Frederic Jousset, Owner of the Yacht ArtExplorer, Celebrated at The Honours

The Honours ceremony recognizes significant positive achievements within superyachting and beyond. The second-annual celebration saw Bowsprit awards go to a few people, including Frederic Jousset, an art philanthropist and lifelong sailor. Jousset is the owner of the yacht ArtExplorer, a 153-footer (46.6-meter). She’s the world’s largest catamaran, but actually much more than that. In fact, she’s the cornerstone to Jousset’s Art Explora Foundation, a floating museum bringing art to people who might not otherwise discover it.

Jousset took delivery of the yacht earlier this year. So far, in multiple ports, she’s provided free access to art and performances. Every future stop will be a free experience, too. “The genesis of ArtExplorer comes from a very simple idea: I think the power of art is such that everyone should be able to experience it,” he says. As the son of a curator and a patron himself of the Louvre in Paris, art has left a big impression on his life. Just as he’s done at the Louvre, he’s striving to broaden the art world’s audience. “If people don’t turn up to museums, then museums should turn up to them wherever they live,” Jousset says. It’s working. Many of the thousands of visitors who came out to see the yacht had never previously experienced art.

It’s certainly unusual, but Jousset believes using the yacht ArtExplorer this way actually makes a lot of sense. He mobilizes her the same way he does other assets belonging to his art foundation. The goal is to “try to make art affordable, accessible, and exciting to a greater number of people, whether that’s via the boat museum, our truck museum, our 2,500 volunteers, or our online education program.”

Ultimately, “It’s philanthropy which fights the control divide.” He proudly says that 20,000 people came out to the yacht in Malta, for example. Another 10,000 visited just in one week in Venice, Italy. Recently, upwards of 50,000 visitors flocked to the yacht in Marseilles, France. Simultaneously at all, he and his team organized live performances on stages plus pavilions for art, photography, and more. “People come for the boat first,” Jousset notes, “but we’ve built a village around it.”

Jousset intends to have the yacht ArtExplorer spend the next two and a half years in the Med. There, a further 16 harbors are on the itinerary. “I anticipate that all the stops will be as successful as the three that we have just done,” he says. He’s not stopping there, either. “It’s really got worldwide ambitions,” he says of the yacht. Jousset’s foundation and completed projects have earned support from the European Union and UNESCO—even the Louvre.

Jousset was in good company at The Honours. The ceremony further recognized the achievements of Nick Entwisle and Mike Horn. Entwisle established Yachting Gives Back in 2019 to fight hunger and poverty in Mallorca, Spain. With swift support from the yachting community, the non-profit transformed into a powerful force. It began donating clothing, food, and financial aid to other like-minded Mallorcan organizations. Horn, meanwhile, is a renowned adventurer and explorer. He commissioned the 115-foot (35-meter) sailing yacht Pangaea in 2008 purposely to get young people involved in environmental and social projects. During a 60,000-mile journey, Horn made a difference in Antarctica, India, and Africa, among other regions. Additionally, his Pangaea X initiative incorporates a six-month incubator, the Young Explorers Program. It helps young visionaries tackle environmental challenges.