11 ° C
Profile

Tag: monaco

Johnny Depp to join Jeff Beck on stage in Monaco

by: Stephanie Horsman
23/06/2022

Legendary guitarist Jeff Beck has just been added to the Monte-Carlo Summer Festival line-up for one night only in July and will be playing alongside another well-known name: Johnny Depp.

Inducted twice into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for his work in the 1960’s band The Yardbirds in 1992 and again for his solo career in 2009, Jeff Beck is considered one of the best rock guitarists of all-time.

Known for his fast, complex playing style, he is a godfather of heavy metal and jazz-rock, and this summer he is coming to the Principality for one night as part of his European tour.

As if this isn’t a treat enough, the superstar will be on stage alongside another superstar, though from a different medium, actor Johnny Depp. The two have collaborated before and enjoy making music together. Depp is even making an appearance on Beck’s upcoming album, entitled 18, as the composer of two songs. They also worked together in 2020, releasing a cover of John Lennon’s Isolation.

Of the unexpecting pairing, Beck says, “Someone came knocking on my dressing room door in Japan five years ago, and we haven’t stopped laughing since!” Depp adds, “It’s a tremendous honour to be able to play and write music with Jeff, one of the greats, who I now have the privilege of calling my brother.”

As for the title of the new album, Beck explains, “When Johnny and I started playing together, it really ignited our youthful and creative spirit. We were joking about feeling like we were 18 again, so that became the title of the album as well.”

Depp’s name has been front and centre in the media recently because of the defamation trial he brought, and won, against his ex-wife Amber Heard.

But when on stage with Beck, it’s all about the music.

The newly-added event will feature Beck and Depp along with Rhonda Smith on bass, Anika Nilles on drums, and Robert Stevenson on keyboards. Tickets for the show, which is set for 9th July at Opera Garnier Monte-Carlo, are on sale now from €250 and can be purchased on the SBM website at https://www.montecarlosbm.com/en/shows/monte-carlo-summer-festival/jeff-beck

 

 

 

A&K Travel Group acquires Crystal Cruises

by: Cassandra Tanti
23/06/2022

The Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony cruise vessels have been acquired by A&K Travel Group, the company owned by Abercrombie and Kent CEO Geoffrey Kent, and Heritage, the holding company chaired by Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio.

The two ships will resume service in 2023 after undergoing extensive refurbishment and will operate under the award-winning Crystal Cruises brand that has also been acquired by A&K Travel Group Ltd.

“I am thrilled to start this new chapter and to be back in an industry that has always had, and always will have, a special place in my heart,” said Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, Co-Chairman of A&K Travel Group, Crystal Cruises and Abercrombie & Kent. “Thirty-five years ago, my family acquired control of Sitmar Cruises, building three of the first purpose-built cruise ships, and 30 years ago my family pioneered a new way of cruising. Our goal was to deliver the best experience, pampering guests from all over the world with around-the-clock butler service and extraordinary culinary experiences.

“Selling the cruise business that belonged to my family for a quarter of a century was a difficult decision, as I knew I would miss this industry immensely. Therefore, when the opportunity arose to acquire Crystal Cruises, I did not think about it twice. Having next to me my incredible friend and inspiring leader Geoffrey Kent makes this venture even more enjoyable.”

The two ships were on the market after Crystal, operated by Genting Hong Kong, suspended operations in January and shut down in February, ending a world cruise on Crystal Serenity after just two weeks in January. Both ships were seized by authorities in The Bahamas in early February for unpaid fuel bills of more than $4 million.

“Even though it seems like yesterday, 30 years have passed since the Lefebvre family and I had our first ship together…Manfredi and I have been best friends and business associates ever since,” added Geoffrey Kent, Co-Chairman of A&K Travel Group Ltd. and Crystal Cruises, and Founder, Co-Chairman and CEO of Abercrombie & Kent. “The idea of combining the unparalleled onboard service that Crystal Cruises is known for, with the extraordinary tailor-made experiences Abercrombie & Kent has been successfully providing for our guests for the past 60 years, fills me with excitement, enthusiasm and pride.”

Crystal Cruises and Abercrombie & Kent will report to Cristina Levis, CEO of A&K Travel Group, who commented: “The acquisition of Crystal has been extremely challenging but the satisfaction of having this jewel in our family is the best payoff for all the hard work and efforts of the A&K team. Manfredi, Geoffrey and I look forward to welcoming past Crystal and Abercrombie & Kent guests onboard, as well as those seeking rewarding luxury experiences.”

A&K Travel Group Ltd. has partnered with cruise ship manager V.Ships Leisure, based in Monaco.

 

Photo source: Crystal Cruises

 

 

 

Mareterra: Monaco’s new property goldmine delivers ahead of schedule

by: Cassandra Tanti
22/06/2022

With two and a half years until delivery, only four apartments are still for sale in Monaco’s future eco-district Mareterra, while the majority of incoming families will be European, it has been revealed.

Guy-Thomas Levy-Soussan, managing director of SAM L’Anse du Portier, was guest speaker at the Junior Economic Chamber of Monaco meeting on Tuesday. As head of the company responsible for the design, development, financing and marketing of Mareterra, he revealed some very interesting facts about Monaco’s new property goldmine, a future district that is being created thanks to an enormous, multi-billion euro land reclamation project.

The properties, which will cradle Monaco’s new coastline, are definitely expansive, with only 140 apartments and 10 villas built on a total area of six hectares. The smallest apartment is 400sqm; the largest villas are over 3,000sqm. The rest of the district will be filled with 800 trees, making it the densest area in terms of greenery in the entire Principality.

The aim, said Guy-Thomas Levy-Soussan, was to accommodate more families who are settling in Monaco, a demographic that has been significantly growing in size over the years. It goes against a 20-year trend where people would buy studios and small apartments in Monaco for the residency status, but live abroad.

Of the 140 apartments on offer at Mareterra, 136 have already sold – a clear indication that demand is incredibly high, despite the matching price tag. Levy-Soussan was reluctant to reveal the exact price per square metre in the new district, however it would have to be somewhere above Fontvielle’s €58,000 per sqm and Monte-Carlo’s €60,0000 per sqm.

Still, it is not a question of money, said Levy-Soussan, when it came to selecting the district’s new residents. There are “no clients from the Middle East, Asia, and few Russians”, he said, and no investors. Prospective residents were put through a rigorous selection process in order to “have the best people for the neighbourhood”.

So, who will be living in Monaco’s most sought-after district? Mostly families from Italy, France, Belgium and Switzerland, he revealed.

Meanwhile, the project is said to be six months ahead of schedule.

SEE ALSO: 2021 property report: market rebounds but still down

Photo by Cassandra Tanti, Monaco Life

 

 

 

 

Monaco mourns the death of first firefighter in its history

by: Cassandra Tanti
21/06/2022

A manslaughter and involuntary injury investigation has been opened into the death of Sergeant Thierry Perard on Sunday, the first firefighter to have died on duty in the history of the Principality.

Prince Albert was among many members of the community to express his condolences to the family and peers of Sergeant Thierry Perard, who died from toxic smoke inhalation on what should have been a day of celebration, Father’s Day.

“It is with great sadness that HSH Prince Albert II learned of the death of Sergeant Thierry Perard in the performance of his duties”, said the Palace in a statement, adding that it was “the first time in its history that the firefighter’s unit from the Principality loses one of its own, in the performance of his duty to save lives.”

Sergeant Thierry Perard was responding with his unit to a raging apartment fire in Le 21 residence building on Avenue Princess Grace on Sunday. Hours later, the government confirmed that the firefighter, with 26 years of experience, had died.

“His Serene Highness wishes to assure the wife and daughter of this firefighter that together with His family, He shares their deep sorrow,” said the Palace. “He also endorses the strong emotion of the Corps of Firefighters of the Principality, and of all the Public Force, deeply affected by this terrible event.”

Meanwhile, Minister of State Pierre Dartout on Monday visited La Condamine barracks with Minister of the Interior Patrice Cellario to express the government’s sympathy to firefighters and the family of the victim.

“The tragic death of Sergeant Thierry Perard is a painful reminder of the total commitment of firefighters to help our national community,” said the government in a statement.

Smoke billowed from the apartment on Avenue Princess Grace on Sunday, photo supplied to Monaco Life

Sergeant Thierry Perard reportedly entered the 400sqm home just after 1pm searching for its missing occupants, the toxic flames fuelled by large amounts of burning furniture and winds entering from three facades. It was, say experts, an “unprecedented” random phenomena.

Sergeant Perard was transported to hospital with toxic smoke inhalation and later died of his injuries. He had served 26 years in the brigade.

In total, 65 firefighters were called to the scene at the seaside district of Larvotto. The blazing apartment was situated on the first of five floors of block B, opposite the Grimaldi Forum, which is currently hosting the Monte-Carlo Television Festival.

On Monday, it was confirmed to Monaco Matin that the Public Security office, under the supervision of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Monaco, had opened an investigation for manslaughter and involuntary injury. The apartment is believed to be owned by a woman aged almost 100 years. Forensic experts from Marseille have been sent in to deteremine the origin of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the situation that led to the death of Sergeant Perard.

 

 

Photo by Stephane Dana, Government Communication Department

 

 

 

They did it! Cap Optimist paddleboards across the Med

by: Stephanie Horsman
20/06/2022

Six Frenchwomen have completed a gruelling 1,800-kilometre non-stop journey from Monaco to Athens on paddleboards, all in the name of charity.  

It’s hard to imagine that paddleboarding 1,800 kilometres is a warm-up for anything, but for the intrepid women of Cap Optimist, that is exactly what it was.

Their recently completed voyage, taking them from Monaco to Athens, is the precursor to an even bigger challenge the women are setting for themselves, namely an 8,000- kilometre trip between Peru and the French Polynesian island of Moorea in Tahiti coming up in January 2023.

The Monaco to Greece trip took the six women, Stéphanie Barneix, Emmanuelle Bescheron, Margot Calvet, Alexandra Lux,  Basques Marie Goyeneche and Itziar Abascal, 13 days and nights, rowing around the clock for over 320 cumulative hours, before setting feet on dry land again on Saturday 18th June in the port city of Piraeus.

The athletes encountered some extraordinary conditions on their voyage, facing thunder and rain storms, a swell topping out at two metres high, strong headwinds and even an unexpected encounter with a shark.

These difficulties have made the women even stronger in their resolve, as well as bonding them closer than ever to face the next big challenge.

Of course, it’s love of the sea and of the sport that inspired the Cap Optimist team to take on this remarkable feat, but it also has a human side. The event, supported by the Prince Albert II Foundation, the Hellenic Community of Monaco, Greek Minister Yannis Plakiotakis, the Mayor of Piraeus Ioannis Moralis, the Yacht Club of Piraeus, and Sophia and Kostantinos Tsouvelekakis, was a fundraiser for Hope Team East.

All funds raised by sponsors, friends and supporters are being donated to the ELPIDA Association of Friends of Children with Cancer, as well as the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation.

For more info about Cap Optimist and Hope Team East, visit the website on https://www.capoptimist.com/en/our-project/

 

See Monaco Life’s Instagram page for videos of the Cap Optimist arrival in Athens… 

 

 

 

 

Damage limitation for Leclerc’s reassembled Ferrari

by: Luke Entwistle
20/06/2022

Charles Leclerc charged from the back of the grid at Sunday’s Canada Grand Prix, making up 14 places to secure a deserved fifth position, whilst Max Verstappen extended his championship lead.

This weekend’s event was essentially an exercise in damage limitation for the Monégasque driver. Leclerc’s torrid run of bad luck began with a mechanical failure, continued with a costly strategic error at his home GP in Monaco, before another mechanical failure in Azerbaijan last weekend.

When it rains, it pours; In a rain-drenched Montréal, another change to the power unit of Leclerc’s Ferrari meant that he has exceeded his quota for the year, thus incurring a grid penalty, which would see him dropped to the back of the grid.

A penalty for Yuki Tsunoda ultimately meant that Leclerc would start from 19th, but with a lot of work to do. To add insult to injury, Leclerc’s major title challenger Verstappen claimed pole, ahead of Fernando Alonso, who was starting on the front row of the grid for the first time in a decade. In the other Ferrari, Carlos Sainz could only manage third in a tricky, wet qualifying session on Saturday.

Brightening up

It was a weekend of pathetic fallacy for Leclerc as the changing meteorological conditions perfectly demarcated his change in fortunes. If the rain encapsulated Leclerc’s mood on Saturday, then the sunny skies on Sunday were an unmistakably positive sign.

The race got underway without incident as the car led line astern with little contact and few place changes. George Russell was the main benefactor as he jumped from 8th to 6th before overtaking Kevin Magnussen on lap five to move up to fifth and just behind team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Sainz, in the far superior car, overtook Alonso with a simple DRS move on lap three, but the tyres of the Ferrari, which has struggled with tyre management issues throughout the season, were already beginning to grain. Leclerc, meanwhile, was quietly going about salvaging some points as he picked his way through the backmarkers.

Canadian GP, photo source: Scuderia Ferrari Press Centre

A technical failure for Sergio Perez’s Red Bull brought out the virtual safety car on lap eight and Verstappen took the opportunity to pit, before another virtual safety car on lap 20, this time brought out by a technical failure to Mick Schumacher’s Haas, gave Sainz the opportunity to pit.

Before his first pit stop, Leclerc had fought his way up to seventh, but he once again had to fight his way through the field after he came out behind Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda and Guanyu Zhou.

The impassable object

A late safety car, brought out by a comical crash from Tsunoda who, coming out of the pit lane went straight into the barriers, spelt danger for Verstappen. The reigning world champion was on older tyres to Sainz, who was right behind and chasing the victory.

However, despite being within a second for the remaining 16 laps of the race, Sainz simply couldn’t get past the Red Bull, who had the straight line speed to keep out of the clutches of the Ferrari.

Verstappen took the chequered flag to extend his championship lead over Leclerc to 49 points. Sainz took second, whilst Hamilton rounded off the podium. Russell continued his impressive run finishing fourth; the Brit is still the only driver on the grid to have finished in the top five in each race this season.

Driver of the day, Leclerc reached fifth and secured some valuable points in the championship battle. Thanks to Perez’ retirement, he closed the gap to the Mexican to just three points.

“I gave it my all,” said Leclerc post-race. “It never feels good to finish in P5, but considering where we started and the way the race unfolded, it was the best result we could bring home today.”

Next up is the British Grand Prix, where Leclerc scored his best result of the 2021 season, securing second but agonisingly missing out on the win late-on. “I’m looking forward to Silverstone now. It’s one of my favourite circuits on the calendar and hopefully we can score some big points there,” said Leclerc.

For the sake of his title challenge, he will have to.

 

 

Photo of Charles Leclerc source Scuderia Ferrari Press Centre