Six Frenchwomen have completed a gruelling 1,800-kilometre non-stop journey from Monaco to Athens on paddleboards, all in the name of charity.
It’s hard to imagine that paddleboarding 1,800 kilometres is a warm-up for anything, but for the intrepid women of Cap Optimist, that is exactly what it was.
Their recently completed voyage, taking them from Monaco to Athens, is the precursor to an even bigger challenge the women are setting for themselves, namely an 8,000- kilometre trip between Peru and the French Polynesian island of Moorea in Tahiti coming up in January 2023.
The Monaco to Greece trip took the six women, Stéphanie Barneix, Emmanuelle Bescheron, Margot Calvet, Alexandra Lux, Basques Marie Goyeneche and Itziar Abascal, 13 days and nights, rowing around the clock for over 320 cumulative hours, before setting feet on dry land again on Saturday 18th June in the port city of Piraeus.
The athletes encountered some extraordinary conditions on their voyage, facing thunder and rain storms, a swell topping out at two metres high, strong headwinds and even an unexpected encounter with a shark.
These difficulties have made the women even stronger in their resolve, as well as bonding them closer than ever to face the next big challenge.
Of course, it’s love of the sea and of the sport that inspired the Cap Optimist team to take on this remarkable feat, but it also has a human side. The event, supported by the Prince Albert II Foundation, the Hellenic Community of Monaco, Greek Minister Yannis Plakiotakis, the Mayor of Piraeus Ioannis Moralis, the Yacht Club of Piraeus, and Sophia and Kostantinos Tsouvelekakis, was a fundraiser for Hope Team East.
All funds raised by sponsors, friends and supporters are being donated to the ELPIDA Association of Friends of Children with Cancer, as well as the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation.
The centrists of France have lost their majority in parliament due in part to gains by a new left alliance and a stronger than expected showing by the far-right.
After five years of total control, Emmanuel Macron is facing a second term without a clear majority in the legislative branch. The French President, known for his top-down approach, could be facing some tough fights ahead when trying to push through his domestic agenda which includes some controversial measures such as raising the retirement age and revamping the benefits system.
His centrists will now be forced to make alliances in parliament to secure support, as his Ensemble Party took a serious hit during Sunday’s elections, holding onto only 245 seats. Though the party remains the biggest group, they are short of the 289 needed for an absolute majority.
The winners of this election were the leftists, led by Jean-Luc Melanchon and a coalition of the Greens, Socialists and Melanchon’s France Unbowed who have 133 seats, as well as by the far right, led by the ever-present Marine Le Pen and her National Rally Party, which now has 89 seats. This gain in particular shows how divided France is, especially when in 2017 the far-right had only eight parliamentary representatives.
The far-right is expanding from its traditional centres in the north and northeast and the southeast coast to the west of the country, giving Le Pen a power base she has not previously been able to secure. She declared she now has a “firm opposition” to the centrists, and a far bigger voice on the national scene.
The left’s breakthrough, with the broad coalition now known as the Nupes, or New Popular Ecological and Social Union, also gives them more of a say.
The centrists are holding firm, staying they are still in charge, even if the mood at party headquarters was deflated. “It’s a disappointing first place, but it’s a first place,” said Olivia Grégoire, a government spokesperson, on French TV. She said the government would ally with “moderates” who wanted to “move things forward” but did not say exactly how Macron’s grouping would avoid deadlocks.
Macron, who was re-elected president in April over Le Pen, had hoped for a “solid majority” in parliament in order to have a free hand to deliver domestic policy, but will now be forced to create alliances. Additionally, he will need to reshuffle his government after losses by his new Health Minister, Brigitte Bourguignon and his Environmental Minister Amelie de Montchalin.
Photo source: Emmanuel Macron social media
Damage limitation for Leclerc’s reassembled Ferrari
Charles Leclerc charged from the back of the grid at Sunday’s Canada Grand Prix, making up 14 places to secure a deserved fifth position, whilst Max Verstappen extended his championship lead.
This weekend’s event was essentially an exercise in damage limitation for the Monégasque driver. Leclerc’s torrid run of bad luck began with a mechanical failure, continued with a costly strategic error at his home GP in Monaco, before another mechanical failure in Azerbaijan last weekend.
When it rains, it pours; In a rain-drenched Montréal, another change to the power unit of Leclerc’s Ferrari meant that he has exceeded his quota for the year, thus incurring a grid penalty, which would see him dropped to the back of the grid.
A penalty for Yuki Tsunoda ultimately meant that Leclerc would start from 19th, but with a lot of work to do. To add insult to injury, Leclerc’s major title challenger Verstappen claimed pole, ahead of Fernando Alonso, who was starting on the front row of the grid for the first time in a decade. In the other Ferrari, Carlos Sainz could only manage third in a tricky, wet qualifying session on Saturday.
Brightening up
It was a weekend of pathetic fallacy for Leclerc as the changing meteorological conditions perfectly demarcated his change in fortunes. If the rain encapsulated Leclerc’s mood on Saturday, then the sunny skies on Sunday were an unmistakably positive sign.
The race got underway without incident as the car led line astern with little contact and few place changes. George Russell was the main benefactor as he jumped from 8th to 6th before overtaking Kevin Magnussen on lap five to move up to fifth and just behind team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
Sainz, in the far superior car, overtook Alonso with a simple DRS move on lap three, but the tyres of the Ferrari, which has struggled with tyre management issues throughout the season, were already beginning to grain. Leclerc, meanwhile, was quietly going about salvaging some points as he picked his way through the backmarkers.
Canadian GP, photo source: Scuderia Ferrari Press Centre
A technical failure for Sergio Perez’s Red Bull brought out the virtual safety car on lap eight and Verstappen took the opportunity to pit, before another virtual safety car on lap 20, this time brought out by a technical failure to Mick Schumacher’s Haas, gave Sainz the opportunity to pit.
Before his first pit stop, Leclerc had fought his way up to seventh, but he once again had to fight his way through the field after he came out behind Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda and Guanyu Zhou.
The impassable object
A late safety car, brought out by a comical crash from Tsunoda who, coming out of the pit lane went straight into the barriers, spelt danger for Verstappen. The reigning world champion was on older tyres to Sainz, who was right behind and chasing the victory.
However, despite being within a second for the remaining 16 laps of the race, Sainz simply couldn’t get past the Red Bull, who had the straight line speed to keep out of the clutches of the Ferrari.
Verstappen took the chequered flag to extend his championship lead over Leclerc to 49 points. Sainz took second, whilst Hamilton rounded off the podium. Russell continued his impressive run finishing fourth; the Brit is still the only driver on the grid to have finished in the top five in each race this season.
Driver of the day, Leclerc reached fifth and secured some valuable points in the championship battle. Thanks to Perez’ retirement, he closed the gap to the Mexican to just three points.
“I gave it my all,” said Leclerc post-race. “It never feels good to finish in P5, but considering where we started and the way the race unfolded, it was the best result we could bring home today.”
Next up is the British Grand Prix, where Leclerc scored his best result of the 2021 season, securing second but agonisingly missing out on the win late-on. “I’m looking forward to Silverstone now. It’s one of my favourite circuits on the calendar and hopefully we can score some big points there,” said Leclerc.
For the sake of his title challenge, he will have to.
Photo of Charles Leclerc source Scuderia Ferrari Press Centre
AS Monaco Basketball experienced a torrid night at the Astroballe on Friday, as they were played off the court by a completely rejuvenated Lyon-Villeurbanne (91-54), who levelled the Betclic Elite final series.
Monaco found themselves in difficulty from the offset as they struggled for scoring opportunities. A reaction from the home side was entirely foreseeable, but the intensity of their defensive game and their efficiency in attack seemingly caught the Roca Team off guard and by the end of the first quarter, the game looked beyond them.
On their route to the final, Monaco have been the masters of the comeback, most notably against Strasbourg in the deciding game of their quarter-final tie, but one never looked on the cards here.
Monaco were confined to a mere 54 points, equalling their seasons-worst tally, as only Ibrahima Fall Faye (10) reached double figures.
The scales were already evenly balanced going into the series, and in victory on Wednesday, they were tipped in Monaco’s favour.
Although, overall, Monaco will likely have a positive assessment of their result in Lyon (one victory, one defeat), the manner of the defeat will give Lyon the belief that the scales have tipped back in their favour, and that they can get a win at the Salle Gaston Médecin.
Lyon, however, will need to solidify their ascendancy in Monaco. “We had a reaction, which is good. Despite everything, it’s only one match, and we have to go to Monaco with the same intent, because we are facing champions, against whom all of our matches have been tightly-contested,” said Lyon manager Paul Lacombe. “We know that there will be a reaction from them. Nothing is won yet, and we have to be ready.”
The third match of the series takes place at the Salle Gaston Médecin on Monday as Monaco look to avenge their 2019 final defeat.
Photo source: AS Monaco Basketball
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