The Countdown Is On: A Month of Yachting on the Riviera

September is when the European yachting calendar shifts into another gear. Within the space of just a few weeks, Cannes and Monaco bring together new launches, brokerage yachts, shipyards, designers, owners and prospective buyers from around the world.

For Lomond Yachts, this September will be particularly significant. We will be working alongside Sunreef Yachts across both the Cannes Yachting Festival and Monaco Yacht Show, giving clients the opportunity to explore the latest Sunreef models while also discussing a number of new-build and pre-owned alternatives.

If you are seriously considering buying a yacht, it is difficult to imagine a better month to be on the Côte d’Azur.

First stop: Cannes

The Cannes Yachting Festival runs from 8 to 13 September 2026, filling both the Vieux Port and Port Canto. With close to 700 boats traditionally represented across the festival, Cannes offers something Monaco deliberately does not: enormous breadth. Sailing yachts sit alongside motor yachts, production models alongside semi-custom builds, and new yachts alongside the brokerage market.

For buyers, that makes Cannes particularly useful. Looking at yachts online is one thing. Walking directly from one yacht to another, comparing space, finish, deck arrangements and engineering while everything is fresh in your mind is quite another.

And this year’s Sunreef presence gives us plenty to talk about.

Sunreef has confirmed six models for Cannes, split between the sailing collection at Port Canto and the motor yacht display in the Vieux Port. The sailing line-up comprises the Sunreef 60, Sunreef 70 and Sunreef 80, while the motor display brings together the 80 Sunreef Power, 100 Sunreef Power and the new ULTIMA 88.

The ULTIMA 88 should be one of the show’s genuine talking points. Cannes will host its world premiere, introducing Sunreef’s latest interpretation of the high-performance luxury catamaran with a more sporting, automotive-influenced design language alongside the volume and stability buyers increasingly associate with large multihulls.

That breadth also makes Cannes an excellent opportunity to answer one of the first questions we discuss with clients considering a Sunreef: which Sunreef?

A 60 or 70-foot sailing catamaran can represent a very different ownership proposition from an 80-foot yacht. Move into the Power range and the cruising profile changes again. Then there is ULTIMA, aimed at buyers attracted to the space and advantages of a multihull but looking for something faster and visually more aggressive.

There isn’t a universally “best” answer. There is simply the yacht that makes most sense for how you intend to use it.

Then Monaco changes the scale

Less than two weeks later, attention moves along the coast to Port Hercule for the Monaco Yacht Show, from 23 to 26 September 2026. Monaco is a different experience. The emphasis moves firmly towards superyachts, with more than 120 superyachts and 60 luxury tenders expected in the Dockside Area alongside the shipyards, designers, brokers and specialists involved in creating and operating them.

For Sunreef, Monaco will focus on the upper end of the range.

The shipyard has announced the 100 Sunreef Power and Sunreef 100 Eco for the show. The 100 Sunreef Power demonstrates just how far the power-catamaran concept can be taken in terms of living volume and long-distance cruising, while the recently launched Sunreef 100 Eco combines sailing with electric propulsion, an extensive solar-energy system and a substantial battery installation.

The first Sunreef 100 Eco is equipped with twin 360kW electric motors, a 770kWh battery bank and Sunreef’s integrated solar technology across the yacht’s structure. Those numbers matter, but seeing a yacht of this scale in person tells you far more about what Sunreef is trying to achieve: superyacht accommodation and comfort without simply following the conventional monohull formula.

New doesn’t automatically mean right

The boat shows naturally concentrate attention on what is new. Our job as a buyer’s broker is slightly different.

A new-build Sunreef gives an owner the ability to create a yacht around their requirements, from layout and interior design to propulsion, equipment and specification. For someone who wants that degree of personalisation and is comfortable with the build process and delivery timetable, it can be enormously rewarding.

But there are also occasions when a pre-owned Sunreef makes more sense.

A well-specified yacht that is already built can dramatically shorten the route to ownership. It can allow a buyer to understand exactly what they are purchasing rather than working from renders and plans, and sometimes provides an opportunity to acquire a yacht whose original owner has already invested heavily in options and equipment.

We currently have several new and pre-owned possibilities that we can discuss privately with clients, including opportunities across both sailing and power.

That is why we don’t approach Cannes or Monaco with the idea of steering someone towards whichever yacht happens to be sitting on the stand. A show yacht may be perfect. It may also simply help us establish what you like, what you don’t and where we should look next.

Two shows, one useful conversation

Taken together, Cannes and Monaco provide an unusually good snapshot of the market.

Cannes lets us compare different concepts and sizes across a very broad selection of yachts. Monaco takes the conversation further into the superyacht world, where decisions around crew, operating costs, range, technology, construction and long-term ownership become increasingly important.

For anyone considering a Sunreef in particular, September offers the chance to see a remarkably broad cross-section of the range within a few weeks, from the Sunreef 60 through to the 100-foot flagship yachts and the world-premiere ULTIMA 88.

Through our relationship with Sunreef Yachts, Lomond Yachts can arrange meetings and, subject to availability, private viewings during both Cannes and Monaco. We can also discuss new-build specifications, delivery possibilities and suitable pre-owned alternatives before you arrive, so that your time at the shows is spent looking at yachts that genuinely fit the brief.

Because the objective isn’t to see the most yachts.

It’s to find the right one.

The right yacht. The right advice.

If you are considering attending Cannes or Monaco and would like us to arrange a meeting or discuss the Sunreef opportunities currently available, contact Lomond Yachts ahead of the shows.