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Month: August 2023

Sailing: Yacht Club de Monaco’s Nico Poons crowned World Champion

by: Luke Entwistle
15/08/2023
Nico Poons at the 44Cup 2023 World Championship

14 races, three wins and five second place finishes equal one World Champion. Over the weekend, the Yacht Club de Monaco’s Nico Poons retained his 44Cup World Championship title in Cowes.

Poons won in the water of Portoroz, Slovenia in ultra-light conditions last year, and he repeated that feat off the coast of Cowes this time around.

Consistency was key for owner-helmsman Poons and tactician Hamish Pepper.

“In this class, because of the level, the trick is to be as consistent as possible. You win the regatta by reducing the damage of the back races,” said Poon.

Two YCM members on the podium

For four days, Poons and Pepper, determined to retain their title, raced in near-optimal conditions despite the complex tides in the Solent.

On board Charisma, the duo were dominant and entered into the final day of competition on Sunday with a five-point lead over Team Nika. The Vladimir Prosikhin-led boat are also from the Yacht Club de Monaco, and ensured two Monegasque teams finished on the podium as they secured third place. However, they never got close to Charisma, who won with a race to spare.

Another Yacht Club de Monaco team, Artemis Racing, led by Torbjorn Tornqvist, was amongst the nine-team-strong flotilla in Cowes, and they came eighth, rounding off a successful weekend for the Principality vessels, whose flag flew high in this category.

 

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Photo source: Yacht Club de Monaco

Boulanger and Auchan recall AC units due to potential fire hazards

by: Stephanie Horsman
15/08/2023

French retailers Boulanger and Auchan are each recalling air conditioning units sold at their online and physical stores following reports that they may be fire hazards.  

In the hot summer months, portable air conditioning units become incredibly popular as a way to quickly cool a room in an otherwise stuffy house or flat. Most of the time, they are efficient and safe, but occasionally, models that pose risks make it through initial assessments.  

This is precisely the case of the ECM9 made by Essential B and sold at Boulanger and their partner store, Connexion, between 1st April 2020 and 26th June 2023.

Additionally, the Qilive brand Q.6771 model with the bar code 3245676776744 sold at Auchan, both in store and on the company’s website, as well as at their partner stores, is in the crosshairs.

Both models are being recalled for posing fire risks.

The two portable AC units being recalled by French retailers. Image source: screen captures

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE ONE 

Consumers are being asked to follow certain protocols if they own one of these air conditioning units.  

For the Essential B product, Boulanger asks that the device first be unplugged and then use discontinued. The distributor can be contacted free of charge on 08 00 30 01 45 from Monday to Saturday between 9am and 7pm to arrange an appointment for a technician to come and verify whether the unit is safe or not.  

For the Qilive unit, Auchan too asks that owners unplug and refrain from using the device, then to return it to a store to receive a full refund.  

PROACTIVITY FROM COMPANIES 

Boulanger stopped sales of these units after reports of several dangerous incidents, and has reached out to a “significant proportion” of customers who bought this product. For those not yet alerted, the company is stepping up its awareness campaign to get the word out.  

For its part, Auchan started an information campaign on 7th August.  

If consumers want to report any problems, they are encouraged to do so by contacting the French government via the Signal Conso website. 

 

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Eruption of Mount Etna causes travel mayhem in Sicily

by: Stephanie Horsman
15/08/2023
etna

Sicily’s Mount Etna erupted over the weekend, leading to mass flight cancellations and adding to travel woes in the city of Catania that began last month with a fire at the local airport.  

One of Sicily’s most distinctive features and popular tourist attractions, Mount Etna, is causing major trouble for the neighbouring city of Catania after erupting on the evening of Sunday 13th August.  

Just ahead of Italy’s biggest bank holiday, Ferragosto, ash from the 3,300-metre-high volcano caused more than a day of significant flight disruptions, delays and cancellations, and forced a near-total closing of the local airport.  

Though the airport is now operational again, airlines are advising passengers to check with them ahead of travel to make sure their flights are on track.  

Incoming flights to Sicily’s second largest airport were diverted on Sunday to other airports on the island, marking the second time in a month that passenger flights were disrupted there.

On Sunday 16th July, a fire broke out in the airport’s Terminal A, leading to the nearly three weeks of closure that was required to repair damage. This reportedly caused an estimated loss for hoteliers of 40,000 “nights of accommodation” from tourists.  

ERUPTION OVER, CLEAN UP BEGINS 

The eruption is now over, but the city, which lies about 50 kilometres from Etna, now has the mammoth task of cleaning the fallen ash from its streets.  

The city knew something was coming in the days before the eruption as Etna was emitting tell-tale gas rings, a rare occurrence of gas bubbles being pushed through the narrow shaft of the volcano that causes puffs of gas to form above the top in a ring shape.  

Europe’s most active volcano, Etna has now entered what Italian authorities call a “pre-alert” phase. The last major eruption was in 1992. 

 

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Photo source: Anastasiia Rozumna, Unsplash

Formula One: Is Charles Leclerc the unluckiest driver on the grid?

by: Luke Entwistle
14/08/2023
Charles Leclerc at the Belgian Grand Prix

Is Charles Leclerc the unluckiest driver on the Formula One grid? The stats would seem to suggest so…

While the grid currently enjoys a summer break in what is the most stacked Formula One calendar ever, AceOdds have crunched the numbers from the first 12 races of the season, and they don’t make for pleasant reading for Leclerc.

No driver has lost more grid places so far this season, and that’s no fault of his own. Scuderia Ferrari have been dogged by reliability issues throughout the season so far, and Leclerc’s retirement from the first race of the season in Bahrain was a sign of things to come.

Leclerc is guilty of six infringements so far this season. Nico Hulkenberg, Yuki Tsunoda and Logan Sargeant are all guilty of more, but no one has lost as many grid positions due to these penalties as the Ferrari driver.

A disequilibrium within the Ferrari garage

So far this season, Leclerc has lost 51 grid positions, easily the most on the grid. Hulkenberg ranks second with 23 positions lost due to infringements. Despite the 51 positions lost, Leclerc has incurred no fines, and this due to the fact that the Monegasque’s penalties don’t issue from sloppy driving on-track, but due to improper parts and maintenance on his vehicle. Reliability really has been the Achilles heel of Leclerc’s season so far.

Across the garage, the same can’t be said for Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard has lost 15 seconds on track due to infringements and only three grid positions overall so far this season. He has incurred two penalty points as opposed to Leclerc’s 0. However, Sainz’s car hasn’t been plagued by the same reliability issues as Leclerc’s.

Unsurprisingly, despite the disequilibrium within the Ferrari garage, no team has lost more grid positions than the Italian manufacturer’s 54 this season. Haas are the next closest with 26.

The figures suggest therefore that, should Ferrari resolve their reliability issues, they could be in for a much more fruitful second half to the season. Leclerc, and the rest of the Ferrari team, will be hoping for just that.

 

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Photo source: Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

Football: Carlos Aviña appointed Monaco’s new technical director

by: Luke Entwistle
14/08/2023
AS Monaco technical director Carlos Aviña

Carlos Aviña has been confirmed as AS Monaco’s new technical director. The Mexican arrives from satellite club Cercle Brugge and will work alongside new sporting director Thiago Scuro.

The post has been left vacant since Laurence Stewart’s departure to Chelsea in January. Aviña has been the sporting director at Cercle Brugge since 2020 and has a strong working relationship with Paul Mitchell, who was one of many advocates for his arrival. The Englishman continues to aid Scuro in a consultancy capacity as the Brazilian finds his feet at the Principality club.

Aviña arrives at Monaco with his reputation enhanced after Cercle Brugge reached the Belgian play-offs last season, a historic feat for a club on the rise.

Addressing the fans of the Belgian club, Aviña said, “[It is] difficult to explain with words what Cercle Brugge means to me. Thank you to all the supporters, players, staff and employees for your support throughout these amazing three years! [I] will always have the Groen-Zwart in my heart, [and] will never forget you.”

Thiago Scuro: “He’ll add a lot of value to the plans we have”

Aviña has already arrived at the club, having announced his departure from Cercle Brugge in a press conference on Friday. He was at the Gabriel Montpied Stadium as Monaco beat Clermont Foot in their first match of the Ligue 1 season on Sunday, and was shown celebrating the victory with the squad and the backroom staff on the club’s media channels.

Addressing Aviña’s arrival, Scuro believes that the Mexican will have a positive impact on the club.

“I am very happy to have Carlos’ knowledge and support. We have had very good interactions since the beginning of my journey here. I am sure that he’ll add a lot of value to the plans we have for the future,” said the Brazilian sporting director.

 

 

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Photo source: AS Monaco

Water restrictions tightened in parts of Alpes-Maritimes

by: Stephanie Horsman
14/08/2023
water alpes maritimes

Officials in the Alpes-Maritimes have announced new restrictions on water use in parts of the department. Here’s what you need to know.    

It was a particularly dry July in the Alpes-Maritimes, with a rain deficient of 95% increasing water woes that have dogged the region for much of the year. Snow melt from the winter being down 60% this year and temperatures that have largely remained above monthly averages have also added to a worsening situation.  

Now the Prefecture for the Alpes-Maritimes has announced that it is implementing stricter measures concerning water use in the parts of the department considered to be “critically” parched. This means a revision of previous classifications of towns and cities in the area. 

Communes close to the Cagne, Loup, Estéron and Paillon rivers now find themselves subject to crisis alert restrictions, which means a total ban on car washing and watering gardens and green spaces, with the exception of vegetable gardens benefiting from a drip irrigation system for which the ban on watering applies from 8am to 8pm, and a complete ban on watering in gravity irrigation or by sprinkler. Private swimming pools cannot be topped up or filled. Additionally, companies who wash cars and boats must reduce water use by 60% or close altogether. 

These communes include Valbonne, Opio, Le Rouret, Roquefort les Pins, Tourrettes sur Loup, Vence and Saint Paul de Vence.  

Many coastal destinations, including Cap d’Ail, Eze, Beaulieu sur Mer, Villefranche sur Mer, La Turbie, Roquebrune Cap Martin, Mention and Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, are subject to lower level restrictions, being placed in the “alert” category, but moderation should be employed.  

A complete list of the communes and their status can be found here, as well as a breakdown of restrictions. For more information on the situation as a whole, please click here.  

 

Read more:

Can I water my garden during the drought?

Can I fill up my swimming pool during the drought?

 

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Photo source: Harry Grout, Unsplash