When passionate sailors Halim Mazouni and Philippe Parent founded Marina Vela after sailing together for years, they set themselves this challenge: “To offer green tourism while protecting biodiversity”. The company, which provides luxury catamaran charters, has incorporated environmental conservation into its business model. To this end it has recruited a team of skippers who hold the High Quality Whale Watching certification. This mark of distinction, recognised by the French government, promotes the respectful and responsible observation of cetaceans. Marina Vela has also recently partnered with marine photographer Greg Lecœur. In September, the catamarans Liberté, Sérénité and Eternité set sail with Expéditions Pelagos crews off the coast of Corsica. Following a mission to the heart of the ice floe in Antarctica, Greg Lecœur dived to discover the many different species in the Pelagos sanctuary, a maritime area covering 87,500 square kilometres, created in an agreement between Italy, Monaco and France to protect marine mammals. The goal: to raise public awareness of the fragility of Mediterranean ecosystems. Marina Vela aims to reconcile green tourism with a luxury offering. The fleet, which departs from Ajaccio, Porto-Vecchio, Antibes and Hyères, provides all the comfort necessary for customers to “spend a dream holiday with family or friends”. Each catamaran (14 to 16m) boasts a multimedia system, including a home cinema, and water sports equipment (fins, masks and snorkels, balls, kayaks, wakeboards, buoys, etc.). The on-board chef offers a four-star catering service.
By Milena Radoman
