CAPTION: From left to right: Justin Scarr, CEO Royal Life Saving Australia; Marc Von Arnim, General Manager Park Hyatt Sydney; Her Excellency Mrs. Catherine Fautrier, Ambassador of Monaco to Australia; Monique Sharp, Royal Life Saving Australia; and Hadrien Bourely, Consul Honorary of Monaco in Sydney.
The first event to promote the activities of the Princess Charlene Foundation has been held on Australian soil. The dinner at the Park Hyatt Sydney on September 19 was attended by 120 guests who had the privilege of enjoying a menu jointly produced by the Chef of the Hotel Hermitage, Benoit Witz, and the Chef of the Park Hyatt Sydney, Etienne Karner.
The funds raised during the dinner will be used by the Royal Life Saving Society Australia, with which the Princesse Charlene Foundation is collaborating to develop drowning education and awareness programmes.
The Ambassador of Monaco, HE Mrs. Catherine Fautrier, pointed out that the number of deaths by drowning across the world remains incredibly high.
Last year, Australia reported 291 deaths from drowning and 685 people were hospitalised following an accident. Children are still the hardest hit, making up 45 percent of victims in 2016.
Justin Scarr, CEO Royal Life Saving Australia, stressed the importance of working together with the Princess’s Foundation to put an end to these tragedies.
Tetiana Bersheda, the lawyer who has acted for Dimitri Rybolovlev in the Bouvier affair, issued a statement on Thursday morning refuting inferences of wrongdoing published recently in the press.
“I will not be made responsible for the failure of others; my relations with the Monaco authorities have always been entirely correct. I have never asked for any favours and I have committed no illegal acts. To say otherwise is wholly false.
“I have fully collaborated with the authorities since the beginning as I have nothing to hide. I acted in good faith and wrongly assumed others would do the same.
“The reputational damage I have suffered as a result of malicious and false accusations has not only been significant but also undermined my personal security. This is totally unacceptable.
“I will be vigorously reserving all my rights in order to defend my reputation and set the record straight. I am a legal practitioner and a lecturer on the law. I know full well what my rights and duties are.
“It is disappointing to see that the procedural rules around the current investigation against me are being flagrantly breached; this raises very serious questions which must be addressed and convincingly answered to demonstrate this matter is being handled in a proper, impartial manner.
“I have always been and intend to be fully transparent but I am not prepared to allow ‘political’ manoeuvring to ride roughshod over my reputation and the proper course of the law.”
A number of recent press reports in France, some using the word ‘Monacogate,’ have focused on an alleged exchange of text messages between Ms Bersheda and the Monaco judicial authorities close to the time of the arrest of art dealer Yves Bouvier in February 2015.
Last week the head of Monaco’s judiciary, Philippe Narmino was arrested and later released as an investigating judge continued an enquiry into allegations of misuse of influence.
Rybolovlev, majority owner of Monaco’s football club, claimed at the time of Bouvier’s arrest that he was cheated out of millions of euros when he acquired a number of iconic paintings through the dealer.
Bouvier has strongly denied the accusations and the matter has still not come to court.
HSH Prince Albert with the cyclists at the finish line. Photo: Blue Marine Foundation
Prince Albert has given more than 50 cyclists a royal welcome at the Palace, as they completed more than 1,500 kilometres of cycling in aid of Blue Marine Foundation (BLUE) – the UK-based marine conservation charity.
Launched by BLUE for the second year running, the charity ride aims to raise a quarter of a million pounds for ocean conservation – a cause close to the Prince’s heart. The cyclists were waved off from London ten days ago by actress, model and BLUE ambassador, Poppy Delevingne.
The money raised will help BLUE achieve its aim of protecting vast tracts of the world’s oceans and combatting overfishing and the destruction of biodiversity – arguably the largest problem facing the world’s oceans – by creating large-scale marine reserves and developing models of sustainable fishing. So far, BLUE has helped to protect 4 million square kilometres of ocean.
Prince Albert, the Founding Patron of the Blue Marine Yacht Club, met the riders at the end of their challenge, declaring that: “Oceans are more than ever at the heart of our common future. The London to Monaco Cycle Ride is a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness on the necessity to protect our fragile oceans.”
Photo: Blue Marine Foundation
Photo: Blue Marine Foundation
Photo: Blue Marine Foundation
Photo: Blue Marine Foundation
Photo: Blue Marine Foundation
Photo: Blue Marine Foundation
Poppy Delevingne is an ambassador for BLUE and explained why she wanted to support the cyclists on their gruelling challenge: “Our oceans and the amazing ecosystems they support are in danger. Overfishing and a lack of protection has thrown them into crisis. The sea is a passion for me personally – it’s a place of peace and relaxation but it also sustains so much life. The fact that it could be destroyed forever is unacceptable, but also avoidable if we put the right protection measures in place. We need to act now to conserve our oceans for future generations.”
This year, the ride aims to raise funds for even more projects, including the protection of waters around Ascension Island and the Maldives, as well as the Solent Oyster Restoration Project and Beyond Plastic Med, a project in collaboration with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation that targets plastic waste in the Mediterranean.
Clare Brook, CEO of BLUE, said: “Last year funds raised by the London to Monaco cycle ride made a huge contribution to the protection of extraordinary marine environments around Ascension in the tropical Atlantic and the Aeolian Islands north of Sicily. This year the ride will be supporting even more projects and achieving even more. I am in complete awe of my colleagues and all the other riders who are going to such lengths to restore the oceans for future generations.”
As part of the Monaco Yacht Show, the Monaco Yacht Club has hosted a specialised event for industry players, the Yachting Security Forum.
On Wednesday, September 27, the first day of the two-day forum, Rear-Admiral Dominique Riban, Director of the Monaco Agency for Digital Security, spoke on the topic of computer threats and their consequences.
Due to the increasing dependence on computerisation, yacht owners must take into account the security of the computer systems they use, the forum was told.
The purpose of the Yachting Security Forum is to take stock of yachting safety solutions worldwide.
Other participants on Wednesday included Fabrice Marquet, Director of MonacoTech, and Grégoire Germain, Head of Defensive IT and Cybersecurity at Thales.
An employee of SBM has narrowly escaped jail following an accident last Friday, September 22.
The Cafe de Paris worker was driving over the legal alcohol limit and without a valid driving licence when she drove into a motorcyclist who had stopped at the traffic lights outside Barclays Bank just after 05:00 in the morning.
Appearing handcuffed in court after three days in jail, the tearful driver admitted the offence and apologised to everyone concerned.
The 40 year-old woman escaped with a suspended sentence of two months, and fines of 300 euros and 45 euros, after her defence lawyer asked for clemency that would allow her to keep her job, rather than an immediate jail term.
She said she had no idea how she had come to drink more than three glasses of wine. Meanwhile, the victim of the accident, who had to take five days off work, said he welcomed the case being referred to a civil compensation court rather than claiming damages at a criminal hearing.
Q&A with Benjamin Demarchelier, Club Manager Gustavia Yacht Club
ML: St Barts was unfortunately not spared the wrath of hurricane Irma. What was that like for you to be in Monaco preparing for the Yacht Show at the time, knowing the island so well and what your friends were facing? BD: It was very hard to watch the hurricane batter the island I love. Stelios and I often met to watch the hurricanes approach and attempt do damage assessment as well as obtain any bits of news we could that ensured the safety of family and friends. Being away from the devastation in St Barts was not nearly as hard, I can imagine, as actually being there, but the desire to help was strong.
And Stelios acted quickly, taking advantage of the resources in Monaco, in order to immediately start a relief fund for victims of hurricane Irma. The fund has raised over €150,000 and has already allotted €20,000 on desperately needed items like generators and tarps, tools and supplies. We are continuing to raise money and working with other funds and people on the island in order to maximize effectiveness of the effort to protect and rebuild for the inhabitants of St Barts.
ML: It’s been nearly a year since Gustavia Yacht Club had a stand at the Monaco Yacht Show, with the official club opening following two months later. Tell us how the club has evolved. BD: The Club started as an idea when, talking with friends, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou said that St Barts was missing something, and a proper yacht club like the one in Monaco would fit in very well.
From that initial conversation, Stelios began putting the ball in motion. He was able to secure a booth at the Monaco Yacht Show where his staff collected 100 memberships, both during and immediately following that event. As the word spread, membership fast approached the 200 mark before the end of 2016. Meanwhile Clubhouse facilities were taken care of by Stelios’ assistants and by the end of January, with membership around 220, I was hired as club manager as they were needed to help with his philanthropic association. Soon after, a boutique manager was brought on to help with the Club’s growing boutique business, which included embroidered polos, caps, plaques and various other items that members could purchase.
Various brands – in no particular order, Veuve Cliquot/Segeco, IYC, Chateau d’Esclans (producer of Whispering Angel), Jamis bicycles, Boutsen Design, and Sibarth – came on board to sponsor the club’s exclusive niche market. On the island of St Barts, various businesses wanted to offer rates exclusively to members, which members do use on a regular basis, ranging from deals with restaurants, hotels, masseuses, and artists who donate back to the club when members buy paintings.
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Stelios introduces membership card at GYC meeting in Monaco, September 2017. Photo: ML
ML: What is the vision of GYC? BD: GYC’s current vision is to be a positive presence on the island of St Barts. A group of like-minded individuals who want to create a small community within a community in order to work together to make the island a better place for its residents and visitors through sponsored events, eventually regattas and various philanthropic endeavours. In the beginning there was scepticism from onlookers as to whether the Club would last, but as the membership continues to grow and as the Club has been able to raise funds for disaster relief following hurricane Irma, the doubts have been cast aside.
ML: What is your role as Club Manager? BD: I serve a multifaceted roll of host, bartender, boutique, manager, salesman, concierge and membership office with the help from Stelios and his assistants, as well as the staff in the Club, which fluctuates through the year as the season swells and deflates. Currently we are two official Gustavia Yacht Club Staff on payroll.
ML: What type of events does GYC host at the clubhouse and in St Barts across the year? BD: We host lectures with professional sailors such as Philippe Poupon and Alvaro de Marichalar and we have exclusive concerts in luxurious villas for 50 members and their guests. There are sailing excursions for viewing the various regattas on the island. And we throw events abroad, like cocktails during the Monaco GP which our Commodore hosts at his home in Monaco, and cocktail parties at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club during the Americas Cup.
ML: What is GYC’s off-season events in Monaco? BD: In addition to the Monaco Grand Prix cocktail, we have a booth during the Monaco Classic Week and also during the Monaco Yacht show, a soirée on a yacht in Cannes for the opening of the Cannes Yacht Show and a member mixer at the Voiles de St-Tropez.
Commodore Stelios shaking hands with the Commodore of the Anguilla Yacht Club at GYC clubhouse. Members are encouraged to go visit and take a picture with the Burgee in Anguilla and post back here. Photo: Facebook Gustavia Yacht Club
ML: Tell us about some of the international initiatives of GYC. BD: Despite the fact that our yacht club was only created in 2016, we have already formed informal reciprocal arrangements with several other yacht clubs around the world, which includes Anguilla Yacht Club, Antigua Yacht Club, Barbados Yacht Club, Chicago Yacht Club, Corinthian Yacht Club of Philadelphia, Corinthian Yacht Club of San Francisco, Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, Manhattan Yacht Club and the Sint-Maartin Yacht Club.
The current agreement is that each of the yacht clubs above can introduce one of their members to Gustavia Yacht Club when they are visiting the island of St Barts. We are happy to welcome such members to our Clubhouse for one visit per year per member, lasting no more than two weeks. We expect to be able to introduce our own members to the same yacht clubs when they are visiting those places on the same terms.
As the Clubhouse of the Gustavia Yacht Club offers a complimentary bar/lounge to members and their guests, we expect visiting members from other clubs to be able to use the members Lounge deck also for free. They can make purchases at the Boutique and reserve our board rooms for private dinners at cost.
ML: Monaco and St Barts are both wealthy and small populations but how do they differ? BD: Having only been in Monaco for a short while, I don’t feel I can fairly answer this question. My initial feeling is that St Barts is a Caribbean island with a much more laid back vibe and Monaco is more of a small big city with all the comforts of being in the mainland.
ML: What can we expect from the Gustavia Yacht Club at the 2017 Monaco Yacht Show? BD: We’ll be located on the Lucciana jetty, and raising money for our Irma relief fund, and accepting new members. Also, we’ll be offering a place for current members to gather and share stories as some of them might not have seen each other since last in St Barts.
ML: How would someone go about becoming a member or partner of GYC? BD: In order to become a member, find us at either the Monaco Yacht Show or in St Barts. Or send an email with your inquiries and myself or the rest of the team including Stelios will help find a way.
Q&A with Benjamin Demarchelier, Club Manager Gustavia Yacht Club
