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Month: December 2019

YCM Winter Cocktail and ambitions for 2020

by: Cassandra Tanti
30/12/2019

Yacht Club of Monaco racing members came together recently for the club’s annual awards ceremony, held during the traditional Winter Cocktail welcoming new members. In paying tribute to the achievements and team spirit of sailors, HSH Prince Albert II also took the opportunity to announce plans for the next decade of new adventures, which will further advance the club’s sustainable practices.

The Winter Cocktail, held on 18th December, was an opportunity for YCM members to get together and end 2019 in style, while honouring the winners of the YCM Awards 2019 – Trophée Credit Suisse.

In the YCM Youth Awards 2019, which encourage talented youngsters, tributes were paid in the following categories:

  • Optimists: Noah Garcia, aged 13, for the progress he has made since he started sailing at Summer Camp in 2016, and finishing 2nd in the Monaco Optimist Team Race in 2019.
  • Laser: Jérémy Moutout, the 21-year-old Monegasque who leads the YCM competition team and is in the Monaco Sport Academy. He is involved in high-level Laser Standard competitions and has his sights set on the Olympics.
  • Nacra 15: Logan Viciana and Mathieu Choquet, both under-17, cut their teeth on Optimists and have only been competing in the Nacra 15 class for two years.
  • Kiteboarding: Alexander Ehlen who showed remarkable consistency throughout the year and finished 4th in the under-19s on the IKA Gold Cup World Series circuit.

The YCM Awards 2019 for adult members – sailors recognised for best defending their club – went to:

  • Smeralda 888: Prince Charles de Bourbon-Siciles who won the Smeralda 888 International Championship 2019.
  • J/70: Ludovico Fassitelli for his consistency and results in this highly competitive one-design class.

This year’s big winner of the Credit Suisse Trophy was Kostia Belkin, owner of the stunning 1908 Fife-design gaff cutter Viola, who has had an outstanding season.

Kostia Belkin received the Credit Suisse Trophy from Prince Albert II of Monaco

Meanwhile, the cocktail was an opportunity to celebrate the success of the first year of the Monaco Sport Academy. Initiated by YCM member Philippe Ghanem, the academy serves as a gateway to high-level competition by providing 360-degree support for young people from the YCM Sports Section to help reach their full potential.

For the second-year class, 11 young athletes are competing in six disciplines – Laser Standard, Laser Radial, Nacra 15, Optimist, Jet-Ski and Kiteboarding. The MSA aims to help them achieve their dreams of gold, silver and bronze medals at the big international meetings, with their sights set on the 2020 Paris Olympic Games.

Prince Pierre Casiraghi with Prince Albert and Boris Herrmann

“As a new decade dawns, one that will be decisive for the future of our planet, this evening is also a precious moment to share with you some of my convictions,” said YCM President HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, in his speech to new members. “I believe that one of the key challenges over the next decade is addressing concerns over our climate. In accordance with the United Nations sustainable development programme to 2030, the next 10 years should focus on ocean sciences to increase our knowledge and encourage technical innovation to – hopefully – reverse this decline in the health of our oceans,”

Monaco Solar and Energy Boat Challenge

With this in mind, Prince Alberts wants the club to continue expanding and building on projects such as the YCM Explorer Awards, which recognises superyachts that strive to reduce their environmental impact. This year, a combination of new criteria developed to measure this impact will be taken into account when awarding the trophy on 26th March 2020; and the Monaco Solar and Energy Boat Challenge, the seventh edition of which runs from 30th June to 4th July 2020, and transforms the YCM into an incubator supporting research and development in the maritime sector, stimulating the creativity of young engineers to work with professionals to devise clean propulsion methods for boats.

The club will also be pursuing the development of new technologies, including dynamic positioning buoys which are now used in YCM regattas, and the Zero Emission Committee Boat, currently under construction.

 

Read more: YCM unveils 100% eco-friendly catamaran

 

Photos: Yacht Club of Monaco

 

 

New year, new menu at Ômer

by: Cassandra Tanti
30/12/2019

A new menu has arrived at Ômer, Alain Ducasse’s tantalising new Mediterranean restaurant at the Hôtel de Paris Monte Carlo. And somehow, chef Patrick Laine has managed to exceed our expectations once again.

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Ômer is all about sharing dishes that are packed full of flavour. My previous visit took me to Libya, Lebanon, Greece and Israel, to name but a few culinary destinations.

But with this new menu, chef Patrick Laine wanted more: more colour, more playfulness, and more sharing. “It’s a snub to the greyness of December!” declared the chef.

This season, Patrick is subtly combining the flavours of winter with the spellbinding aromas of Mediterranean spices.

The new dishes are as flavoursome as always and follow the same philosophy of sharing and generosity. But there’s a wintery, heart-warming undertone: squash soup with chickpeas, turmeric, cinnamon and coriander; a marisco paella brimming with fluffy bomba rice, delicious saffron, chilli, mussels, clams, prawns, cuttlefish and candied peppers. There’s red mullet with autumn vegetables, garlic and zaatar; and the beef souvlaki with flavours of oregano, thyme, mint and cauliflower.

These are seasonal dishes carefully chosen by Patrick, who passionately selects the best produce to make each meal a true Mediterranean getaway.

For dessert, pastry chef Dorian Lutzelschwab continues to impress: a frosted orange with orange sorbet and raz el hanout, and saffron pain perdu with almond milk sorbet. I am happy to see my favourite – chocolate and hazelnut baklava is still on the menu.

The mezze also remains largely unchanged, thankfully, because this is undeniably the foundation of the restaurant.

Mezze selection at Ômer ©pmonetta

To celebrate the new year with the indulgence that it deserves, Ômer is hosting a special brunch on 1st January from 11.30am to 3pm. For details contact: +377 98 06 39 39 | omer@sbm.mc.

 

Read also Restaurant review: Ômer by Alain Ducasse

 

 

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Phto

Jardim sacked…again!

by: Stephanie Horsman
30/12/2019

Just over one year after being brought back into the fold, Leonardo Jardim is on the outs again, being replaced by Spanish firebrand Robert Moreno.

After a somewhat uneven season, coach Jardim and his staff are sent packing again. The abrupt departure, cushioned by a reported €8 million payoff package, opens the door for Spaniard Robert Moreno to step in and shake things up for the Red and Whites.

Jardim was reappointed as Monaco’s coach last January, only three months after being fired and replaced with ill-fated Thierry Henry. He went on to have a disastrous start of the season, problematic with management after spending €135 million on fresh talent, before seemingly unifying his team and leading them to five wins out of six matches and pulling them back from the brink of relegation.

But a big loss against Lille, who Monaco roundly beat only a few days later in a 5-1 victory, led management to wonder if it was Jardim’s coaching or the players’ will that got them through.

Moreno, who was rather spectacularly sacked himself from the Spanish national team back in November, is known for a 4-4-2 line up, a new direction for the defensively-challenged Monaco team.

This is his first real foray as head coach, having only been in the top spot for the Spanish team due to personal problems suffered by the team’s coach, Luis Enrique, and only staying in the position for five months before the return of Enrique. After a dispute between the two men erupted over who should be top dog for the Euro 2020 Championships, Moreno was definitively let go, but soon came onto the radar of AS Monaco’s board.

The announcement came just a few days ago and is enthusiastically supported AS Monaco’s top brass. Oleg Petrov, Vice-President and General Director of the team said in a statement: “We are very pleased to announce the arrival of Robert Moreno. We have great faith in him and his ability to bring the team success. We welcome him to AS Monaco.”

Petrov diplomatically also praised his former head coach, saying, “On behalf of President Dmitry Rybolovlev, I would also like to thank Leonardo Jardim for all his work and success in recent years. Leonardo and his staff did their utmost to keep the club in Ligue 1 last season and then bring the team back to the place it deserves in our championship. We wish him good luck for the future.”

Moreno will officially take the helm next week ahead of the Coupe de France game against Reims and will see his first Ligue 1 match the following weekend against PSG.

 

 

Charles Leclerc signs Ferrari contract to 2024

by: Cassandra Tanti
30/12/2019

Monegasque F1 driver Charles Leclerc has signed a new long-term contract with Ferrari, taking him through to the end of the 2024 season. It signals the immense confidence that F1’s most famous team has in the rising star and the impact he has had during his first season in red.

Leclerc joined Ferrari at the start of last season after a year with Sauber and, thanks to a successful maiden campaign, he will be rewarded with a new contract committing him to the F1 team for the next five seasons.

“I am very happy to be staying on with Scuderia Ferrari,” said Leclerc. “This past season, driving for the most illustrious team in Formula 1 has been a dream year for me. I cannot wait to enjoy an even deeper relationship with the team after what has been an intense and exciting 2019. I’m keen to see what the future holds and I can’t wait to get going again next season.”

While Leclerc entered the 2019 season as teammate to Vettel, the 22-year-old year old quickly established himself, claiming race wins at Spa and Monza and seven pole positions, compared to the one victory and two poles for Vettel. Leclerc finished 24 points ahead of his 32-year-old teammate in the drivers’ standings.

“If you needed any convincing Leclerc had become the team’s main focus for the future, then this new deal – longer than any of his rivals’ – is proof of that,” said one sports commentator.

Vettel’s current deal expires at the end of 2020, and there are reports that Lewis Hamilton is in talks with the team about switching from Mercedes.

According to Italian press reports, Leclerc’s contract extension comes with a substantial salary increase to €9 million, closing the gap to Sebastian Vettel, although he remains on a deal worth much more per year.

Photo: Taken from Charles Leclerc’s official Facebook page

 

New Year’s Eve in Monte Carlo: where to go

by: Stephanie Horsman
30/12/2019

Looking for the perfect setting to celebrate the ringing in of the New Year? The Principality has enticing options to choose from.

Both the Casino de Monte-Carlo and the Fairmont are pulling out all the stops to make the start of 2020 special and unique for guests.  

The Casino de Monte-Carlo has a free-of-charge treat for young and old, projecting a magnificent holiday light show on the façade of the iconic building every 20 minutes from 6pm. Gaming, of course, is the theme, and it is sure to leave all who see it with a sense of the wonders of the season.  

If being a spectator isn’t enough, the Bar Europe is proposing visitors to come in for a glass of champagne and caviar to end the year in elegance, where they can also enjoy music, dancing and maybe a game or two to start the year in true James Bond style.

The Fairmont is offering three-experiences-in-one for the holidays, with Nobu, Saphir24 and Salle de la Mer all catering to different themes and tastes. Nobu, with its world-renowned Asian/Latin American fusion fare bringing both warmth and subtlety to patrons, will be hosting a menu entitled Omakase, which gives the chef free reign to delight the clientele with the freshest and most inspired dishes around. 

Saphir24 is for the night owls, offering shared plates featuring the traditional favourites of the season, such as smoked salmon and foie gras, whilst daring customers to stay and get their boogie on with live music.

Salle de la Mer has never been so aptly named, offering a seafood buffet spread over the room’s 450 square metres and featuring that much-beloved winter delicacy, the oyster. For those who steer clear of the sea, dishes for carnivores and vegetarians will also be showcased, and there is even something for the kids in the ‘Lion King Restaurant’ section.

Guests are encouraged to stay and watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks spectacle from the terrace, and for those intrepid enough to still be awake, or those sensible enough to have gone home at a reasonable hour, brunch will be served on 1st January accompanied by live music to start the year off right. 

 

Read also: NYE festivities

Photo: SBM

 

 

Africa Eco Race

by: Stephanie Horsman
30/12/2019

The 2020 Africa Eco Race returns in January with a new course for the new year, covering 4,000km in 15 days. 

The highly anticipated race, which sets off from Quai Antoine 1er at 7pm on 4th January, is a sure fire antidote to the post-holiday blues.

Participants travel from Monaco to Savona where they make the free two day crossing to Tangier. This interlude gives racers a few days to plan, strategise and get to know each other.

On the morning of 7th January, they hit the dunes and sand flats of Morocco and Mauritania before crossing into Senegal and sprinting through the final stage of the race, ending in the spectacularly coloured, and aptly named, Lac Rose which lies just 30km outside Dakar.

This year’s edition boasts a routing 70% different than last year, making it almost an entirely new contest for veterans and newbies alike and will be held, as per custom, in 11 stages before reaching the final destination.

Once arriving in Tangier, there are five juncture points in Morocco, followed by a day of rest, then six more steps through Mauritania, finishing up on the last leg into Senegal, where there will be a prize ceremony held on 19th January.

The Africa Eco Race was created in 2008 as the answer to the cancellation of the legendary Dakar Rally, but added modern twists placing a distinct emphasis on security issues and individual awareness regarding eco-responsibility and sustainability, making it much more than just a sporting event. 

The race is also known for its use of remote locations, far from cities and well-worn paths, giving competitors a sense of truly being away from it all. This isolation means racers are left to fend for themselves, thus inspiring a feeling of solidarity, mutual trust and friendly cooperation.