Monaco Yacht Show 2019
43°44'05.6"N, 7°25'44.7"E
Matt Porteous attended the 2019 Monaco Yacht Show ; connecting with explorer yacht owners and brokers to share his recent projects, documenting the adventure side of luxury travel. Matts passion for the ocean and his adventurous personality connects both personal storytelling and adventure lifestyle onboard this new wave of expedition yachts.
Whilst at the MYS Matt joining Edmiston after being introduced by his good friend Tom van Oossanen to shoot onboard expedition yacht Planet Nine whose motto is ‘the future is in the hands of those who explore.’ Completed to the highest standard Ice Class, featuring a Naval-standard specification and including an MD-600N Explorer helicopter, hangar and landing pad, this yacht was built to cruise through the most extreme conditions and explore less accessible destinations of the globe.
With equipment for every activity onboard, the guests are guaranteed an adventurous charter no matter the destination: featuring jet skis, kite surfs, diving equipment, wakeboards, trampolines, snowboard & ski equipment, towable toys and fishing accessories, they have a huge choice in any location or weather conditions.
It is important to bear in mind that it takes a special individual to build and/or invest in an explorer yacht, as it is such a financial and environmental responsibility to take on. The increase in explorer yachts demonstrates the recent shift in the maritime industry; for years, the Mediterranean marinas have been about showing off the size and quality of your boat. However, explorer yachts are generally built by people who want to use a vessel for positive change and discovery of lesser-known areas.
It doesn’t seem to be about encouraging tourism to these places - mores about restoring health to these destinations, or ensuring that they stay in prime condition, unaffected by global warming or any other modern environmental concerns, such as plastic. Privately-owned explorer vessels can reach the less explored places, and invite scientists and photographers onboard to discover new species and study conservation and ecology from afar.
Edmiston also commissioned Matt to photograph portraits of their team, in and around the MYS, following on from his work onboard Galileo G, where he got to know the crew who were so passionate about their roles and the incredible scenes they explored when working onboard the yacht. The crew is essential to a successful charter: their passion and enthusiasm for their job and their working environment is pivotal to the overall ambience and guest experience.
Matt wants to capture the experiences that a yacht like this can offer to the owner, or to charter guests; the responsible side of motor yachting, which allows people to see lesser-known lands and gain respect for the environments we must work hard to preserve, is something that should be highlighted in the maritime industry.
The beauty of conscious travel, and allowing people to have a peaceful conscience when travelling, is something that Matt wants to get more involved with; it’s not only the experience, but also factoring in the purpose and environmental impact of the voyage.
With this in mind, Matt concentrates on telling the positive stories of a high-end, luxury experience, whilst documenting the personal side of an adventure through his images, which are striking and communicate the personality of the guests onboard. These photos serve as beautiful memories to look back on, and can be transformed into beautiful coffee table books, or bespoke-designed albums, which work for both personal and commercial use.
