Last weekend, during the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, I had one of those surreal Monaco moments with the Armada Club, the private membership club bringing a new kind of access to the super yacht world.
I first wrote about Armada Club through the lens of the question: would you join a private members club with access to super yachts all over the world? After experiencing the brand firsthand in Monaco, I can safely say that the answer is an astounding yes!
Grand Prix de Monaco Historique
(JQ LOUISE)
The Grand Prix de Monaco Historique is already a spectacular gateway into another era. Unlike the modern Formula 1 Grand Prix, this weekend is about the romance of motorsport: the sound, the design, the danger, the glamour. Watching pre-war cars race along the same streets where legends once competed feels like being transported back to the Roaring Twenties, when the automobile was still a symbol of daring modernity and Monaco was becoming one of the elites’ great playgrounds. The historic Grand Prix is all about the pure love of the game.
Bugatti Type 35 at Grand Prix de Monaco Historique
That sense of history was especially vivid as Armada Club sponsored driver, Thierry Stapts, who raced a Bugatti Type 35, one of the most iconic cars of the era. Seeing that car in Monaco was like watching the golden age of racing come back to life. As Stapts put it, “Monaco Historique in a Bugatti Type 35 is a return to the glorious past of the Roaring Twenties and legendary drivers.”
Thierry Stapts, who raced a Bugatti Type 35
He was exactly right. The Bugatti Type 35 is more than a beautiful vintage machine; it represents a time when motorsport was raw and deeply personal. There is no hiding behind modern technology in a car like that. And somehow, it all felt perfectly aligned with Armada Club.
Because the magic of Monaco is not just what you see, but how you experience it. During race weekend, the harbor becomes its own social circuit. Yachts line the port like floating salons, engines echo off the buildings, and conversations move seamlessly from racing to travel to where everyone is heading next. It is a place where access matters. In Monaco, access is about proximity to the moments that everyone else is trying to catch a glimpse of from a mile away.
Aboard Sans Regret, where Armada Club hosted a cocktail party with Highclere Castle Gin
Armada Club used the weekend to show industry insiders exactly what membership will look like. It was not just about boarding a yacht or attending a glamorous event. It was about feeling how a yacht can become your home base in one of the most extraordinary destinations in the world.
Guests gathered on board for cocktails, conversation, and the kind of effortless hospitality that defines the best yachting experiences.
That idea came into focus aboard Sans Regret, where Armada Club hosted a cocktail party with Highclere Castle Gin. As the sun began to soften over Port Hercules and the energy of the race weekend shifted from daytime spectacle into evening glamour, guests gathered on board for cocktails, conversation, and the kind of effortless hospitality that defines the best yachting experiences.
There was something particularly fitting about sipping Highclere Castle Gin in that setting. The brand carries its own sense of heritage and refinement, which paired beautifully with the atmosphere of Monaco Historique. Around us was the history of racing, the elegance of the Riviera, and the intimacy of a private gathering on the water. It did not feel like a sponsored event so much as a glimpse into a lifestyle, one where the yacht is not merely transportation or accommodation, but a stage for connection.
And to me that is exactly what Armada Club is all about.
Superyachts are often discussed in terms of size. But the true luxury is not simply having access to a yacht. It is being able to create a world around it. To host friends, clients or family in a place that feels both impressive and personal. A yacht becomes a private club, a dinner venue, a cocktail lounge, a viewing platform, and a retreat all at once.
And during Monaco Historique, that vision really hit home. The weekend was a celebration of legacy: Bugattis on the track, legendary corners, the echo of motorsport’s most glamorous past. But Armada Club brought a contemporary layer to the festivities. The team showed how a new generation of members can step into these storied environments not as spectators, but as hosts.
By the end of the weekend, the question was no longer whether a private members club with super yacht access sounds appealing. Of course, it does. The more interesting question is what you would do with that access.
Would you watch vintage race cars sweep through Monaco from the deck of a yacht? Would you gather industry friends for cocktails at sunset? Would you turn a legendary global event into your own private salon on the water?
Last weekend, Armada Club showed that the next chapter of luxury membership may not be about simply getting in the room. It may be about choosing the yacht, setting the scene, and hosting the moment yourself.
