Post by fish on Feb 8, 2023 11:11:32 GMT 12
From LSD:
Clarisse Cremer is a really, really good yachtie. She finished 12th in the last Vendee Globe, beating 16 men and 5 women and claiming the title of fastest solo woman around the world, in an epic fleet of world class solo sailors. Her Figaro solo record is impressive, she did a Transat Jacque Vabre two up with Armel Le Cleac’h, and she finished 3rd in the IMOCA class of the 2019 Fastnet. In short, she is at the top of her game, at just 33. The “Vendee”, as it is known popularly, is an incredible solo non-stop race around the planet, with sailors competing in IMOCA 60’s, which are really the pinnacle of ocean racing boats. To say the race is tough is a gross understatement – to finish is legendary, to finish well is near impossible and to be the top female finisher is one for the record books.
To qualify for this race, you need to have a truckload of solo miles, great sponsorship, you have probably won a Figaro (small boats solo across the Atlantic) or two, an unbreakable competitive streak and stamina enough to outlast a couple of ring-bearing Hobbit on their way to Mt Doom. Past winners and competitors are a who’s who of (mostly) French sailing, and few would argue that the country characterised by one of its Presidents – one Charles de Gaulle – as a country with 246 different types of cheese being therefore impossible to govern, has produced far and away the greatest number of seriously good ocean racers, bar none. NZ per capita probably tops the list but for sheer variety and a touch of gallic madness, Britannia does not rule the waves, that is the domain of the French. Gallic sailors dominate the Vendee, the Route du Rhum, they race giant foiling trimarans around the planet, they make up a big part of successful Volvo/ocean Race teams, and the current solo round the world record is a staggering 42 days 16 hrs, held by Francois Gabart, who took the record from his mate, Thomas Colville. Both, of course, are French.
The pantheon of French female sailors is no less impressive. Here’s a few, of many. Isabelle Autissier, Isabelle Joschke, Florence Artaud, Marie Riou, Marie Tabarly, Virginie Heriot, Alexia Barrier and, of course, Clarisse Cremer. And that is France. If we include other nations, there is a very, very long list if highly successful female sailors, who have all made it and then some in what has mostly been a man’s world.
An honourable mention goes to Justine Mettraux, who grew up sailing on Lake Geneva, Switzerland. Now, she is an honorary citizen of Lorient, France, where she campaigns her IMOCA TeamWork (her newest boat, the old Charal) and regularly finishes at the top of the fleet. If you’re not already following her, you should.
In short, the world has come a very long way from the days when women on board a ship were considered bad luck, women could not vote and women were to be seen – preferably in a kitchen – and not really heard. The latter half of the 20th century saw great strides towards dealing with inequality and misogyny, and the first few years of the 21st century have continued that trend. Is the sailing world on trend, is it falling behind or is it leading the pack? Many would say the second.
Olivier Blanchet / Alea #VG2020
Olivier Blanchet / Alea #VG2020
Back in early 2021, Clarisse Cremer decided to have a baby. So she told her sponsors, Banque Populaire, of her intentions AT THE TIME, and all seemed on track. Until last week, when Ms Cremer announced – on Facebook – that she no longer has the Banque’s support. It has been a big story, with plenty weighing in expressing their outrage and anger that such a thing could happen in 2023. Of course, the situation is more complex than just a simple defenestration. There are IMOCA and Vendee rules involved, there is the balancing act of motherhood with work obligations (what working mum doesn’t know how hard that can be), and there is the simple question of having to sail a certain number of pre-race miles to qualify. The Banque says it doesn’t want to risk Clarisse not being able to compete – although there are wild card options – but surely reason can prevail and the top finishing woman from the last lap should be on the start line as of right? Until recently, anyone who finished the last Vendee automatically qualified for the next. The Vendee pits the best of the best against the rest of the best of the best – the race is the Everest of solo sailing.
So why has Banque Populaire dropped Clarisse in a move widely spoken of as – perhaps inevitably – “Clarissegate”. Could they not have seen this situation as an incredible opportunity? The story goes thus. One of France’s top female sailors is the dominant woman in the ‘21 Vendee, she then decides to have a baby, duly does so, then bounces back for another gruelling, competitive, lap around the planet. Is that not a potentially fantastic storyline? One thing is likely. If the Banque really does bail, surely another sponsor who can see the potential in this story will step in and support Clarisse’s second shot at Vendee success? Given Banque Populaire’s long and successful history of sponsoring French Offshore Sailing – one of the most successful Ultime trimarans is called “Banque Populaire” – you’d be forgiven for thinking that this all reeks of inequality in a sport that has made serious progress, moving from outright misogyny across the board to relatively good levels of inclusion. Even the America’s Cup, that bastion of “tradition” (defined as peer pressure from dead people), has jumped on board.
Yes, rules are rules, but this one reeks of risk aversion. We all know that banks love to offload risk, but for a bank which made a 3.4 billion Euro profit in the first 9 months of 2022, surely risking a little to make a strong statement about women in sport, women in sailing, motherhood and sport, motherhood and professional life and just all round epicness would not be too much.
As Marie Tabarly – skipper of a 22 metre maxi currently in preparation for the Caribbean 600 – said, the issue is the tip of the iceberg. Sam Davies has weighed in supporting Clarisse, along with many, many other pro sailors, men and women. France’s Minister for Equality (very French, that) is a supporter, as is their Sport’s Minister. Simply put, Clarisse Cremer should be able to be both a mother and a pro sailor.
This has become a huge story in France, and elsewhere. For good reason. The issue of inclusion in sailing, and everywhere else, is clearly far away from resolution. And here we were all thinking that we live in a “modern” world.
Clarisse Cremer is a really, really good yachtie. She finished 12th in the last Vendee Globe, beating 16 men and 5 women and claiming the title of fastest solo woman around the world, in an epic fleet of world class solo sailors. Her Figaro solo record is impressive, she did a Transat Jacque Vabre two up with Armel Le Cleac’h, and she finished 3rd in the IMOCA class of the 2019 Fastnet. In short, she is at the top of her game, at just 33. The “Vendee”, as it is known popularly, is an incredible solo non-stop race around the planet, with sailors competing in IMOCA 60’s, which are really the pinnacle of ocean racing boats. To say the race is tough is a gross understatement – to finish is legendary, to finish well is near impossible and to be the top female finisher is one for the record books.
To qualify for this race, you need to have a truckload of solo miles, great sponsorship, you have probably won a Figaro (small boats solo across the Atlantic) or two, an unbreakable competitive streak and stamina enough to outlast a couple of ring-bearing Hobbit on their way to Mt Doom. Past winners and competitors are a who’s who of (mostly) French sailing, and few would argue that the country characterised by one of its Presidents – one Charles de Gaulle – as a country with 246 different types of cheese being therefore impossible to govern, has produced far and away the greatest number of seriously good ocean racers, bar none. NZ per capita probably tops the list but for sheer variety and a touch of gallic madness, Britannia does not rule the waves, that is the domain of the French. Gallic sailors dominate the Vendee, the Route du Rhum, they race giant foiling trimarans around the planet, they make up a big part of successful Volvo/ocean Race teams, and the current solo round the world record is a staggering 42 days 16 hrs, held by Francois Gabart, who took the record from his mate, Thomas Colville. Both, of course, are French.
The pantheon of French female sailors is no less impressive. Here’s a few, of many. Isabelle Autissier, Isabelle Joschke, Florence Artaud, Marie Riou, Marie Tabarly, Virginie Heriot, Alexia Barrier and, of course, Clarisse Cremer. And that is France. If we include other nations, there is a very, very long list if highly successful female sailors, who have all made it and then some in what has mostly been a man’s world.
An honourable mention goes to Justine Mettraux, who grew up sailing on Lake Geneva, Switzerland. Now, she is an honorary citizen of Lorient, France, where she campaigns her IMOCA TeamWork (her newest boat, the old Charal) and regularly finishes at the top of the fleet. If you’re not already following her, you should.
In short, the world has come a very long way from the days when women on board a ship were considered bad luck, women could not vote and women were to be seen – preferably in a kitchen – and not really heard. The latter half of the 20th century saw great strides towards dealing with inequality and misogyny, and the first few years of the 21st century have continued that trend. Is the sailing world on trend, is it falling behind or is it leading the pack? Many would say the second.
Olivier Blanchet / Alea #VG2020
Olivier Blanchet / Alea #VG2020
Back in early 2021, Clarisse Cremer decided to have a baby. So she told her sponsors, Banque Populaire, of her intentions AT THE TIME, and all seemed on track. Until last week, when Ms Cremer announced – on Facebook – that she no longer has the Banque’s support. It has been a big story, with plenty weighing in expressing their outrage and anger that such a thing could happen in 2023. Of course, the situation is more complex than just a simple defenestration. There are IMOCA and Vendee rules involved, there is the balancing act of motherhood with work obligations (what working mum doesn’t know how hard that can be), and there is the simple question of having to sail a certain number of pre-race miles to qualify. The Banque says it doesn’t want to risk Clarisse not being able to compete – although there are wild card options – but surely reason can prevail and the top finishing woman from the last lap should be on the start line as of right? Until recently, anyone who finished the last Vendee automatically qualified for the next. The Vendee pits the best of the best against the rest of the best of the best – the race is the Everest of solo sailing.
So why has Banque Populaire dropped Clarisse in a move widely spoken of as – perhaps inevitably – “Clarissegate”. Could they not have seen this situation as an incredible opportunity? The story goes thus. One of France’s top female sailors is the dominant woman in the ‘21 Vendee, she then decides to have a baby, duly does so, then bounces back for another gruelling, competitive, lap around the planet. Is that not a potentially fantastic storyline? One thing is likely. If the Banque really does bail, surely another sponsor who can see the potential in this story will step in and support Clarisse’s second shot at Vendee success? Given Banque Populaire’s long and successful history of sponsoring French Offshore Sailing – one of the most successful Ultime trimarans is called “Banque Populaire” – you’d be forgiven for thinking that this all reeks of inequality in a sport that has made serious progress, moving from outright misogyny across the board to relatively good levels of inclusion. Even the America’s Cup, that bastion of “tradition” (defined as peer pressure from dead people), has jumped on board.
Yes, rules are rules, but this one reeks of risk aversion. We all know that banks love to offload risk, but for a bank which made a 3.4 billion Euro profit in the first 9 months of 2022, surely risking a little to make a strong statement about women in sport, women in sailing, motherhood and sport, motherhood and professional life and just all round epicness would not be too much.
As Marie Tabarly – skipper of a 22 metre maxi currently in preparation for the Caribbean 600 – said, the issue is the tip of the iceberg. Sam Davies has weighed in supporting Clarisse, along with many, many other pro sailors, men and women. France’s Minister for Equality (very French, that) is a supporter, as is their Sport’s Minister. Simply put, Clarisse Cremer should be able to be both a mother and a pro sailor.
This has become a huge story in France, and elsewhere. For good reason. The issue of inclusion in sailing, and everywhere else, is clearly far away from resolution. And here we were all thinking that we live in a “modern” world.