Friday 28th September, 2012

I received this email on my way out to Frankfurt earlier this week. I don't know what it is about me and Frankfurt, but everytime I go there I get messed up by flight delays and cancellations. It was the same this time albeit, gratifyingly, at the hands of Lufthansa rather than BA. Anyway, this came from a former colleague, "Lucky Tim" we call him, as I twiddled my thumbs ruefully in H'row T1.....it's a long story but worth a read. Happy Monday, I hope you had a lovely weekend? I have a interesting story that I think you will like being a fellow sailor. ( DS adds.....I must admit to have been rather flattered by that ! ) So Im not sure if I have mentioned this to you before but I am a massive fan of the yacht called the Maltese Falcon (google if you have no idea what I am talking about). Since friday the Monaco yacht show has taken centre stage here and the MF has been on anchor just outside the main marina. The yacht show was fantastic and I managed to schmmooooze myself onto a few lovely boats but the boat I really wanted to get on of course was MF.. So to cut a long story short when back at my flat and staring at the MF from my terrace I decided to google it and see whether I could find a contact. I found a typical enquiries@ address and sent off a polite intro/begging/Im a fund manager rah rah rah email and within 2 minutes I received a call back from the PA of a lady called Elena Ambrosiandou (ring any bells?). Elena is the founder of Ikos and had that very public divorce you may have read about. Anyway so I gracefully accepted the invitation from Elena's PA to come onboard that afternoon and have a tour by one of the crew and I was instructed to meet the MF tender at the Monaco Yacht Club jetty. At 1.45pm I arrive nice and early at the jetty to be met by 5 staff who were not at all shocked by little old me, mentioned that they were expecting a friend of Elena's and that they were ready to take me to the MF.. A quick motor out to the MF and Im starting to act like a child in a candy store but still trying to look like this is a normal experience for me in front of the MF crew.. Once onboard I am met by the captain and given a tour ( I have attached a few pics). The MF is truely remarkable! After the tour the PA of Elena arrived and told me that Elena would be onboard shortly and would like to invite me to stay for lunch along with a few other guests. I accepted without too much thought and perched by the bar, intrigued as to who the other guests would be... So along with Elena, the other guests were a Saudi Sheikh called Sheikh Hammed, Dr Mohammed Al Barwani (He had just arrived from Scotland where he was a guest of Charles and Camila because one of his Oman O&G companies had just bought an interest there) A couple of hotties from Motor Magazine (who were writing a piece on Elena) and finally and most interestingly a chap called Alvaro De Marichalar who is now famous as the man that crossed the Atlantic on a Jet Ski travelling from Rome to New York. So after a 3 hour lunch and chilling on the MF like it was my local I hopped on the tender and was delivered back into port with Elena's number in my pocket and promise of lunch and guidance whenever its needed in my new ventures with Tipsy Capital (DS again....I made up this name btw). All in all a crazy day in Monaco! Hope you like the pics Tim How cool and ridiculous is that? I don't know about you, what I really wanted to see was the email Tim had sent. I suppose I was thinking if only I could draft something as convincing as he obviously had done all my problems would be over. Here is what got him on board the Maltese Falcon. Good morning, Please forgive this rather random email but I am huge admirer.. previously from afar... of the Maltese Falcon. Not least this is because of my Maltese heritage but also because of my love of the design and capabilities of the vessel. I'm presently based in Monaco and have been staring from my balcony at every spare moment as she swings on her anchor in the harbour. I was wondering if there is any possibility of going onboard for a quick tour? I am a fund manager so I am often looking for client entertainment ideas and also I am a very keen sailor. I'm not expecting a positive response from this email however I thought, as I watch the gorgeous boat out there, I should at least try kind regards So there you go. It was as easy as that. I'll be brushing up my email skills over the weekend and trying something similar on you next week after which I have no doubt a couple of US$200 million orders will follow. Failing that I'm off to try my luck as a fund manager in Monaco. P.S. Just finished The Sugar Barons by Matthew Parker. Fascinating read, yet horrendous.