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Commodore Rabih Salem, President of the Lebanese Yachting Federation and the Beirut Yacht Club, took part in the International Motonautical Union’s centenary celebrations in Monaco. An international motorboat competition is due to be held in Lebanon in the very near future.
In recognition of his efforts and contributions, the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) extended an exceptional invitation to Commodore Rabih Salem, President of the Lebanese Yachting Federation and the Beirut Yacht Club, on the occasion of the centenary of the founding of the UIM. The invitation was extended to twenty people from all over the world, and Commodore Salem attended the festivities. The ceremony was held in Monaco in the presence of Prince Albert II, Honorary President of UIM and patron of the event.
UIM President Raffaele Chiulli congratulated Commodore Salem on the achievements of the Beirut Yacht Club, particularly for its entry into the Guinness Book of Records for the first motosurfing activity in Lebanon, in the extreme sports category. The club organised this activity on 12 May, setting a new world record for the fastest 100 kilometers of motosurfing (2 hrs 22 min 48 sec) thanks to Khalil Badawi. This Lebanese achievement coincided with the centenary of the founding of the UIM.
During the centenary ceremony, Commodore Salem also had the opportunity to meet Prince Albert II of Monaco to discuss the activities of the Lebanese Yachting Federation and the Beirut Yacht Club.
A Lebanese gift of great value
During the commemoration of UIM’s centenary, Raffaele Chiulli and Prince Albert II unveiled an F1 racing boat that was transformed into a unique work of art by renowned Italian street artist Alice Pasquini. The work, entitled BLOW, is on display at the Lucciana jetty in the port of Monaco, near the Yacht Club, and is accessible to the general public. It will subsequently be exhibited around the world.
Commodore Rabih Salem told This Is Beirut that the boat was a gift from the Beirut Yacht Club to the UIM for its centenary celebrations. “This F1 boat was given to us a few years ago by the UIM. But since then, it has been at anchor in Beirut without being of any use to anyone. To honour the UIM on the occasion of its centenary, we wanted to make a symbolic gesture. We called in restorers to restore the boat and Italian artist Alice Pasquini to paint it, before giving it back to the UIM,” he explained.
For his part, Raffaele Chiulli praised the evolution of motorboating over the first hundred years of UIM’s history and stressed the need to redouble our efforts to save the planet: “As we enter a new era, we reaffirm our determination to meet the environmental challenges of today and those that lie ahead. The development of our exciting sport will be marked by our efforts to promote sustainable mobility on the water.”
The UIM President has asked Tony Isaksen, Secretary General of the Norwegian Powerboat Federation, to organize and supervise an international powerboat competition in Lebanon in the very near future.
