Monaco Yachts

March 24th, 2010

Sea and rich people: where else to find a better combination than in Monaco! A real Monaco yachts parade can be admired throughout the year in the Hercule Port, beside the local yearly yachting events. From imposing, big-sized ones to neat, small, jewel yachts. If you are a yachting amateur or if you are hardly interested in the matter (as I was before seeing this impressive display) you will find something to like here.

There is a restraint, exclusivist rich group that has a thing for yachting, mainly because they can afford to! You and I, we both know that we’d like to own even a small, “unpretentious” sailboat, don’t we? And have at least once dreamed to relax on the deck of a luxury yacht in Monaco. But, hey, who needs a yacht in a so busy world? Do we wake up in the morning with nothing better to do than dress in white completely (maybe some blue too), have our cafe au lait (maybe a croissant also if not on diet) and go to the quay ordering around the employees to rub up better that side? We certainly don’t! If you say you do, that’s another story!

What better place (and object) for a competition: who has the bigger, more expensive model, envies arise, disputes start… Shirley Bassey reportedly complained of the big size of “Le Grand Bleu” belonging to the Russian billionaire Abramovich. The yacht apparently spoiled the view on the port of her uphill apartment. Well, what else would you like rich people to do?…

Beside occasional cruises and constant care some rich people find a practical use to their yachts: some rent them, others live there. Owning a yacht can be extremely useful if you are a tax exile, especially UK citizens who live in Monaco but work in the UK. Renting is very profitable, especially during holidays season or when big events happen in Monaco: prices go from 25,000 per week to 365,000 per week, depending on the size and facilities.

Some of world’s famous yachts rest in the waters of the bay. Some of them are so big that they have helicopters on their top decks. Among worlds’ 100 largest yachts are:

* Octopus - owned by Paul Allen, the Microsoft cofounder;

* Tatoosh - owned also by Paul Allen;

* Atlantis II - owned by the Niarchos family, descendants of Onassis’ rival Stavros;

* Le Grand Bleu - owned by the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich;

* Delphine - owned by the American car magnate Horace Dodge;

* Montkaj - owned by Prince Mohammed bin Fahd, son of Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd.

Following its policy of capitalization of all (though scarce) natural resource, the Principality quickly became aware of the potential of the Hercules Bay and started a yachting tradition. There is a Yacht Club founded in 1953 by Prince Rainier and it was all along supported by him and his son Albert, who is also its President. The Yacht Club de Monaco gained international fame attracting worlds’ greatest names in sailing to come and battle on the Monegasque waters.

Naturally, there are also prestigious yachting events of international interest, excellent opportunities for yacht owners all over the world to show off.

* Primo Cup - Trophée Credit Suisse

* Challenge Inter-Banques

* Monaco Classic Week

* Fte de la Mer

* Régates Corporatives

* Monaco Yacht Show

The events are organized with the support of H.S.H. Prince Albert I and of H.S.H. Prince Rainier III. All these events have display and competitions parts, except for Monaco Yacht Show, which is the greatest in-water yacht exhibition in Europe, without competition show.

So, rich or less rich, you can at least enjoy a great show for free if you happen to be in Monaco at the right time. Welcome aboard!

Laura Ciocan writes for http://www.ilovemontecarlo.com/ where you can find all you want to know about living in Monaco
Please feel free to use this article in your Newsletter or on your website. If you use this article, please include the resource box and send a brief message to let me know where it appeared: mailto:lauracio@gmail.com

Voice over Jobs for Industry Commercials Finally Open to Anyone

February 9th, 2010

Voice Over Jobs

Many jobs and areas have heroes or some individual that keeps the work executed in that field to a superior standard. In the domain of voice over jobs, that individual was Don LaFontaine. Anyone not knowing his name would surely recognize his voice. Any people listening to a movie preview that begins with the words In a world… has heard LaFontaine doing top notch voice over acting. The demise of Don LaFontaine has left an opening in the voice over marketplace that has many studios clamoring for fresh talent. Though no one thus far has come near to his vocal powers and natural talent, there are still many wannabes out there aiming to be the next Lafontaine by applying to as many voice over jobs as they can.

In order to succeed as a voice over worker, you need to be being easy going and fun to work with, not just to make the client feel at ease, but likewise to make the recording process go smoothly and efficiently. If you have an issue pronouncing something, just rewrite the entire sentence in the border of the script. Once you have done that, modify the spelling of the words to something phonetic or common. If this does not help, ask the production assistant or anyone else with knowledge of the script. You should not feel guilty or ashamed about asking. This exhibits that you clearly have the best interest of the project in mind and that you want to be sure to deliver a superior project.