Tech tycoons, business magnates, and sports celebrities all spend time aboard fancy superyachts. Add to this elite 0.01% of the world’s population the students of the illustrious Institut Le Rosey, one of the world’s most expensive schools. While most schools indulge in sports, art, and music, this educational gem nestled in Rolle, Vaud, Switzerland, where annual fees inch toward $200,000 and Louis Vuitton and Dior backpacks are an ordinary sight, features one exceptionally rare amenity.
This is the 94-foot Ipharra, a custom Sunreef catamaran commissioned by Philippe Gudin, the fourth-generation former director of Institut Le Rosey, for both his family and his students. Ipharra is a bluewater sailing yacht that was recently delivered and made its debut at the Monaco Yacht Show 2026.
This second yacht commissioned by Gudin comes as a newer, greener, and more capable classroom. Sunreef’s electric sailing 100 Eco catamaran is part of Institut Le Rosey’s Excellence Camp, catering to 10 teenagers aged 13 to 16. The two-week program combines a week in the Swiss Alps with a week of offshore sailing aboard Ipharra and was previously conducted on the 102-foot Sunreef predecessor. In 2026, the program was advertised at CHF 16,300 per student, which is approximately $20,000.
Aboard the $17 million Ipharra, students learn a wide range of subjects like marine biology, ocean conservation, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and responsible energy management. At the Monaco Yacht Show, Gudin explained what he thinks students get from the experience, noting that they come away with unique memories of learning in a very unusual classroom. The upgrade was also intended to make the most of Sunreef’s technological progress and bank on improvements in fuel consumption and environmental performance, with an excellent secondary effect being improved water access for diving and sailing dinghies.
What’s inside the Iphaara luxury catamaran?
As this state-of-the-art catamaran with Solar Skin technology is meant for both family use and educational purposes, it incorporates thoughtful details for comfortable cruising. The open main salon is outfitted with deep natural linen sofas, a dining table for ten crafted from sustainable woods, and a dedicated coffee bar. There is a retractable projector screen that helps convert the space into a classroom complete with a presentation setup and cinema capabilities.
The catamaran accommodates twelve guests with an owner suite on the main deck forward featuring a private terrace, four guest cabins with ensuite bathrooms, and a single cabin. The outdoor areas are expansive with a large dining space, a generous flybridge, and the unusually large Ocean Lounge at the stern. Highlights of Ipharra include fold-down side terraces and a lowered hydraulic platform that make it ideal for adrenaline-rushing water activities.
How do the students use it
Gudin specifically requested Sunreef to design a sprawling outdoor area to make it easier for students to use the yacht for diving and sailing lessons, supported by a roomy garage to store plenty of water toys and instructional equipment. The salon is open to double as a classroom and makes group lessons feasible. Sunreef’s 770 kWh battery bank gives students a hands-on understanding of real-world renewable energy.
The 252 square meters of integrated Solar Skin producing as much as 49 kWp imparts knowledge about solar generation, electric propulsion, and energy management systems that students can study firsthand while the yacht is operating. Overall, the interior is not gilded or intended to show off wealth but is refined, natural, and understated, working wonderfully for recreational as well as educational purposes.
Beyond learning how to handle a large yacht under sail and engine power, practise basic sailing maneuvers, study electronic navigation systems, students also learn teamwork, watchkeeping, and mutual respect.
For decades Le Rosey has acquired a reputation for educating royals and heirs on Swiss campuses, but this unique learning experience is undoubtedly one of their most extraordinary classrooms with no fixed address between the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.
