Monaco visit hypes up anchorages in Whitsunday
FAR North superyacht industry powerbrokers will return to Cairns buoyant after attending the glamorous Monaco Yacht Show.
There was plenty on the agenda for local industry body Super Yacht Group Great Barrier Reef, SYGGBR, ahead of this year’s event, which came after 21 new anchorage points were created in the Whitsundays.
“The Monaco Yacht Show was a great success,” said SYGGBR chairwoman Carrie Carter, who will remain in Europe until the end of this week.
“We met with many international yacht brokers to update them on the opening up of 21 new anchorages in the Whitsunday Plan of Management and the relaxation of transiting rules for vessels 35-70m in length.”
The event also came as news broke of Syrian billionaire Ghassan Aboud’s $100 million investment in the Port Douglas Reef Marina, which will now be renamed the Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina.
Held in Monaco’s picturesque Port Hercule, the four day show exhibits some of the world’s finest superyachts and often attracts upwards of 30,000 guests.
This year, SYGGBR was the major sponsor of the Mediterranean Yacht Broker Association’s inaugural “Around the World in One Evening” event.
Attended by about 200 guests, the event was held on the 77m yacht Legend.
“The ultimate showstopper of the evening was the members of the original Yothu Yindi band, Witiyana Marika and Stu Kellaway accompanied by Witiyana’s extremely talented son Yirrmal,” Ms Carter said.
“They played for nearly an hour and the audience were absolutely captivated by this brilliant, true Australian performance.”