Gustavia, December 20, 2016 – My Yacht® Group (MYG) brought its signature superyacht hospitality experience to the tiny island of St. Bart’s, creating what’s being dubbed the new ‘kick-off’ event of the high season, a time that sees HNWI, Global CEOs, tech leaders, celebrities, and more descend upon the French Protectorate.
The expansive decks and elegant lounges of M/Y Excellence V, a yacht that’s become an iconic fixture in the port of Gustavia over recent years and is available for charter through IYC, provided an incredible setting for the evening reception and welcomed more than a dozen superyacht owners aboard. Notable attendees included easyGroup Founder and Gustavia Yacht Club Commodore Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou; Baroness Michelle Mone O.B.E.; “Excellence V” owner Herb Chambers; IKOS Founder and “Maltese Falcon” owner Elena Ambrosiadou; Rush Communications Chairman and CEO Russell Simmons; Rockstar Energy Founder Russ Weiner; NASA space physicist Scott Bolton; and artist Victor Matthews. Celebrity DJ Guy Preston created the evening’s playlist.
The Bvlgari Lounge showcased a dazzling array of high jewelry and timepieces including the Serpenti necklace in white and yellow gold. With 55 marquise brilliant cut diamonds (11.23 ct), 71 round and pear shaped rubies (2.65 ct) and 8.94ct of pavé diamonds, the necklace is a reimagining of an iconic piece created for Dame Elizabeth Taylor. Models – who included Tiffany Lédéé, a former Ms. St. Bart’s and from one of the island’s founding families – mingled with guests wearing signature pieces that included a suite of multi-colored sapphires spaced by marquise-cut diamonds, while gentlemen could try on timepieces from the Diagono and Octo Collections including the new Ultranero.
The elegant reception, set to become an annual fixture on the MYG calendar, celebrated the official opening, and first ‘AGM’, of the “world’s most exclusive yacht club”, the non-profit Gustavia Yacht Club (GYC), with Benefactor, Founder and Committee members from Europe, the U.S.A., and beyond, flying in for the occasion. GYC’s new Clubhouse on Rue Jeanne d’Arc features a boutique replete with fine Club china, leather, apparel and more, and the 5-month old Club already boasts 230+ global members.
Luminous bottles of Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Rosé 2007 cast a festive glow upon proceedings, with guests also enjoying Chateau d’Esclans’ ever-popular Whispering Angel, along with delicious canapés from local Gustavia hotspot 25 Quarter, and generous portions of caviar from St. Barth Epicurean. All guests departed with a gift bag courtesy of SiBarth, the only luxury villa rental company to call St. Bart’s home and that and offers a tailor-made experience and wide range of villas and bespoke island services.
A portion of proceeds, plus 100% of a collection of donations on board, will benefit one of MYG’s chosen charitable partners, Blue Angels Foundation, that supports wounded veterans from any service and any conflict. With 22 veterans committing suicide daily, the Foundation works with a wholly volunteer Board comprised of former Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron.
About My Yacht® Group
My Yacht Group creates turnkey, luxury hospitality and branding opportunities on board private superyachts at premier international sporting, social and artistic events. My Yacht Group is the result of twenty years spent working in the fields of sports and entertainment sponsorship and experiential marketing, creating long-term strategic partnerships with luxury and aspirational brands that showcase their products and entertain their top clients, while mixing with a highly targeted, pre-qualified guest list at invitation-only events.
My Yacht Group events can be found at: Yachts Miami Beach, Art Basel Hong Kong, Palm Beach Boat Show, Cannes International Film Festival, Monaco F1 Grand Prix, Monaco Yacht Show, San Francisco Fleet Week, Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix, Art Basel Miami Beach, and St.Bart’s. Non-yacht events include My Yacht® Club at the USA F1 Grand Prix in Austin, TX.