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MYS Series: The Monaco Yacht Club Director

by:
12/09/2021

If the Monaco Yacht Show were a fleet, then the Yacht Club of Monaco (YCM) would be its flagship, and the Commanding Officer at the helm would be YCM General Secretary and Managing Director Bernard d’Alessandri.

‘Helmsman’ d’Alessandri has worked at the Club for close to 50 years and one of the best and unforgettable moments that he can remember was the inauguration of the new club designed by British architect Lord Norman Foster on 20th June 2014.

“The Club is a wonderful ‘device’ that allows us to host exceptional events,” says d’Alessandri. “Twice we have hosted the arrival of the Rolex Giraglia Cup, Mike Horn set off on his around the world sailing trip on board SY Pangaea from here, and we can organise big events such as the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, Monaco Classic Week and next year the J/70 Championships.”

For him, MYS is the Principality’s international showcase, demonstrating that Monaco is the ‘Yachting Capital’ of the world. D’Alessandri reckons that despite the pandemic, the yachting sector has been very active over the last two years and for him the Monaco Yacht Show is a vital market place for yacht owners and shipyards, brokers etc. to meet.

“The Show unites the industry. It gives businesses the opportunity to compare new developments and technologies on the most glamorous of stage sets that Monaco knows how to pull off so well. MYS is all about the ‘Yachting Lifestyle’, not just about the boats,” reflects D’Alessandri.

Yacht Club of Monaco, photo by MC-Clic

D’Alessandri considers the YCM as the yachting industry’s core, but it also has a role in promoting the Principality. With its ‘Monaco, Capital of Yachting’ project, the YCM is there to help attract the global yachting industry to Monaco and provide a platform for communication and promotion. ‘The Cluster Yachting Monaco’ initiative now has 1,561 yacht-owning members, while 252 yachting related businesses are based in Monaco with a turnover of 753 million euros. “I think to a large extent the industry is still sometimes misunderstood and it has much to offer in terms of employment for the young,” he says.  

More generally, d’Alessandri sees his and the Club’s role as promoting and sharing a passion for the sea. “The sea is in our DNA,” he says. “And any Monaco resident who wants to learn or improve their sailing is more than welcome. During the holidays we offer courses for the children, such as our SeAdventures Camps”.

As MYS draws closer, d’Alessandri is in a reflective mood, telling me: “At the Club, we try and work on different levels to give the industry’s reputation a makeover and change its attitude. We’ve introduced initiatives such as Sea Index, a benchmark or frame of reference aimed at owners of yachts over 40m to measure their CO2 emissions and improve their eco-responsible performance.” He also supports the development of ‘new generation’ marinas that will accommodate the ‘green’ yachts of tomorrow. The Club will support the Smart and Sustainable Marina rendezvous, organised by Monaco Marina Management, that takes place on 20th  September. 

He adds, “I am also really pleased at how well the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge is developing. The 9th Challenge will take place next year from 5th to 9th July. It has become the show that gives pride of place to new/future propulsion systems. I love the atmosphere at the Challenge which combines speed boat tests with daily tech talks and the exchange of knowledge, conferences and an exhibitor village to discover the progress of sustainability in the maritime sector.”

 

Close Quarters with Bernard d’Alessandri

If you weren’t MD of the YCM, what would you be? 

I’d most definitely be a captain. My passion for the open waters is a real vocation and I can’t imagine a life without the sea. 

What’s your advice to someone looking to follow in your footsteps?

There’s only one criteria and that’s passion! With it, you can move mountains and love limitlessly. I am so lucky to be passionate about what I do.  

The worst moment in your career?

 That still feels a bit too raw to talk about, so I prefer not to say.

The best moment?

Oh, there are so many! I’m thinking about my Monaco-New York Atlantic crossing in 1985 on board Biotonus–Yacht Club de Monaco. Or the first time I set eyes on the YCM Flagship SY Tuiga (1909), and of course the first time I took the helm.

What are you most proud of?

I’m most proud of the modest contributions we all make day to day for the future of yachting. Now more than ever we need to build an eco-responsible future.

Someone you admire? 

I admire many people, not because of their celebrity but because of their commitment. Dedicated sailors such as Eric Tabarly or the explorer Mike Horn. People of character who are enraptured by a passion for the sea.

 
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MYS Series: The Superyacht Captain

MYS Series: The Superyacht Broker

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Top photo of Bernard d’Alessandri by Francesco Ferri
 
 
 

Health pass mandate to go before National Council Tuesday

by: Cassandra Tanti
10/09/2021

The National Council is due to examine on Tuesday a controversial bill mandating health passes for certain workers in Monaco, namely those in the health and care sectors.
The Monaco government announced in July that, in the face of an upsurge of Covid-19 contaminations and hospitalisations due to the rapid spread of the Delta variant, it would follow France’s lead and table a bill making vaccination against Covid-19 compulsory for staff working in Monegasque health establishments, in structures welcoming the elderly and more generally for people in contact with fragile or vulnerable people.
The bill, n° 1043, was delivered to the office of the High Assembly on 3rd August and the National Council convened an extraordinary session from 13th to 17th September to examine the bill and make a decision on its adoption.
The Manifestation pacifique contre le pass sanitaire à Monaco (Peaceful demonstration against the health pass in Monaco) Facebook group has been staging protests ahead of the session.
The National Council announced on Thursday that it would debate the bill on 14th September at 6pm. The session will not be open to the public, however people can follow it live on the National Council’s Facebook page and on Monaco Info.
 
 
Photo of the second demonstration against the mandatory health pass which took place on 9th September. Source: Manifestation pacifique contre le pass sanitaire à Monaco
 
 
 

ASM Basketball head to Istanbul after against Lavrio

by: Stephanie Horsman
09/09/2021

The Roca team have redeemed themselves by beating the Mega Bolts of Lavrio during a friendly in Greece, setting them up nicely for their next match against Partizan NIS Belgrade in Istanbul for the semi-finals of the Istanbul Cup.

Monaco went up against the Lavrio Mega Bolts in the last of the friendly games played on the Greek team’s home turf on Wednesday, where they won 79 to 63.

Lavrio came out swinging, but it simply wasn’t enough to keep the Roca team at bay. Monaco played with determination, at one point in the first quarter making an impressive run of nine consecutive baskets.

Alpha Diallo, a former Mega Bolt player turned Monaco power forward, was instrumental in keeping the opponents in check, and by the end of the first quarter, the score was a comfortable 25 to 18.

This shifted slightly in the second quarter where Lavrio limited the Roca team to only 11 points, but even this wasn’t enough to take the lead. The two teams headed to the locker room with Monaco leading 36 to 33.

After the halftime break, Monaco scored 10 points off the bat, to the opposing team’s none, boosting confidence and their lead to 46 – 33.

Coach Zvezdan Mitrovic, to his credit, gave a lot of court time to his young new players Diallo and Paris Lee, who both shone. Another bright spot was the return of star point guard Rob Gray.

Now the team heads to Istanbul to take on Partizan NIS Belgrade for the semi-finals of the Istanbul Cup on Saturday 11th September.

 

 

 

Monaco Life with AS Monaco Basketball press release

 

 

Harrison Ford: “Damn it, it’s not alright”

by: Cassandra Tanti
08/09/2021

Prince Albert has joined Hollywood actor Harrison Ford and other high-profile personalities and world leaders in raising their voices to drive action for the preservation of the planet at a major conservation congress in Marseille.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress is being hosted in the south of France from 3rd to 11th September. This year’s congress is a key environmental milestone ahead of the United Nations conference on biodiversity and climate, to be held in Kunming and Glasgow, in the coming months.
It brings together several thousand leaders and decision makers, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Prince Albert of Monaco, as well as nonprofit, Indigenous and civil society members from more than 170 nations with the goal of conserving the environment and promoting nature-based solutions to global challenges.
These congresses are held every four years, but the focus of this one in particular is how to achieve a nature-based recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, and the post-2020 global biodiversity framework currently being negotiated under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
On Tuesday 7th September, Prince Albert of Monaco opened the session on oceans, highlighting the essential role that the ocean plays in human health and livelihoods, and the blue economy’s potential to restore ocean health, transition to clean energy, and create jobs.
The IUCN’s Minna Epps ended the session highlighting the key outcomes that included supporting the call for achieving the 30-by-30 target, protecting at least 30% of the global ocean as Marine Protected Areas and other conservation measures by the year 2030; and adopting a legally binding instrument on marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Restoring ocean health was just one of a number of themes to be explored during the nine-day high-level congress. Others include conserving freshwater to sustain life, leveraging economic and financial systems for sustainability, and managing landscapes for nature and people.


 
The One Planet Summit also formed part of proceedings, the aim of which is to offer a new, pragmatic and effective framework for action.
One of the most high-profile speakers at the congress was Hollywood acting legend Harrison Ford, who evoked plenty of emotion in his speech, saying: “It’s hard to devote yourself to a cause that is so urgent and not be able to get the traction needed to make the change that is absolutely necessary. It’s hard to read the headlines: floods, fires, famines, plagues, and tell your children that everything’s alright. It’s not alright. Damn it, it’s not alright. We’ve got to make things happen; we’ve got to make it happen now. Come on everybody, let’s get to work.”
 
 
Top photos sourced from the IUCN
 
 

New pairings announced for Monaco’s ‘Festival of Stars’

by: Stephanie Horsman
08/09/2021

SBM’s Festival des Etoilés, a unique event pairing local and international Michelin-starred chefs, will continue well into autumn with new collaborations between September and November.
The new round of pairings kick off on 9th September at the Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel with a decidedly feminine pairing at Elsa Restaurant. Chef Manon Fleury welcomes L’Argine a Vencò’s award winning Italian chef Antonia Klugmann.
This is followed up by the exquisite pairing of the legendary Alain Ducasse with three-starred chef Michel Guerard from les Prés d’Eugénie, where they will offer both a lunch and a dinner at Louis XV-Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel de Paris.
The final duo puts Marcel Ravin of Blue Bay together with Argentinian chef, and former Ducasse disciple, Mauro Colagreco, of the three-starred worlds-best restaurant 2019 – Mirazur on 5th November as a pre-holiday treat.
Two collaborations have already taken place, during which Franck Cerutti and Marcel Ravin respectively welcomed Riccardo Camanini of Lido 84 and Michel Sarran of the Restaurant Michel Sarran in their kitchens to prepare meals to the delight of foodie guests in the Principality.
The grand finale of the Festival is one for the history books, as all of SBM’s Michelin-starred chefs gather together for one night only in the Salle Médecin of the Casino for a gala evening on 27th November.
On this occasion, Manon Fleury, Marcel Ravin, Franck Cerutti, Dominique Lory and Yannick Alléno will together create a dinner comprising of their signature dishes. The six-course menu will be a journey through the world of the Société des Bains de Mer, where guests will be able to watch the dishes being made directly in the room thanks to a “live pass”.
Singer Nicole Magolie will entertain the crowd of roughly one hundred guests with soul and jazz tunes accompanied by a quartet.
The Festival des Etoilés, which has been going on since May, is potentially going to be a yearly offering by SBM.
 
RELATED STORIES: 

Manon Fleury: “This is the future of gastronomy”

Yannick Alleno: What to expect from Monaco’s most anticipated new restaurant

 
Photo: Marcel Ravin, Dominique Lory, Alain Ducasse, Franck Cerutti, Yannick Alléno Mauro Colagreco, Michel Guérard, Manon Fleury, Antonia Klugmann. Source: Monte-Carlo SBM
 
 
 

Masters Padel Tournament coming to Monaco

by: Stephanie Horsman
07/09/2021

The APT Padel Tour has chosen Monaco as the latest location to host a leg on their international tournament schedule and fans of the wildly popular sport will get a chance to get in on the action.

The APT Hublot Monaco Masters Padel Tournament is coming to the Principality from 13th to 19th September at the Terrasses du Soleil at the Monte-Carlo Casino, in collaboration with the Société des Bains de Mer (SBM), featuring exciting padel action and top seeded players.

The event is organised by Monte-Carlo International Sports with the support of the Federation Sportive de Padel, who will be offering prizes to winners totalling €60,000.

Though centre court will be set up at the Casino, additional qualifying matches will be played at the Tennis Padel Soleil in Beausoleil, giving fans the chance to visit two venues.

“I would like to thank H.S.H. Prince Albert II and Mr Biamonti, President of the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, for helping us to make history by hosting the Hublot Monaco Masters in one of the most iconic places in the world,” said Fabrice Pastor, APT President.” Thank you to everyone including the sponsors for helping us in such difficult times.”

Games played from Wednesday 15th September will be broadcasted live on the APT Padel Tour YouTube channel. The schedule will be announced on the APT website prior to the opening of the competition.

But the fun isn’t limited to the players only. This year, fans are also invited to play on centre court like the pros from 7th to 12th September. For €100, participants will be offered a one-and-a-half-hour session including use of rackets and balls. Reservations can be made online at https://tennispadelsoleil.matchpoint.com.es/Login.aspx.

Padel, also known as paddle tennis, is an increasingly popular sport worldwide. Usually played in doubles on courts roughly one quarter smaller than regular tennis courts, it is fast-paced and exciting. The balls have slightly less pressure than their tennis counterparts and scoring is the same.