This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Yacht Class n°39 (dec 2024/jan-feb 2025)
Olivier Lavagna, General manager
The MYS marks the end of a long season for the ports of Monaco (SEPM). This was an opportunity for Yacht Class to review the situation with its Managing Director, Mr Olivier Lavagna. Among the subjects discussed, the welcome given to crews during their stay in the Principality and also the renewal of the special Tribune for the Monaco GP.
Written by : JM Moreno – Photos : Ports de Monaco
The summer season has just finished. How would you sum it up?
We had a good season, despite a mixed June due to unfavourable weather conditions. Otherwise, as in 2023, but to a slightly lesser extent, the “classic” drop in activity from the end of July to the beginning of August was less noticeable.
You’ve set up a gym dedicated to crews. Is it as successful as you’d expected?
Yes, it’s been a great success! On 8 October, at the inaugural event to which we invited all those involved in port activities and all the crews of the M/Ys wintering in our ports, we counted over 250 people on the Quai Rainier III, some of whom quickly got to grips with the table football and table tennis facilities available in the relaxation area. As for the sports hall, we handed out some 350 name badges. In the late afternoon, at the busiest time of the day, there were around fifteen crew members on the twenty or so workout stations available.
Welcoming a vessel and its owner also means welcoming its crew?
Absolutely, as we know, managing an M/Y means managing a business, particularly in terms of personnel. And for the person in charge of personnel, the captain of an M/Y, making his crew feel at home in the port where they will be spending up to 7 months of wintering is increasingly a criterion for choosing the port for this period. So, despite the scarcity of square metres in the Principality, it was important to identify an area within the port perimeter where a sports hall, a relaxation area with kitchenette and toilets/showers could be set up. This is what we were able to do in the 300 m2 space located at the end of the floating dyke, which was little used.
At the F1 GP, you’ve come up with a highly original offer. Are you satisfied with the feedback, in terms of welcome and visibility?
Yes, indeed. During the Formula One Grand Prix in Monaco in 2024, with the innovation of the Monaco Ports Lounge on this floating space at the Chicane, one of the most exclusive places on the circuit, we created a high-quality product reserved exclusively for customers of the ports of Monaco. This product allows our customers from the port of Cala del Forte in Ventimiglia to access the Grand Prix with the possibility of using our fast maritime shuttle Monaco One, and also allows M/Y in the port but without a view of the circuit to enjoy an unforgettable experience. The best proof of our great success was to see customers leaving the area on Sunday after the race, asking how they could come back next year!
Will the barge be used again for the GPs in 2025?
Yes, the product will be used again in 2025, for the F1 Grand Prix only, and will be virtually identical to the 1st edition in 2024, with only very slight improvements.
