A startup that aims to introduce the world of yachting to a new and wider market has just launched. FLOAT enables users to book luxury yacht charters individually, with prices starting from as low as €99 per person.
FLOAT operates its yachts on a number of scheduled routes as shuttles. Each cruise is designed to include time to swim from the yacht, lunch at some of the world’s top beach restaurants and, of course, champagne on board.
Founded by Gualtiero Giori, CEO of 21st Luxury and former owner of Camper & Nicholsons, and Dimitri Semenikhin, CEO of Yacht Harbour, FLOAT will start the season by operating a series of routes around Monaco and St Tropez ahead of a planned expansion to Miami and the Bahamas by the winter.
The pair say they want to bring users a true yachting experience at a price more than 20 times lower than renting out a boat for a day charter. FLOAT achieves these lower costs by letting users purchase individual tickets through its app or website as opposed to chartering the whole boat.
“After working with billionaires and celebrities, amongst others, for their superyacht needs as owner of Camper & Nicholsons, I wanted everyone to be able to enjoy yachting, which meant making it more accessible and simpler to enjoy, hence the creation of FLOAT,” said Mr Giori.
Mr Semenikhin added, “FLOAT brings a level of efficiency and innovation to yachting that the sector was previously lacking. In addition to exposing a whole new demographic to yachts, FLOAT’s tech platform drastically reduces the complexity of chartering a yacht with its instant booking function and removes price as a barrier of entry,”
Jean-Jacques Boude, a former executive at Camper & Nicholsons International, has been appointed to run FLOAT’s operations as CEO. The first shuttles will start immediately, and the company plans to expand its number of routes and fleet in the near future.
The startup is also planning a membership programme enabling members to gain unlimited access for a yearly fee.
Carla Shechter, Monaco Liver Disorder founder and Vice-President, with Hilde Haneuse Heye, CEO of Blue Wave Software.
On Sunday, June 18, Monaco Liver Disorder (MLD), Blue Wave Software and a few other local associations gathered in Monaco for a Citroën 2CV rally to raise funds for children at the Archet II hospital in Nice, which coordinates organ transplantations and donors in the PACA region.
MLD founder and Vice-President, Carla Shechter, told Monaco Life, “Today we are paying tribute to professor Christian Cabrol, who died on June 16, 2017, and who did so much for transplantation and medical research.”
There was much laughter as the six colourful deux-chevaux pulled out of the Monte-Carlo Country Club parking lot at 9 am, with the gearbox in the vintage Citroëns, manufactured between 1948 and 1990, being considerably different to manoeuvre than those found in a current model. “Push forward and left to get into first gear,” explained Patrizio Forni d’Agostin, CEO of 2CV Escapade, the company that provided the cars to the association MLD, whose Honorary President is Princess Charlene.
Around twenty participants gathered for children’s cause on Father’s Day. Among them, Hilde Haneuse Heye, CEO of Blue Wave Software, who assisted Ms Shechter and was delighted to be a part of the day. “Carla is amazing, she always thinks of others. I am so proud to be here, it is a marvellous cause.”
Also supporting the cause were friends Emma Ruspantini (Agence Continentale), Jean-Christophe Goethals (MD, Just Unlimited) and the recently named General Manager of Monaco Metropole Shopping Centre, Stephen Valkenborg.
The enthusiastic group drove through Menton, Saint Agnès, La Turbie – with a lunch break that included a game of petanque – before making their way back to Monaco around 7 pm. A fundraising dinner followed at Café de Paris.
For more information about making a donation, see the MLD Facebook page.
Matchroom Boxing and Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer have announced a new edition of Monte-Carlo Boxing Bonanza on Saturday, November 4. The evening of World Championship Boxing in the Salle Médecin of the Casino de Monte-Carlo will be shown live on Sky Sports.
This is the fourth year in a row that the special Monaco setting will host World Championship Boxing, with Kazakhstan superstar Gennady Golovkin having headlined here in both 2014 and 2015.
“I am delighted to be returning to Monaco on November 4 for another Monte-Carlo Boxing Bonanza,” said Eddie Hearn, MD of Matchroom. “This time we will be staging this exclusive event from the magnificent Casino de Monte-Carlo for a black tie event to be remembered. We will be bringing together major names from the boxing world for another evening of World Championship Boxing – keep the date free!”
“The Casino de Monte-Carlo is thrilled to welcome again the Monte-Carlo Boxing Bonanza in its iconic private gaming room and to take an active part in the organisation of this international event,” said Pascal Camia, Executive Vice President, Gaming Operations. “This outstanding tournament contributes in positioning Casino de Monte-Carlo as a stunning place for extraordinary events.”
Details on the line-up and tickets will be released later in the summer.
Photo: Charly Gallo/ Direction de la Communication
The Prince Pierre de Monaco Foundation has just launched its Reading Marathon organised within the framework of the Prix Littéraires, which will allow contemporary literature lovers to better understand the authors selected by the Literary Council for the 2017 selections of the Literary Prize and the Discovery Scholarship.
At its meeting on May 10, the Literary Council selected Annie Ernaux, Maurizio Serra, and Michel Tremblay for the Prix Littéraire.
Also selected for the Discovery Scholarship – the Bourse de la Découverte – awarded to a Francophone author for a first fiction book: Pierre Adrian’s Simple Souls (Ecuador; 2017); Cédric Gras’, Anthracite (Stock; 2016); Owned by Frédéric Gros (Albin Michel; 2016); Nehémy Pierre-Dahomey’ Returnees (Seuil; 2017); and Blandine Rinkel, Abandonment of pretensions (Fayard; 2017).
Each of these titles is available in Monaco and Côte d’Azur libraries that are participating in the Reading Marathon between June 21 and September 1.
Students of a fourth and fifth grade class at Charles III College will also take part in the Marathon, under the guidance of their literature teachers.
The Prince Pierre Foundation Awards will be announced on Thursday, October 5.
Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation is being celebrated this year. We continue our Q&A series on Monaco’s Canadian community with Father Walter Raymond, Chaplain at Saint-Paul’s Monte-Carlo, who will be retiring in July
Father Walter with Sparky
ML: You were born in Sacramento, California. How and where did you end up in Canada? WR: I moved to Canada in 1969, with a group friends who, like me, loved the great outdoors. We settled in the far north of British Columbia. We found a spot on the map, Germansen Landing, on the Omineca River where we built a log house, about as far away from civilisation as was possible then. It was beautiful there, I loved the life of wood fires and snowshoe transportation, but after three years I moved away to find work in the big city, Vancouver.
ML: Why did you make the decision to become a Canadian citizen? WR: I felt really at home in Canada from the very beginning and quickly grew to love the country. In 1975, I crossed the country on a 10-speed Peugeot bicycle and ended up settling in Quebec City where I worked to learn French, eventually completing my undergraduate degree at Université Laval. As soon as it was legally possible, I applied for Canadian citizenship, which, at the time, involved a short meeting with a Canadian Citizenship Judge who asked me a few questions like, “Can you name the Prime Minster of Canada?” The answer was easy, Pierre Trudeau was then in his third of four terms at the helm of the nation.
ML: Do you consider yourself Canadian or American? WR: Well, I am American by birth. My family is well rooted in the country. However, that said, I really do consider myself first and foremost a Canadian. I hold both passports, but I almost always travel as a Canadian. My social base and my political sympathies are planted firmly on Canadian soil, and I look forward to going home to Canada when I retire, this coming summer.
ML: You were brought up Catholic and attended Mass until age 18. How did you become involved in the Anglican Church? WR: Like many in my generation, I walked away from the Church I had known as a child and stayed away for many years. It wasn’t until I was in my mid-thirties that I felt the need to re-establish my links to the Church. Thanks to a friend, I discovered the Anglican tradition. I loved the focus on Scripture and the progressive outlook of Anglicanism, but it was the music and ceremony at the church I attended that really won me over. The congregational singing, from the rich Anglican hymnbook, was unlike anything I’d ever experienced in the Catholic tradition.
ML: You arrived at Saint Paul’s Monte-Carlo in 2008. How did you hear about this position, and what were the challenges when you arrived? WR: A former classmate of mine in Toronto had taken a posting in the Algarve, and thanks to him, I learned about the opening in Monte-Carlo. When I arrived in January 2008, I found a faithful and hospitable community and church members who went out of their way to make me feel welcome and at home. There certainly were challenges, the Chaplain or Vicar has a somewhat formal relationship with the community. I am always a bit surprised when people apologise for a swear word or for not attending church. Leaving my network of friends behind in Canada was harder than I expected, and building new friendships here took time, but in due course these and other challenges faded and I came to enjoy very positive and constructive relationships in my life and work in Monaco. I am particularly grateful for dedication and generosity of the lay leaders of our church who make my job so much easier.
ML: Nearly a decade on, tell us about Saint Paul’s congregation and events (and elevator!)? WR: Saint Paul’s has a well-merited reputation as a welcoming and happy place. Children are always at home at Saint Paul’s and we have an active Sunday Club with a delightful and loving new Sunday Club teacher, Mirella Favory. The annual Blessing of the Animals is one of our most popular celebrations, and dogs are regular members of our Sunday congregation.
We’re gearing up now for our annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner (February 28 from 6-8 pm), organised by the Sunday Club families with donations going to support Emily and Ben Rolfe in their project to run the “Marathon des Sables” raising money for diabetes research. We have a new Charitable Donations Committee that oversees the collection and distribution of donations for charity outside of Saint Paul’s averaging something close to €100,000 in any given year from our community.
In 2014, thanks to a motion from Mrs Helen Tugman at our annual meeting, the church council focused efforts on installing a lift (elevator) to make access to our parish hall and library easier for seniors and the disabled. The funding is pretty much in place and the project is advancing slowly but steadily with the new lift ready for service by Christmas this year.
We have a strong music tradition at Saint Paul’s, thanks to the leadership of Gottfried Kappen, our organist, Patricia Cerrone, choir secretary, and Drew Hopkins, lead chorister. Our Lay Readers (lay ministers), Mary de Vachon and Frank Megginson, make a huge contribution to the quality of ministry at Saint Paul’s, particularly in the preaching ministry on Sunday mornings.
Saint Paul’s really seems to be thriving, and largely because of this, I decided in October 2016 that the timing is right for me to accept the inevitable, to retire and make way for the next generation of ordained leadership at Saint Paul’s Church.
ML: Would you say spirituality has in place in Monaco? WR: Of course, it does! Human beings are spiritual creatures. We all need some sense of a spiritual dimension that reaches beyond the glitter and bling. For instance, there’s a strong branch of Alcoholics Anonymous in Monaco, there are meetings at Saint Paul’s, and the success of this powerful programme is based on belief in a higher power, one that can get us through even the toughest challenges of life. Indeed, it is always very moving for me to note the sense of spiritual fulfilment and blessing our people seem to draw from Sunday worship. But spirituality is not an end in itself. We sometimes talk about the down-and-out church, Divine Grace comes down from on high, and it is up to us to channel this out in loving care for our families, our community and our world.
ML: What do you appreciate about Monaco? WR: Monaco really is a great place to live! At the top of the list, I’d have to put Prince Albert and his family. I became convinced about the value of monarchy when I moved to Canada in 1969, and the Prince and his family here set a truly noble standard in their commitment to the Principality, its people, and the issues confronting our world. I also appreciate the quality of ecumenical relations here. I am honoured to count Archbishop Bernard Barsi and many members of the ecumenical community as friends.
There’s a lot to do here: I’ve become a big fan of local sports and, along with friends, hold season tickets for AS Monaco FC and ASM Roca Basketball. The annual ATP 1000 tennis tournament is my favourite time of the year, and I love the Grand Prix. Cultural life is also very rich: opera, symphony, and ballet in Monaco are of world class quality and remarkably affordable. Best of all, the sea, the coastline, the mountains – and the weather! – all work to make Monaco a wonderful place for actively enjoying the great outdoors.
ML: Do you socialise with other Canadians in Monaco? WR: I’ve been an active member of the Canadian Club de Monaco since my arrival here in 2008. Betty Calder was the one who introduced me to the club and I have enjoyed our annual Canada Day party, July 1st each year, and Canadian Thanksgiving in early October, most especially. Our new President, France Shapiro is absolutely amazing. She has been working very hard, along with the leadership team of the Canadian Club, organising several major events to make this year’s celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation, in Monaco, something we will all enjoy and remember for years to come.
ML: What does being Canadian mean to you? WR: Many things. It means being part of a great social project where health care and social services are considered basic rights. It means a vision of country and community that has room to spare, with a national policy of deliberate kindness and inclusion. It means a way of talking, a softer, gentler accent in English and a colourful and robust version of spoken French.
Canada is known for its dramatic weather, winter storms and freezing temperatures that make just getting to work an extreme sport. I’ve been privileged to enjoy 10 winters now on the Riviera, and believe me, I am thankful for these, but I find myself counting the days until my retirement in July of this year, when I will move back to Quebec, make a home for myself in rural Canada among some of my oldest friends, and pick up life again in my country of adoption, Canada, the “true north strong and free”.
ML: You were brought up Catholic and attended Mass until age 18. How did you become involved in the Anglican Church?
ML: Would you say spirituality has in place in Monaco?