The 13th edition of the Bain de Noël took place Saturday morning at Larvotto’s Rose des Vents beach as nearly 200 festive polar bears braved the 15°C water for a good cause.
Organised annually by the Association les Amis du Bain de Noël de Monaco, money raised is donated to a different association each edition, which this year was in aid of the Monegasque association L’Amicale d’Entraide et de Prévoyance des Fonctionnaires de la Sûreté Publique, which helps children of the police force.
As they did last year, Amade Monaco, the association started in 1966 by Princess Grace, will double the funds raised from yesterday’s swim.
On-site registration, €10, included a raffle ticket, croissants, coffee and mulled wine – and a special bonus this year, a coupon for a free hot chocolate from Stars’n’Bars.
Kate Powers, co-owner of the American-style port eatery, commented post-swim, “I loved this. What a great morning and for a good cause.”
Dressed up as Santa, Anette Shine, Founder Sunshine Yoga Monte-Carlo, enthusiastically led the warm-up with a group Zumba on the shore and the event’s emcee was again the enigmatic Pierre Frolla, Monegasque free-diver who is a triple world record holder in Free Dive. (Pierre also features heavily in the new The Prince and the Sea documentary.)
For Laetitia Mikail, Director of Business Network Events 2017 at the Monaco Junior Chamber of Commerce – which is hosting Business and Communication in Sport: the Monaco Basketball Project on December 20 – Saturday’s Christmas swim was a first and she brought along pal Benoîte de Sevelinges, Deputy Director at Princess Grace Hospital. Laetitia, who, like many of the other swimmers, dressed up in Christmas attire, summed up the experience: “I’m so glad I came. It was a blast.”
Article first published December 17, 2017.