By New York Post (World News) | Created at 2026-10-10 23:10:47 | Updated at 2026-10-11 00:20:59
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Kids of billionaires are trading desks for decks.
Switzerland’s ultra-exclusive Institut Le Rosey, known as the “School of Kings,” has added a 94-foot solar-electric catamaran dubbed Ipharra to its extracurricular offerings for teaching marine science.
The school’s former director Phillipe Gudin purchased the superyacht last month at the 2026 Monaco Yacht Show for $17 million, and insists the high-end vessel — delivered to the school this month — is worth every penny.
“For us, the boat is a real platform for giving those young people an opportunity to discover something new, and perhaps to find a passion.” Gudin said at a press conference after the show.
The custom-built Ipharra has six guest cabins for the 10 teens who get to call it their floating classroom. Parents, who pay nearly $200,000 a year in tuition, have to fork out another $20,000 for the two-week voyage, hosted by a full-time staff of five.
And what a classroom it is.
The students are surrounded by luxury — including plush, natural linen sofas, authentic oak floors, an elegant oak dining table big enough to seat the whole class and a coffee bar wrapped in panoramic glass windows for natural light.
The bedrooms are custom built with exotic Wenge wood, a dense hardwood from the endangered Millettia laurentii tree in West Africa.
There’s even a retractable, state-of-the-art movie screen that transforms the yacht’s swanky salon into a floating classroom with a screen big enough for movies at night.
After class, students can head to the yacht’s sprawling Ocean Lounge, where fold-down balconies create an expansive waterside beach club, making it effortless for students to dive, swim, sunbathe and socialize.
There’s also a treasure trove of water toys like water skis, snorkeling kits, scuba diving gear and deep-sea fishing equipment.
“Because we use the boat with students, we also wanted a large outdoor area close to the sea that would be easy to use for diving and for the sailing dinghies,” said Gudin.
The two-week voyage, part of Le Rosey’s Excellence Camp for teens 13 to 16, has the pint-size billionaires-to-be studying ocean conservation, marine biology, renewable energy and responsible resource management as they cruise Mediterranean and Caribbean waters.
The yacht is covered in solar skin — thin, flexible panels layered over glass that convert sunlight into electricity. Ipharra is emissions-free, powered by electric motors that make for whisper-quiet, vibration-free cruising.
The school maintains a private Nautical Centre on Lake Geneva for smaller boats like motorboats, and paddleboards, but the Ipharra remains stationed at sea in coastal marinas within its active cruising grounds.
Extravagance is nothing new to Le Rosey’s privileged pupils. The latest Ipharra is an upgrade for the original model, which the school had been using since 2010.
The famously posh Swiss institution — founded in 1880 — has spent generations educating royalty, celebrities and the children of the fabulously wealthy.
Its roughly 400 students, ages 8 to 18, hail from more than 60 countries with no more than 10% coming from a single nation.
with a slide for students’ convenience. . Institut Le Rosey/Facebook
Although the school keeps its current list of students under close wraps for security purposes, distinguished alumni include Prince Rainier of Monaco, King Farouk of Egypt, King Juan Carlos I of Spain and Elizabeth Taylor’s children. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, attended in the 1950s.
Students spend the fall and spring at main campus in Rolle, overlooking Lake Geneva. But when winter rolls around, the entire school packs up and relocates to a second campus in the glamorous Alpine resort of Gstaad so students can enjoy world-class skiing.
