Yachting enthusiast and author, Marcela de Kern Royer is among those long-term Monaco residents who have decided to add significant value to the Principality of Monaco.
Marcela de Kern Royer is originally from Guatemala however, she is living in Monaco for more than fourteen years.
She is passionate for yachting, participating in various superyacht related events, and being guest of the panels worldwide. Gaining her high reputation in the yachting industry, she owns her own consulting firm called Onboard, is the program director of the Yachting masterclass in the Monaco Yacht Club, and is the Founder of the European Young Professionals in Yachting Association.
This young, motivated and passionate woman, known in Monaco as the «Yacht Lady», is aiming to improve the yachting industry from an ethically responsible approach to a more sustainable business.
In her skillset, one can find the ability to communicate fluently in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese and German as well.
Marcela’s dream is to be a philanthropist and also to leave an impact for which last year she published her first book, called “The Superyacht Industry”.
What is your earliest memory relating to yachting or sailing?
“I was raised in Guatemala and my dad used to take us every weekend on his boat. Guatemala is well known for sport fishing. It is a great place for whale watching and I was used to seeing a lot of marine life (dolphins, sea turtles, etc).
My grandfather also had a boat in a lake, I was very often on boats in my childhood. I was on boats since I was a baby, therefore, I never get sea-sick.
The feeling of being on the water reminds me also of my family and moments with my dad which are very special to me” - remembers Marcela.
You are super active in the superyacht industry. Being a business development consultant you are frequently advising brands and you are also key speaker of various yachting related panels. Why did you choose the yachting industry?
“I didn’t choose this industry the industry chose me. I studied business and economics, when I graduated in 2008 in the middle of the financial crisis, hence I couldn’t get a job in Finance.
In Monaco, there are not too many career options, either you are in finance, hospitality or yachting. A company based in Antibes hired me mainly for my languages and personality because I was young and hungry to learn! I think nobody in this industry chose to be in the industry, most people I have asked how they ended up in it, say it was always by chance.”
Interestingly, you relocated to the Principality of Monaco from Guatemala, which is a Central American country south of Mexico, offering a home to volcanoes, rainforests and ancient Mayan sites. How would you compare Monaco to Guatemala?
“It is very different, in Guatemala we have the Pacific and the Atlantic ocean. In the Pacific coast, the sand is black because it is volcanic sand, in the Atlantic the sand is white and sometimes pink.
I love going boating in Guatemala because you see a lot of marine life and birds, every 10 minutes you are surprised by a new animal and you are always looking for the next one.
I also come from a diving family, I got my padi licence when I was 11 years old, and diving in Guatemala is amazing, crystalline waters with corals, seashells, starfish, manta rays, sharks. But our sharks are vegetarian don’t worry!” - laughs Marcela. - “It is beautiful to put your snorkels on and see another world under the sea!
The first time I went boating in the Mediterranean I was highly disappointed I didn’t see any animals! Sometimes you see a seagull, and if you are lucky you can see a dolphin, but in 15 years that I am here I’ve never seen one personally.”
How about the yachting scene?
“The Guatemalan Atlantic coast has more sailboats and catamarans, the Pacific coast has more sportfishing yachts. Here in the Mediterranean, you see more motor yachts.
Latin Americans use boats mainly as day boats to go out with the family and enjoy the day. In Europe, they like yachts that have cabins onboard and they sleep onboard. In Latin America they would prefer to sleep in a chalet or a hotel” - explains Marcela.
Seeing such a bold difference, why did you decide to relocate to Monaco?
“I graduated from the American school in Guatemala and I was almost 1 year advanced so I was only 17 years old. My school career advisor recommended me to take a leap year before applying to Universities in the USA.
I was learning French at a young age, so at 17 I decided to come to Nice to practice my French. I had the best summer of my life, everything was completely new. I wanted to visit universities to learn how the European system is compared to the American system.
I heard that there was an English speaking University in Monaco (IUM - International University of Monaco) so I went there just to ask for information. They told me that it was an initiation weekend and that I could join and learn about the program.
Back then I was 17 years old, travelling in Europe and they offered me a free weekend in Club Med Opio, it was like as if I won the jackpot! After an amazing weekend, meeting students from different nationalities and telling super interesting stories, on Monday we had a placement test.
I had very good grades, therefore IUM offered me a scholarship and it was a no brainer, I decided to stay. Universities in Europe are more affordable than universities in the USA. It was just a door that life opened and I took the opportunity and held it tight.”
How did the International University of Monaco help your local carrier?
“IUM was great for networking, meeting different nationalities but also meeting locals. I have a lot of Monégasque friends.
IUM alumni is also very precious, even if we haven’t seen each other for years, we feel a strong bond and always help each other” - explains Marcela.
Living in Monaco for sixteen years now, how do you find Monaco’s yachting scene?
“Monaco is the yachting capital of the world, it is the ‘Disneyland’ for yacht owners. It has all of the infrastructure, support services, safety and quality lifestyle for yachting.
It is perfectly located in the Mediterranean, you can decide to go to the Italian Riviera and enjoy the real Dolce Vita, or you can cruise the Cote d’Azur and enjoy La vie en Rose.
There are many beach clubs around, therefore it is perfect to take your family out during the weekend, go for a swim and go for lunch to a beach. Most beach clubs have a service to come and pick you up from your boat and bring you to the restaurant. You don’t have these types of services everywhere, I think we are really lucky to live here.
It is also a yachting hub for professionals, most yacht brokerage houses have an office here, you also find top yacht designers and service providers.”
As a self-made entrepreneur, how do you find Monaco’s environment as a working mom?
“I am a business consultant, I own my consulting firm in Monaco and hence as a business owner, there is no maternity leave. I wanted to put my company ‘to sleep’ for the months I was not working and save some money on the charges, but it was not possible to ‘pause’ it. I had to close it down and reopen it again which is a huge waste of time and resources.
Based on my opinion, Monaco is still a very macho system. For example, as a woman, I can benefit from the C.A.M.T.I. (Social Security Fund for the Self-Employed) of my husband. However, if I am a working mom and my husband would stop working, he cannot benefit from my C.A.M.T.I. The system is still very patriarchal. I hope in the future it can be modernized and that both men and women have the same rights.
I was also surprised that not every restaurant has a changing diaper station. It is very difficult to go out with a baby because it is hard to find a place to change nappies.
Additionally, it is very difficult to apply to a nursery or crèche as they call it. Even as a Monaco resident and a working mom, it takes months and it is a very obsolete and frustrating system.”
Marcela successfully overcame the obstacles of restarting her business as a working mom. Not so many people know, but she has also founded the Young Professionals in Yachting association. What were your primary goals within YPY?
“First of all, I wanted to learn, I wanted to learn from others, what they do, what are their challenges. For example, I was a supplier, selling lighting systems, but I wanted to learn how yacht paint works, and what are the different types of designs, etc. I wanted to meet with like-minded individuals who were passionate about learning and sharing insights.
Everyone knows the saying “It’s not what you know, but who you know”, and I think networking and building relationships is very important. Nowadays, if I have a question on yacht ownership, law or design, due to my connections, I have all the answers just a phone call away.”
Utilising the phrase “It’s not what you know, but who you know”, Marcela decided to publish her first book, a textbook on the yachting industry. The exceptional book called, “THE SUPERYACHT INDUSTRY” is a fantastic result of vast knowledge and real-life experiences of 95 contributing experts from various yachting fields.
What was your motivation to write such a textbook?
“Even if I was raised on boats, I still didn’t know all the yachting terminology. There is no textbook or anything you can do to read and study.
There are a lot of books for sailing and commercial shipping, but not for yachting and especially not for superyachts. However, my book focuses on motor yachts of over 50 meters.
I know a lot of people in yachting, and I noticed that a yacht charter broker wouldn’t really know much about yacht design, and a designer wouldn’t understand the life at the shipyard, and people at the shipyard don’t know what a yacht broker really does. Therefore, I decided to write the first book in yachting to explain how the entire superyacht industry works.
I know a yacht owner who wanted to invest in a yachting app, but he was telling me that there is nothing you can read about the yachting industry. It is also very difficult for banks and family offices, etc. to understand it because there is nowhere you can learn about it.
Moreover, for example, if the yacht crew wanted to move to a land-based job, there is no guide they can read to understand what yacht management is, and what it implies.
I wanted to learn everything there is to know, so I started making notes, making interviews, and asking questions. I want to excel in my career and learn the things I do not know or do not understand. I met a lot of people who are also ignorant but who are too scared of asking questions. It is the big elephant in the room. Everyone is supposed to know everything, but they are afraid of losing face or looking stupid because they are supposed to know it but don’t. So they rather don’t ask, which I think is very dangerous. There is simply nothing available, therefore my motivation was to be the first one.
I’ve been a yacht supplier, a yacht manager, working for a shipyard in The Netherlands. Now I am developing Genoa Superyacht hub, a new marina and more. Since I have seen the industry from different perspectives, I understand it, I see the big picture, and I like to share my knowledge.”
In 2021, you spent a significant amount of time with the La Belle Classe Academy of the Monaco Yacht Club, teaching superyacht owners and professionals about the secret of the industry. How was is to teach for this unique audience?
“I already taught students of the International University of Monaco about the superyacht industry. However, at the Monaco Yacht Club we had an audience compelled from the yachting industry. During the eight weeks course, I was honoured to have some of my book contributors as co-educators. I am confident that the participants left with an invaluable knowledge because it was a successful and highly intensive course about the yachting industry. I can tell you that there is already a waiting list for the 2022 Yachting Masterclass.”
One of the main partners of her book is the “Water Revolution Foundation”. Why was it important for you to create this partnership and also to offer part of the book proceeds to this Foundation?
“I always wanted my career to have a purpose. Everything I do has an impact and hopefully a positive one. By collaborating with the Water Revolution Foundation we are educating the industry about being more sustainable.”
Talking about impacts, you are the founder of the charity, Association Monégasque pour l’Amerique Latine (AMLA), established by Monaco residents of different Latin American nationalities. Tell us more about this.
“We got together with a group of 5 powerful Latinas living in Monaco. We realized that we were very blessed to be living here and we wanted to find ways to help our countries in need. We use our blessings and fortune to give back.
The main goal of AMLA is to represent Latin America in Monaco and develop synergies in a socio-cultural exchange. For example, if a company wants to open a business in Latin America we are happy to help and give free advice.
We also organize super fun latin events throughout the year, like last year we did a Colombian Gala at the Monte-Carlo Beach hotel and recently a gala at the Yacht Club de Monaco.”
You are investing an incredibly lot of time in your associations. Why is it important for you to leave an impact on the world?
“I think we all have the power to leave an impact. We cannot change the world, and we cannot help everyone and everything.
I think it is important to choose a few causes that are important to you and to stick to them for the rest of your life.
For example, for me, it is education, children, Guatemala, the ocean, and whales. Therefore, everything I can do to help is towards these causes.
You don’t need to donate money to make an impact. It is all through small acts like time, raising awareness, volunteering, learning and sharing knowledge.
It is not about making an impact on the whole world. If I can have a positive impact on one single person, it is already worth it.”
How would you summarise it, what was the biggest benefit that the Principality has ensured you?
“In Monaco, I feel respected, appreciated and welcomed by the Monaco Welcome Office, the Direction de l’Expansion Économique, and the Monaco Economic Board. The finance department is super nice, my tax advisor at les impots was super helpful. They all welcome foreign investors and support them.
There is a more international mindset here. Most people are well-educated and speak English, which is a plus.
The biggest benefit was respect, dignity and safety, a great place to grow my career, a family, and make an impact.”
Do you have any regrets in Monaco?
“What do you mean by regrets?” - laughs Marcela - “I love living here, I have travelled around the world and I have lived in many countries. For me, this is the best place to live in.
I love the location and diversity. For example, during the weekends in summer we go sailing and during winter we go skiing. There are not too many places on earth where you can do that.
Coming from Latin America where safety is an issue, for me, safety has no price. I love living here and being able to walk everywhere freely, not being scared at night.”
Being a working mom (or a working single dad) is never easy. It requires courage, commitment and often extra motivation to maintaining our life goals and not letting them being overshadowed by the blessing of a new child.
With this article and the motivational story of Marcela de Kern Royer, we would like to applaud all those working moms and dads, who are brave enough to keep their passion alive besides parenthood. These parents are our modern-day heroes.