The achievements of mariners from Monaco and around the world have been celebrated at the Yacht Club de Monaco in an event that commended an excellent 2022 and forecast another exciting year to come.
The Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM) rounded off a triumphant year of events and titles with a glittering Winter Cocktail evening on 21st December and Prince Albert II, the president of the iconic yacht club, on hand to award the coveted Trophée Crédit Suisse to the Sailor of the Year.
That accolade went to Frenchman Pierrik Devic, a much admired sailor and charter broker in Monaco, who became World Vice-Champion in the J/70 series in 2022 and stood out from a prestigious group of international nominees for his “remarkable consistency all season”.
“I am very touched to receive this award, which I dedicate to my crew, without whom I would not have won it,” said Devic. “It represents 60 days on the water together. It’s a fixed team and I wanted from the start to create a good atmosphere on board. Above all, we are good friends who want to have fun on the water. It’s just magical”.
A snapshot from the 2022 J/70. Photo by Francesco Ferri
Also in line for congratulations were two YCM members who competed in the 12th Route du Rhum towards the end of 2022: Oren Nataf and Boris Herrmann, the latter of which will soon head to Alicante for the start of The Ocean Race.
“We were very proud to have two boats flying the YCM flag on the start of this prestigious transatlantic,” said Prince Albert of the Route du Rhum sailors.
An award for promising young talent went, for a second time, to Noah Garcia. Still just a teenager, Garcia excelled in 2022 during the ILCA 4 and won the French Champion title.
An adventure in the Antarctic
Beyond the prizes, the two yacht club members Fabrice Papazian and François Miribel took to the stage to present a photobook of their adventures into the Antarctic region aboard the Boréal 47 Sir Ernst. The proceeds of the book will be donated to a research institute for childhood cancer.
“After spending nearly a month in the Antarctic as far as Marguerite Bay 67° South, we sailed in the Patagonia channels in the southern winter,” said the yacht’s owner, Miribel. “We are getting ready to do another trip over there before heading back to the Mediterranean to prepare another polar expedition in two years’ time.”
Prince Albert with the Sir Ernst team and their photobook. Photo by Bruno Bebert
A full calendar of events
With 2023 marking the 70th anniversary of the YCM, which was founded in June 1953 by then-sovereign Prince Rainier III, members and supporters of the maritime institution can expect a full calendar of events over the coming 12 months.
Sustainability highlights include the first ever Monaco Smart Yacht Rendezvous on 23rd and 24th March, which promotes the need for eco-focused technological innovation at each stage of a yacht’s life cycle, as well as the 10th Monaco Energy Boat Challenge from 3rd to 8th July. The week-long event has a number of exciting additions to its programme this year, from the first ever e-Boat Rally to a new mentoring service that encourages the yachting industry to back young minds in their innovative studies and experiments.
The all-time favourite Monaco Classic Week from 13th to 16th September is set to be an exceptional celebration of maritime heritage, with a stunning display of vessels from classic sail yachts to period motor yachts and vintage motorboats.
For more information and the full programme, please click here.
As general manager of some of the world’s most famous hotels, including the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, Ivan Artolli has had many highs in his career, but few as momentous as receiving the Leading Legend Award from his peers.
As anyone who knows Ivan Artolli will tell you, he is a very charming and attentive man, a silver fox in good shape with a genuine smile. And after 35 years working in luxury hospitality, he also has a playbook that is as precious as the establishments he works in.
In November 2022, Artolli – a member of the European Hotel Manager Association since 2002 – received the Leading Legend Award from the Leading Hotels of the World (LHW), a distinction that recognises his passion to the industry for more than three decades.
Just over six of those years have been spent as General Manager of the famed Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo. Artolli saw the landmark hotel through some of its toughest years, including the €280 million renovation that took four years to complete. The Hôtel de Paris debuted its dramatic renovation in March 2019, showcasing an historic property that had been thoughtfully brought into the 21st century, while maintaining its soul and signature features.
The Hôtel de Paris and the Casino de Paris during Christmas 2022. Photo by Cassandra Tanti, Monaco Life
The Leading Legend Award, says Artolli, is significant because it is a mark of respect from an association that represents 400 of the finest luxury hotels in the world.
“This specific award is a once in a lifetime award, it is a real honour for me,” Artolli tells me as we sit in the Bar Américain at the Hôtel de Paris. It is 3pm, but the iconic cocktail bar is filled with people. The legend of Monte-Carlo is palpable here.
“It’s also a recognition of all the people that I work for, that I work with, and the teams that I am part of and manage. Without these successes, I would not have received the award.”
Artolli has worked at 11 Leading Hotels of the World, among them Florence, Sicily, London, and Milan… Basically, anywhere his three children could learn a foreign language.
He says much in the luxury hospitality industry has stayed the same over the years, but a lot has also evolved, especially the attitudes of his high-flying clients.
“I think what has really changed is the way clients expect to be served,” he reveals. “If you take the Hôtel de Paris 30 years ago, the service was very distinguished, kind of remote and distant. There was very little dialogue with the people you were serving. You just had to be ready so that when they called for you, you could deliver exactly what they were expecting.”
That’s all changed now, he says.
“People are asking for interaction. Clients who come to an establishment like the Hôtel de Paris want to be recognised as someone who has knowledge about the luxury hotel experience. If they are not familiar, they want to be reassured of their experience. Today, they expect a warm interaction; they want a team member to show empathy, to start some form of conversation, to show an interest towards them.”
Artolli gives the example of an old couple and a young couple who come to the Bar Américain. The young couple doesn’t need entertainment, he says, because they are entertaining themselves. They just need to be guided on the choice of drink, for example, if they see the barman shaking a cocktail; perhaps a suggestion of the cocktail of the month. But the elderly couple, he says, have been together for a lifetime. They have said everything that there is to say to one another. So, they need much more interaction and entertainment.
“This is when you really win over a client,” says Artolli. “If they were here the night before, you ask if they enjoyed the evening. What did they think of the music? Is there anything they would like the band to play tonight? You have to make them feel special. That’s how they become repeat clients for a very long time, because they are recognised.”
The Hôtel de Paris courtyard, photo by Cassandra Tanti, Monaco Life
It is not unusual for Artolli to welcome three generations of the same family at the Hôtel de Paris, such is its golden reputation.
Now that Covid travel restrictions have been lifted, most guests come from America, the Middle East, South America, Australia and New Zealand. It used to be the Italians and Russians, but even luxury travellers from India are starting to outnumber them. Who can forget the huge Indian weddings that take over the Place de Casino and its neighbouring establishments each summer, including the Hôtel de Paris?
“India is the only country in the world where top travellers said they plan to travel and spend even more next year.”
While the Hôtel de Paris has been attracting the planet’s most glamourous, high-profile names since it opened in 1864, many luxury establishments have sprung up over the past century. Today, Monaco has more competitors in the luxury market than ever before.
“Asia, South America… You name them. America is even emerging as a competitor with the Grand Prix options and Las Vegas. But the advantage we have is that we have an established reputation. And on top of that, security has become extremely important.”
London, for example, last year saw a massive increase in violent luxury watch thefts, mostly in wealthy neighbourhoods. Monaco, by contrast, has the lowest crime rate in the world thanks to a strong police presence and a zero-tolerance petty crime policy.
“The only destinations where you can actually show off your wealth by wearing expensive watches and jewellery is Dubai and Monaco,” says Artolli. “Anywhere else in the world you are at risk. And the way Monaco handled the pandemic shows that here, everyone plays by the rules.”
So, in the face of such legendary history and impeccable service, where does Artolli plan to take the Hôtel de Paris?
The future, he says, embraces technology to improve the customer experience: digitising the check-in and check-out experience for those who wish to use it; keeping the in-person experience for others who appreciate the human contact; the ability to control the entire hotel experience, from the opening of curtains to ordering room service and a taxi, from one digital device in each room… All are advances that are being offered by other leading luxury hotels in the world and would ensure the Hôtel de Paris stays competitive.
As our interview rolls to an end, Artolli brings me back to the Bar Américain.
“You feel so comfortable when you enter this bar because everything was designed to be perfect. The lighting is perfect, the sound is perfect, you can have a conversation while the band is playing. The lighting, during the day or night, makes you think you are more beautiful than you are in reality. That’s the objective. If you reach those objectives, you have done your job.”
Artolli acknowledges that he is part of a dying breed of luxury hospitality professionals.
“For the younger generation, it is all about them, what they want; it’s not what other people want. I remember when I was a child, we had a guest in the house every Sunday; people visiting relatives. Now, that has all changed. We have to recreate the interest in pleasing other people. In reality, hotel, restaurant and bar employees are like doctors and nurses. But we don’t take care of the body, we take care of the soul.”
Stocks of paracetamol and antibiotics, particularly those prescribed for children, are running dangerously low this winter in the Alpes-Maritimes.
Infections, flu, coughs and colds are hallmarks of the winter season. People tend to be indoors more, giving germs a chance to spread more easily than in the warmer times of the year. Most of the seasonal illnesses floating around can be handled simply, with a quick course of medicine doing the trick, but this year, it is being reported there is a real shortage of basic drugs in the Alpes-Maritimes.
The biggest concern lies in the lack of medicines, notably antibiotics, for children.
“For over a month, we have had a lot of problems obtaining and getting deliveries of medicines and antibiotics, especially for children,” pharmacist Alice Marty told France 3 this week. “Syrups pose a lot of worries. We very regularly have doctors on the phone to see which antibiotics they can prescribe, to find out which ones are available with us, so they can treat patients as well as possible.”
Pharmacists are being forced to spend hours on the phone every day, calling suppliers to try and find stock, taking them away from the job of helping the sick.
“It’s an everyday job to call suppliers, we spend energy in our explanations to patients [and] prescribers,” says Raphaël Gilgiotti, pharmacist and secretary of the Regional Union of Health Professionals as well as co-president of the pharmacists’ union of the Alpes-Maritimes. “There are pharmacists in Nice who no longer have Doliprane syrup at the moment. Anti-cough treatment syrups are particularly in demand by patients… And are therefore out of stock. I had more than 250 bottles last month. This morning, I had three remaining.”
The French media reports that the shortages stem from supply chain problems coming from China and India as well as the low cost of drugs to consumers in France. It has been suggested that other countries selling the same drugs at higher price points are getting more attention from manufacturers as they are willing to pay more.
“The same drug made by the same manufacturer can be sold more expensively than in France,” explains Gilgiotti.
The situation is bad enough that French Health Minister François Braun has publicly complained, taking to the airwaves on France 2’s The Four Truths to voice his concerns last week.
Meanwhile, the doctor’s strike is ongoing, but Braun has said that while the possibility of consultations being raised was possible, but not up to €50, as demanded by protestors.
“Okay, we are increasing the consultation fee, but I want the 650,000 French people who are chronically ill to have a doctor, because they currently don’t have one. I want us to be able to have a doctor at night or the weekend,” he said.
For now, doctors will remain on strike, though early reports of a return to work on Monday are beginning to circulate.
A new study published in the Science journal reveals that half of the planet’s glaciers will be gone by 2100, even if the world manages to control rising temperatures. The scenario grows worse if it doesn’t.
According to researchers, the planet will lose 49% of the world’s glaciers by the end of the century, with at least half of that loss occurring in the next three decades.
The 49% figure was the optimistic version, in the event that the world reaches the goal set out under the Paris Accord climate agreement, whereby nations limit global warming to 1.5ºC in an attempt to avoid a chain of catastrophic events from happening.
The darker version predicts that 68% will be gone by 2100 if the current scenario of 2.7ºC warming continues. The report, published in Science, says that will leave Central Europe, western Canada and the United States almost entirely without glaciers.
The result will be massive sea level rises, up to 115 millimetres, which will affect the drinking water supply for up to two billion people, as well as increase natural disaster risks, including major flooding episodes.
Lower mountain ranges such as the Alps and the Pyrenees will be hit hardest. Glaciers are anticipated to be 70% smaller in the Alps by 2050. This will almost certainly affect biodiversity, with the possibility that alpine flowers, for example, could die out completely, according to the report.
The study’s lead author, a civil and environmental engineer from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Dr David Rounce, said, “This is the first time we have isolated the number of glaciers that will be lost – before it was the total mass loss. When we think about the locations where most people see and visit glaciers, it’s really in locations where they’re accessible, like in Central Europe or in high mountain Asia. In these regions, there are a lot of smaller glaciers. They’re really at the core of the societies and economies of those locations.”
The researchers utilised 20 years of satellite data to precisely map the glaciers. This allowed for more accuracy than previous studies, which relied on measurements from specific glaciers, therefore not giving a global picture.
The study included all glacial land ice, except for the Antarctic ice sheets and Greenland.
This is not the first study to be carried out on glacier loss with an eye to predicting sea level rise, but it is the most accurate to date, having the benefit of using the satellite data combined with previous reports.
From this year, 2023, France’s newest legislations will streamline services in a range of health sectors, from sexual health to improving access to care, as well as tackle fraudulent claims.
Here’s a rundown of some of the key measures included in the Social Security Financing Act or Loi de Financement de la Sécurité Sociale (LFSS).
The preventativehealth appointments offered by the social security system at key stages of life, referred to as examen de prévention en santé, will now be free-of-charge.
Screening for sexually transmitted infections is now possible without a prescription, excluding HIV testing, as well as being fully reimbursed for under 26s. A range of condoms available in pharmacies are free for the same age group.
All women, regardless of age, can obtain emergency contraception, such as the morning-after pill, from pharmacies without any financial burden.
A range of 14 standard vaccinations, such as diphtheria and tetanus, are now possible in pharmacies, joining seasonal flu and Covid-19 jabs. Nurses and midwives are also eligible providers. The service is for over 16s and a prescription is still needed, but the move vastly simplifies a process that previously required a doctor’s visit.
To help bring down the rate of tobacco smoking amongst the population, France will increase the average price of a pack of cigarettes by an estimated 50 cents in 2023 and another 35 cents the following year.
The maximum working age for doctors and nurses in a hospital setting has been levelled at 72, until 2035, when it is likely to be reviewed.
Reparations for children who are harmed by pesticides in utero and suffer adverse effects as they grow up will be improved.
Cancer patients will now receive 100% reimbursement for hair prostheses.
A number of trials are being included in the new act, such as a three-year trial of obligatory sickle cell screening in newborns, an additional 12 months of testing time for scientists and doctors working with therapeutic cannabis, and the permission for nurses to sign death certificates on an experimental basis over the next year in an attempt to relieve doctors of the task.
Financial support for single parents is getting a make-over, with choix du mode de garde provisions reserved for children under six to be extended to 12 years of age. There has also been a 50% increase in the family support allowance for single-parent households, rising to €184.41 per month and per child.
Assisting France’s oldest residents and improving their access to care are also key features of the LFSS. An additional 4,000 places in care homes will be created in 2023 alongside provisions for 3,000 extra nurses and caregivers at residential facilities. By 2027, the government anticipates the creation of 50,000 new jobs in the sector. For those still living independently, but beginning to struggle, a system called MaprimAdapt has been established to help update and adapt homes to their new needs.
France will tackle the damaging rates of fraudulent social security claims, aiming to increase detection by 10% over the next 12 months as well as the efficiency and effectiveness of fraud recovery. Excluding pensions, benefits will no longer be paid to bank accounts lying outside of the EU.
A chalet-style pop-up in Monaco with all the après-ski trappings of a Swiss resort awaits this winter at the Novotel Monte-Carlo Hotel thanks to a collaboration with restaurant chain Tradiswiss.
For those who love a good Swiss ski resort, with all that charm, warmth and indulgent food, there is now a way to get the experience without leaving the comforts of Monaco.
From 7th January to 28th February, the Novotel Monte-Carlo Hotel and Tradiswiss brand will transform a space inside the hotel into a chalet complete with a classic wood and mountaineering-inspired décor and a delicious alpine menu.
The restaurant will feature mouth-watering dishes such as fondue made with Vacherin Fribourgeois and Swiss Gruyère, traditional raclette, and charcuterie platters loaded with a selection of finely sliced meats. Desserts include double cream meringue and Swiss chocolate fondue.
Tradiswiss, which has restaurants in both Nice and Paris, sources its products from artisan producers from the canton of Valais, bringing true authenticity to each meal.
For more information or to book a reservation, please click here.
