The Monaco Yacht Show 2026 ran from 23 to 26 September in Port Hercule, and it was the European yacht show Silverlining Pursers has attended. Our founder Jess travelled from New Zealand and was in the South of France from 18 to 25 September, starting along the coast before moving on to Monaco.
The week had two purposes: time with clients, crew and friends, and introducing Silverlining Pursers to more of the industry. The biggest takeaway was how much those personal connections still count.
Before the show: Cannes, Nice and Antibes
The first few days were spent between Cannes, Nice and Antibes, visiting vessels and connecting with Captains and crew. Mid-September suits this well, with so many yachts gathered on that stretch of coast ahead of the show.
Some of the visits were to vessels we already support. As a shoreside purser business, we work with these Captains and crews remotely day to day, so the relationships were already well established. It was great to step onboard, catch up in person and put some face-to-face time into those relationships.
On other vessels, we introduced the business and the shore-based purser support we provide to yachts and their onboard teams, showing how Silverlining Pursers can help.
Jess was also treated to lunch at La Guérite by owners we work with, a generous invitation and one of the highlights of the trip.
Familiar faces in Port Hercule
M/Y Leviathan
Before the show itself, Jess caught up with friends still working onboard. One of them, now Chief Stewardess on Leviathan, gave her a tour of the vessel. At 111 metres, Oceanco’s Leviathan was the largest yacht in this year’s show.
Former crewmates from her time onboard M/Y Kaos were there as well, many of them now also in shoreside roles such as yacht crew recruitment, yacht management and charter brokerage. Others were people we had been speaking with throughout the year and were meeting face to face for the first time.
Beyond the familiar faces, there were new connections to make, and the chance to explain what we do to people across the industry. Shoreside Purser support is still somewhat new to many in yachting, so these conversations were a good way to show how it fits around the team already onboard
The Purser Event and Women in Yachting Breakfast
We were also lucky enough to attend some other very interesting events, two in particular stood out. The first was The Voly Group’s Purser Event at Amu, in the Fairmont Monte Carlo. The evening brought together experienced Pursers working both onboard and shoreside. With most vessels carrying a single Purser, it is rare to have that many in one place, and it made for a fabulous evening.
The second was the Women in Yachting Breakfast, hosted by Alicia Store of DSNM, which was another opportunity to meet professionals from across the sector.
Meetings with yacht management companies
The trip was as much about building working relationships as it was about catching up. During the week, Jess met with yacht management companies, including Burgess, to introduce Silverlining Pursers and explain how we can work alongside them to support their yachts.
That support includes crew travel and logistics, crew administration, yacht accounts including charter APA, port clearance paperwork and guest logistics, itineraries and reservations, all managed from shore.
These were some great introductory meetings, and we look forward to continuing the conversations.
On the docks
There was time to take in some of the yachts, too. Between walking the docks and introducing Silverlining Pursers to Captains and crew, Jess joined The Nautical Group for a tour of the new Azimut Grande 44M and the other Azimut yachts on display. At 43.6 metres, the Grande 44M is the largest yacht Azimut has built. We also stopped by Onshore Cellars to try Onshore Roasters, their new coffee brand. A well-earned coffee break was certainly welcome after all those steps!
Jess with James Dalzell, The Nautical Group
It was also great to finally meet the FunAir team in person. Jess has worked remotely with FunAir in the past, so the Monaco Yacht Show was the first chance to meet everyone face to face, as well as have a go on their Off the Deck Golf simulator.
Since the show, Jess has also joined FunAir as an Ambassador. FunAir specialises in custom-designed superyacht inflatables, from yacht slides and climbing walls to floating islands, sea pools and golf setups, helping yachts make even more of their time on the water. With products designed specifically for life at sea, they are a well-established name in the superyacht industry. You can read more about Jess and her connection with FunAir on their Ambassador page.
Find out more about FunAir.
Seeing the industry from the shoreside
This was a different way to experience a yacht show. After years working onboard, first as a Stewardess and later as a Purser, Jess has spent much of her career seeing the industry from the yacht. Returning to a show like Monaco, this time representing a shoreside business, offered a new perspective.
That firsthand experience is a big part of why Silverlining Pursers was created. Having worked through the pace and pressures of life onboard, we have a clear understanding of how much administration sits behind the scenes and how quickly the workload can build for Captains, senior crew and onboard Pursers. Experienced shoreside Purser support gives them valuable time back.
Find more about that background in Meet the team behind Silverlining Pursers.
From New Zealand to Europe
Although Silverlining Pursers was founded in New Zealand, we work globally with yachts around the world, supporting Captains, senior crew and onboard Pursers remotely and across different time zones. That is a big part of what makes our service work, but it doesn’t mean relationships have to stay behind a screen.
For Jess, making the journey from New Zealand to the South of France was about more than attending the Monaco Yacht Show. It was a chance to spend time with clients, crew and industry contacts face to face, catch up with people who have been part of the journey so far, and meet new people across the wider yachting community.
Yachting may be a truly international industry, but it is also a surprisingly connected one. There are familiar faces, shared connections and people who seem to know someone you know wherever you are in the world. Monaco has a way of bringing all of those networks together in one place.
As Silverlining Pursers’ first European show, the trip was a valuable reminder that while the work may be remote, the relationships behind it are very real - and worth making the journey for.
Frequently asked questions
When was the Monaco Yacht Show 2026?
The Monaco Yacht Show 2026 took place from 23 to 26 September in Port Hercule, Monaco. It was the 35th edition of the show, with around 120 superyachts on display and more than 560 exhibitors, according to the Monaco Yacht Show.
Is the Monaco Yacht Show worth attending for crew and shoreside businesses?
Yes, in our experience. The show is built around sales and charter, but a large share of the industry’s recruiters, yacht managers, brokers and suppliers are in Monaco that week, along with crew from the vessels on display. For a service business it is an efficient place to meet existing clients and start new working relationships in person.
Can a Purser business founded in New Zealand support a vessel in the Mediterranean?
Yes. Silverlining Pursers supports vessels worldwide — support is arranged around each vessel’s programme and time zone. Having worked onboard as Purser and Chief Officer, we know plans change at short notice and that requests often come late in the day, so we’re set up to respond to the yacht’s schedule, not an office one. Crew travel and administration, yacht accounts, port clearance paperwork and guest logistics are all managed remotely.
Get in touch
Silverlining Pursers provides experienced shoreside purser support to yachts worldwide, working alongside Captains, senior crew and onboard Pursers to take care of the administration and coordination that can quickly build up behind the scenes.
From ongoing support to help through a particularly busy period, we can take on as much or as little of the workload as your yacht needs, giving the onboard team more time to focus on the operation.
Find out more about our services or get in touch to talk about what support could look like for your yacht.