Regatta50 winners collect their prizes |23 October 2023
Mr Almaze
Miss Regatta 2023, Emmaline Contoret, and winner of the Regatta’s grand lottery, Jean Paul Almaze, received their prizes during an event last Friday evening, at the Backstage Restaurant, Roche Caiman.
The prize-giving ceremony organised by the Seychelles Round Table was attended by winners, members of the club, partners and sponsors.
Ms Contoret, who was crowned Miss Regatta 2023 on August 26, also won the prize for the best swim wear, best catwalk and best talent.
Zelka Bistoquet claimed the title of First Princess while Sylvie Rose claimed the title of Second Princess. All three contestants won various special prizes from various sponsors. The other participating contestants were also rewarded.
“Since I have been crowned as Miss Regatta 2023, my popularity has soared and I have been congratulated by a lot of people. They were all very friendly and pleasant towards me and I am very happy about that,” said Miss Contoret.
The 25-year-old who works at Water World, a luxury yacht company based at Eden Island, said that as a talented dancer, she is looking to share her dance talent, especially in traditional dances, to students in schools across the country.
In the meantime she is helping her colleague and friend, Zelka, who was also a contestant, to work on her project in partnership with the Juvenile Centre. That is to assist juveniles with various recreational activities, while they serve their terms and help them find jobs once they complete their sentences.
Her prizes consisted of a bouquet from Bloom By Padayachy, six months Gym Voucher by Xtrim wellness and Fitness, dinner for two at Le Delplace Restaurant worth R2000, one Swimwear by Alyssa Adams, R1500 F&B voucher & R1000 play credit by GranKaz, Swarovski Necklace by Swarovski Seychelles, dinner voucher at 5 Spices Restaurant at Club Liberte valued at R1500 and R250 match play voucher, R3000 by Mongy Imports, complimentary photo session by KLN Studios, one return ticket to any destination by Air Seychelles, one 18 Karat Yellow Gold Oyster Flower Pendant by KREOLOR, one 3-course dinner and a bottle of wine by Maia Anantara, R5,000 cheque by Sweet Garden Seychelles, R7000 cash by GTL motors and not forgetting the Unik Shells Crown, made by Robert Richard.
The lottery star prize – a Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder SUV sponsored by GTL Motors – was won by Jean Paul Almaze from Belvedere with ticket number 19613. It was among four tickets Mr Almaze bought on June 13, 2023 at GTL Motors when he brought in his car for servicing.
“I am very happy. I was not expecting to win and it came as a surprise. For the time being I have not decided what to do about the vehicle but I will see what comes to mind in the coming days given that it will be in my possession,” said Mr Almaze, who already owns a different Toyota Urban Cruiser SUV model.
The first prize, a Yamaha RayZR 125 Fi Hybrid 2023 Scooter also sponsored by GTL Motors, was won by Nathan Hoareau from St Louis, while the second prize of two nights on full board basis on North Island went to Remie August.
Jose St Ange from Anse Royale won the third prize, which was an iphone 14 Pro Max 256GB sponsored by Cable & Wireless.
This year’s regatta at Beau Vallon, dubbed Regatta50, was to celebrate the organisation’s 50th anniversary and took place from August 25-27, 2023.
It featured its traditional Miss Regatta pageant, sale of various items, food and drinks, sporting activities on land and at sea, tug of war, live performances by local artists, ‘Greasy Pole Contest’ and the draw of the grand lottery.
Speaking to Seychelles NATION, the president of the Seychelles Round Table, Alex Freminot, said they were very satisfied with the outcome of Regatta50, which attracted a large crowd over the three days.
“What makes us very satisfied is the feedback from the public as well as comments from our partners, sponsors and vendors. 95% of the feedback was positive and this makes us very happy. I would like to thank everybody who has contributed to making Regatta50 a success,” Mr Freminot said.
With regard to the sale of the lottery tickets, Mr Freminot said that compared to previous years where around 100,000 lottery tickets were usually sold, this time around they managed to sell 65,000 tickets out of the 80,000 printed.
However, since tickets were being sold at R25 instead of the previous R10, the amount collected was greater. The proceeds from this years’ Regatta50 will go towards contribution for the restoration of the Beau Vallon promenade.
Mr Freminot said it was unfortunate there was a mix-up in the name of the star prize winner, which led to some confusion and misunderstanding.
He noted however that the committee has put in place new guidelines and procedures to ensure that such incident does not happen again.
Patrick Joubert
