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Month: January 2021

Boris Herrmann: Two and a half months alone at sea

by: Stephanie Horsman
18/01/2021

Boris Herrmann has hit a patch of the doldrums in the Atlantic during this late stage of the Vendée Globe, saying that “the sea and sky are messy.” But progress is still being rapidly made.
Boris Herrmann, the skipper of the SeaExplorer-Yacht Club de Monaco, is make steady progress on the homeward bound stretch of the Vendée Globe around the world solo race, despite having hit some tricky weather.
“I totally underestimated the doldrums,” he said in a video published on Sunday on his personal website. “I thought there would be a little afternoon lull then go on. Not at all! The whole night was a hassle and the whole day and I’m afraid to even think about the next night.”
The strain he was under was visible in his video, as the German captain finished his 70th day alone on the sea. He still has his eye firmly on the ball despite the weather not being as predictable as he hoped for. This is a constant worry for any sailor and he declared at one point, “I am stressed.”
He goes on to say, “The sea and sky are messy, you can feel the North Atlantic very early. There is a huge swell and a chop in all directions, it slows me down a lot. Tonight, I should be in a stable trade wind. We’re going through the stages one after the other, quite quickly. For the mind, that’s good! At the latitude of Recife, I’ve started to go west, to slide. For a while I lost quite a few miles because I was a bit low, a bit slow. I had observed on the satellite photos of the doldrums that it went better in the West. Today it’s not really true anymore… We’ll see tonight. The cartography is not necessarily representative in the distances between the competitors. Today, we see Thomas (Ruyant) making a tack towards the North-East and it shows that he gains a lot of miles on the map, but the most important thing is really North-South. East-West, we don’t really care.”
As if the sailing part wasn’t keeping Herrmann busy enough, he still has chores to complete on the boat each day, such as changing hydrogenerators and changing pressure switches on his keel system. These tasks ensure the boat is in top form and this, he says, is good for morale.
“I’m in a good position in the race, it gives me every reason to be motivated. I try to stay calm: I keep in mind that above all, we have to reach the finish. Every day I appreciate the fact that I’m still at sea. I’m always afraid of having technical problems, so I’m very careful.”
Herrmann has at least not suffered a sense of humour failure on his long, lonely trip. He states on his video with a smile, “I should maybe pray to the god of winds. Dear wind-god, send me some wind! Now! Here! To the boat!”
Let’s all hope his prayers are soon answered.
 
Photo: Screen shot of Boris Herrmann during his video message
 
 

Vaccination campaign: who's in round two?

by: Cassandra Tanti
17/01/2021

Close to 2,400 elderly residents and health workers in Monaco have been vaccinated against Covid-19 since the start of the new year. The next stage is set to begin on Tuesday, targeting people in two more vulnerable categories.
It was revealed during a meeting of the Joint Covid-19 Monitoring Committee on Friday that the current vaccination campaign, which primarily focusses on people aged over 75 and health workers, is “meeting expectations”, with thousands vaccinated so far. From Tuesday, people aged 65 and over will have access to the free vaccination, as well as those aged under 65 and suffer from co-morbidities (more than one illness or disease), upon presentation of a medical certificate.
After a significant jump in Covid cases following the Christmas period, the incidence rate (number of positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants over a seven-day period) has decreased slightly to 334 in Monaco, compared to 410 on 9th January. The incidence rate in the Alpes Maritimes sits at 457 and 530 in Nice.
As requested by the National Council, testing has picked up pace again in the Principality, with several hundred students and school staff receiving PCR and antigen tests at the Léo Ferré centre.
“The objective was to be able to ensure, on a voluntary basis, students and teaching staff returned a negative Covid test after the vacation period, which is synonymous with population mixing. On average, Monaco always tests three times more than Nice, the city in France which tests the most,” said the government in a press statement.
The Joint Committee heard that the Principality had not yet detected a case of the UK Covid variant, but that “more complete sequencing analyses will be implemented from next week”.
 
 

ACM cancels two major rallies

by: Stephanie Horsman
16/01/2021

The Classic Monte-Carlo Rally and the Historic Monte-Carlo Rally have both been cancelled because of restrictions surrounding the Covid crisis.
The Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique, as it is otherwise known, was scheduled for 30th January to 3rd February, while the Rallye Monte-Carlo Classique was set to take place from 1st to 3rd February. On Thursday, the Automobile Club of Monaco said that health measures and difficulties in organising the event with a 6pm curfew led to the decision.
“We really had no other choice available,” said Christian Tornatore, General Commissioner of the Automobile Club of Monaco (ACM). “The current situation does not allow us to organise this regular competition in its usual friendly and festive spirit. Since the DNA of the race is not guaranteed anymore, it would be unreasonable to organise it without answering the usual expectations of the competitors.”
The rallies require overnight stops at hotels, rather than returning to a home base, which complicated an already difficult situation. With France adhering to a nationwide curfew of 6pm to 6am daily, the organisers feared there would be unanticipated problems and an inability in all cases to ensure drivers were tucked up inside by this time.
The Classique event, which would have seen its fifth year, features car built before 1965.
The Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique showcases cars from 1911, the year of the rally’s inception, to 1983 and was started by Prince Albert I. This would have been its 24th edition.
 
Photo by Nico Quatrevingtsix
 
 

Charles Leclerc tests positive but “feeling ok”

by: Stephanie Horsman
15/01/2021

Monegasque Formula One driver Charles Leclerc says he is suffering only mild symptoms after contracting Covid-19 and is in self-quarantine at his home in the Principality.
Team Ferrari’s rising star revealed in a Tweet on Thursday that he has tested positive for Covid, saying: “I hope you are all staying safe. I want to let you know that I have tested positive for Covid-19. I am regularly checked according to my team’s protocols. Unfortunately I learned that I have been in contact with a positive case and immediately went into self-isolation, notifying anyone I had contact with. A subsequent test I took has come back positive. I am feeling OK and have mild symptoms. I will remain in isolation in my home in Monaco in compliance with the regulations set by the local health authorities. Stay safe and take care.”
The 23-year-old is the fifth Formula One driver to have tested positive. Lance Stroll, Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez all missed races last season due to the virus, and Lando Norris is currently self-isolating in Dubai after learning of a recent positive test result.
Ferrari has assured the public that Leclerc has followed protocol, saying: “Charles notified us immediately and has informed everyone he has been in close contact with in the last few days.”
The news of Charles Leclerc’s positive test comes the same week as Formula One announced its 2021 season schedule, including the postponement of the Australian and Chinese Grand Prix races. The Melbourne opener has been moved from March to November, making Bahrain the season opener on 28th March.
 
Photo of Charles Leclerc, source Formula One
 
 

Positives amidst “unprecedented decline” in airport activity

by: Stephanie Horsman
15/01/2021

Nice airport’s commercial aviation traffic fell an astounding 68.4% in 2020. Though alarming, the slow year did allow airport authorities to rebuild and renovate, getting a jump on creating “the airport of tomorrow”. 
A report issued by Nice Côte d’Azur on Thursday revealed that the airport saw a massive drop in both air traffic and passengers in 2020, with only 4.58 million people travelling commercially through the third busiest airport in France, equating to a 68.4% decline. In addition, there was also a 37.1% drop in general aviation practices for the year.
“This drop in activity is significant, but nevertheless should be put into perspective because it is less marked than most of the of other major airports – national or European,” said Franck Goldnadel, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Airports of the Côte d’Azur. “This demonstrates the resilience and relevance of our model which favours direct connections, still mainly European and therefore less sensitive to border closures between continents which strongly impact long-haul traffic. But we remain confident for the recovery as the underlying assets of our territory, which remains particularly attractive, are powerful.”
In 2019, 14.485 million passengers went through Nice Côte d’Azur airport. In 2020, the Covid pandemic kept people at home in record numbers through border closures, fear of catching or spreading the virus, and general travel restrictions which prohibited casual travel much of the year and continues to do so into 2021.
But when life gives lemons, make lemonade. Nice Airport authorities used this time to carry out projects both on infrastructure and in the community.
Since early January, the airport has started works on renovating its North runway, which is normally dedicated to landings. The project was designed to lessen environmental impact and modernise the facility.
In order to make the project as eco-friendly as possible, the airport will be recycling 20% of the current asphalt as well as positioning a concrete plant nearby to reduce the number of construction vehicles required as well as lessening noise.
“The maximum reuse of the spoil and the construction of this temporary concrete plant are for us two important levers aimed at reducing the noise and atmospheric pollution of this site, which is part of a necessary and regular renovation policy of our infrastructures.” explained Mr Goldnadel.
The project is set to last for roughly one month and will employ 200 people.
Additionally, Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur, the owners of Nice Airport, have dedicated funds to reforest 2.6 hectares in the town of Carros which were destroyed by fire in 2017. In the first phase, 2,080 plants, including holm oak, downy oak, and various rowan trees, will be planted.
Additionally, 500 cedar plants will be planted near Cannes-Mandelieu Airport in the village of Saint-Cesaire-sur-Siagne. The total funding offered comes to €70,000, with an increase in 2021 to €100,000.
“The preservation of our territory has been our top priority for many years,” said Mr Goldnadel. “This is how we were the first airport in France to achieve carbon neutrality, in 2016. Today, we are continuing our efforts, despite the situation linked to the pandemic, and we are committing to a multi-year forest reforestation program in the municipalities of our territory. These first trees planted this winter will be followed by many others over the next few years.”
According to the airport group’s forecast, they will participate in the reforestation efforts of over 80% of the communal forests in the Alpes-Maritimes over the next 10 years. The trees planted will help eliminate 300 tonnes of carbon from the air.
 
 

What will the EU’s recovery look like?

by: Stephanie Horsman
15/01/2021

As the Covid vaccinations gain traction and the world starts to look beyond lockdowns and PCR tests, focus is turning to recovery from the massive economic fallout the virus has created. The EU, for its part, is about to roll out the biggest stimulus package the coalition has ever seen.
Most of 2020 was consumed by the Covid pandemic and the health implications that continue to affect thousands worldwide. But as vaccinations to combat the virus bring hope that the nightmare is coming to a close, countries are turning from health considerations to financial ones.
Many who were perhaps untouched by the actual disease have been impacted by the fallout in other areas such as job losses, steep drops in value of financial portfolios and closures of businesses.
In order to offset some of these developments, the European Commission, the EU Parliament and EU leaders have agreed on a €1.8 trillion recovery plan that not only hopes to jumpstart the economy, but also create a “modern and more sustainable Europe” through greener practices and digital incentives.
Over 50% of the allocated funds from the EU’s long term budget, which has been coupled with Next Generation EU, the temporary vehicle being used to facilitate recovery, will be going toward modernisation. The channels include research and innovation via the Horizon Europe Programme, fair climate and digital transitions through the Just Transition Fund and the Digital Europe Programme, and preparedness, recovery and resilience using the Recovery and Resilience Facility, rescEU and new health programme EU4Health.
Next Generation EU will offer €672.5 billion in loans and grants to support reforms and investments undertaken by EU countries with the aim of mitigating the economic and social impact of the coronavirus pandemic and “make European economies and societies more sustainable, resilient and better prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the green and digital transitions.”
The package also looks to change perspectives using more up-to-date philosophies and methods for agriculture and cohesion methods. Fighting climate change is also high on the agenda, with 30% of the money going towards initiatives in this arena. Finally, the programme aims to tackle gender equality and the protection of biodiversity.
The budget will be financed through various tried and true sources such as customs duties, VAT contributions from member states and funds given based on a country’s gross national income (GNI). As of 1st January 2021, a national “contribution” based on non-recycled plastic packaging waste was also introduced as an alternative income stream. In addition, the EU will borrow on the markets at favourable interest rates.
Later in the year, income sources linked to the environment will be added. By June, there will be a carbon border adjustment mechanism, a digital levy and the implementation of an EU emissions trading system.
Even later down the line, by June 2024, the EU proposes funding streams that will come from a financial transaction tax, corporate sector contributions, and a common corporate tax base.
 
Photo by Christian Lue, source Unsplash