At the end of a long journey on Sunday afternoon, nine rowers made it to Monaco from the Italian capital of Rome having covered a total of 476 kilometres at sea and five days of travel. Each participant rowed for three hours in a traditional rowing boat with a 90-minute break to rest and sleep, all in the cause of Rocher du Cœur, a Monaco charity that helps children who are in hospital for a long time take a brief trip outside.

The purpose of the Barj Challenge 2 was to collect funds for the benefit of the association, which was founded by two carabinieri of the Prince in 2013.

Bernard Boucher, President, said he was “more than happy” everyone arrived. Especially at the beginning, it was not obviously the case, he added. The boat that followed suffered some damage … and the start was delayed by 24 hours.

“The first day was very difficult,” said Eric Farineau, one of the rowers. “There was a lot of wind and head-on waves. But Mother Nature was with us. The wind dropped.”