Every month, superyacht owners share where they are and where they’re heading. This time, yacht owner Adam Alpert reveals how his 60-metre Perini Navi Seahawk is supporting marine science, from shark-tagging missions in Costa Rica to ambitious plans for a protected area in the Sea of Cortez...
Adam Alpert
Yacht: Seahawk
Length: 60m
Year: 2013
Location: San Diego, California
Where has Seahawk been lately?
Cocos Island in Costa Rica. This small archipelago is interesting because so many pelagic marine species frequent the waters. We see a wide variety of sharks, including large hammerheads. One of the things we observed, though, is that marine life seems less plentiful now compared to previous visits. It’s worrying. This is one of the motivations for my wife Gisela and I to try to help in some way.
How are you using the yacht to help?
For a long time, the boat has been supporting science missions and community outreach activities in a tactical way. For example, to learn more about migration behaviour, guest scientists would deploy detection systems and tag animals then monitor where they go. Mission duration would be a couple of weeks, and then we would move on.
More recently, our approach has shifted to a more strategic one where the endgame is something bigger. The Sea of Cortez mission is an example of that; it’s a longer-term project to create a new Marine Protected Area encompassing the eastern coastline of the Baja California Peninsula and the Sea of Cortez.
Last November the boat hosted a delegation of stakeholders, including people from Mexico’s Ministry of the Environment and shark scientists such as James Ketchum of Pelagios Kakunjá. The dinner kicked off a series of discussions between local community leaders, the government and those who study the ocean. Our plan is to continue to do them.
Do you feel you’ll make a difference?
I don’t know if what we’re doing will result in something meaningful, but it feels to me like there’s a recognition on the ground in this part of Mexico and elsewhere that something must be done. In addition to employing the yacht for meetings, we are communicating with the NGOs, the government and the scientists, as well as contacting some of the bigger charity players in the space. If we can make it work in Mexico, we’ll try to take this approach in other parts of the world.
What do you personally get out of this?
I learn a lot, which is fun for me, and the work affords a different kind of insight. We are not just a big boat that comes in, buys some trinkets, eats in restaurants and leaves. Instead, we’re really trying to learn more about these places while getting to know the locals. I can think of no better way to do that than by engaging in a project together.
First published in the April 2025 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.