptional boat, a pleasure boat also designed for research, with a great autonomy of several days or even several months. It revives the tradition of the boats of Prince Albert I, Commander Cousteau and other explorers who left from Monaco. It is quite moving and extraordinary to think that thanks to Mr. Fiat, his family and his attachment to the Yacht Club of Monaco, this great adventure, where science and education are honored, can be revived said H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, during the ceremony.
After a family cruise in the Eastern Mediterranean and Adriatic, the ship, which was awarded the 2014 Monaco Trophy, will be one of the attractions at the Monaco Yacht Show, from September 23 to 26, 2015, before setting off on her expedition.
