Banque Populaire dropping ClaCla

C

Chasm

Super Anarchist
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Women sail the IMOCA circuit, including at the top level. They did it in the past, they are doing it today and it seems even more will be doing it in the future. - What's the problem?


What annoys me the most about the BP problem is that it is so utterly unnecessary. A bit more urgency getting the first race in and the story would have been different.
If Clarisse finished the TJV2021 (12 months before her daughter was born) on any boat she would be on place 30 or so of the qualification list, together with 17 other sailors. I can't be bothered to look up the French maternity protection law. EU nations tend to have arduous work and hazardous environment rules that cover the whole pregnancy. As a pro sailor chances are that she was not allowed to sail work the four qualification races in 2022. That wild card application writes itself. But the TJV 2021 did not happen for her. Even worse it seems there was no boat until 2023, that makes it difficult to argue that pregnancy was the issue.

Obviously still a shit move for BP to kick her out. Trying and perhaps failing to make the cut for the VG also would have been a great story. A story that would get a lot of air time in the lead up of the VG. But positive news, unlike now...
 
W

wildbirdtoo

Member
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UK
Chasm said:
Even worse it seems there was no boat until 2023, that makes it difficult to argue that pregnancy was the issue.

Obviously still a shit move for BP to kick her out. Trying and perhaps failing to make the cut for the VG also would have been a great story. A story that would get a lot of air time in the lead up of the VG. But positive news, unlike now...
Click to expand...
Vey good point about the boat. The other point I would make is that Clarisse informed BP about the pregnancy a year ago, so if they had issues they should have done something earlier. Methinks something else has gone on behind the scenes.
 
Virgulino Ferreira

Virgulino Ferreira

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^^^^^ Thanks @LeoV! Everyone, read it.

BP is even worse than we thought.

Clarisse is still fighting! It is still possible that she will race this Vendee, in Apivia, to boot, but not under the evil rotten flag of BP.

GO GO GO GO CLARISSE!!!
 
Monkey

Monkey

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So now that we know the boat’s available, how much money did we actually raise when SA tried to start an America’s Cup team and what’s a Vendée campaign cost? It’d be fun to build off all the bad publicity to crowd fund the boat for her.
 
Virgulino Ferreira

Virgulino Ferreira

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Le Monde, February 22, 2023

www.lemonde.fr

Voile : le grand louvoyage face à la maternité des skippeuses

Rare discipline mixte, et en quête de plus d’égalité hommes-femmes, la voile n’est pourtant pas épargnée par le « tabou ultime de la grossesse des sportives », comme l’a rappelé la navigatrice Clarisse Crémer.
www.lemonde.fr www.lemonde.fr

Sailing: the great journey in the face of maternity for female skippers

Rare mixed discipline, and in search of more equality between men and women, sailing is however not spared by the "ultimate taboo of the pregnancy of sportswomen", as the sailor Clarisse Crémer reminds it.

Crouched at the prow of her golden trimaran, Florence Arthaud is smiling on a great day. It is November 29, 1990, and the 33-year-old sailor has just won the Route du Rhum, the transatlantic grail of all solo sailors. She had also just suffered a miscarriage at sea, but she would not confide this until much later in her memoirs: Un vent de liberté (Arthaud, 2009). On the front page of Le Parisien, above the portrait of the sportswoman, this title: Flo, you're a real man!

"This sums up the paradox of ocean racing: at the same time a sport where women play the same game as men, but always according to the rules and values enacted by and for men," says Catherine Louveau, a sociologist at the University of Paris-Saclay, specializing in the gendering of sports practices.


b024ace_1677061102271-2020-10-05t131650z-1216436803-rc2dcj9iwfzu-rtrmadp-3-sailing-vendee-skipper.JPG


Hasn't progress been made in this sport, where, unlike many others in which women are invisible, Isabelle Autissier, Catherine Chabaud or Ellen McArthur have made their mark on the general public thanks to prestigious performances? The announcement of the sailor Clarisse Crémer, "left behind" in mid-February by her sponsor, Banque Populaire, because her pregnancy had delayed her race to qualify for the Vendée Globe 2024, has reopened a wound that is still raw in the small world of ocean racing.

So, a skipper whose sporting and communication skills are unanimously recognized - 2nd in the 2017 Mini-Transat, 12th in the 2020 Vendée Globe and fastest woman around the world, Grand Prix strategies of the sport in 2021 - could not become a mother without it affecting her career? "There were two full seasons and four transatlantic races left to get back up to speed, and I was determined to finish my rehabilitation as soon as possible (...). It is fine to deplore, then, the low number of women on the starting line, "said the athlete in her text, which has gone viral, published on social networks.

In reaction, the management of the Vendée Globe, the most famous single-handed round the world race, said it was impossible to "change the rules, while the selection process is already underway", in the name of "fairness towards all the contenders". But at the same time, she asserts that Clarisse Crémer "ticks all the boxes" to benefit from the wild card, this invitation attributed at the discretion of the organization. However, faced with the extent of the controversy, Banque Populaire, which had initially justified its change of skipper by the desire to "guarantee the future of the project", finally announced its outright withdrawal from the race.

--- THE REST OF THE ARTICLE IS BEHIND A 🤬☠💣 PAYWALL ---

Florence_Arthaud.jpg


My absolute favorite sailing race photo. Florence Arthaud ❤ about to cross the finish line, winning the Route du Rhum. To the shock and horror of the many who doubted and mocked her. I am shocked to learn now about her miscarriage.
 
Bebmoumoute

Bebmoumoute

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Nantes, France
Here is the translation of the article from Tip&Shaft (if you haven't you should defo subscribe to their weekly newsletter – there is one in english).

HOW DID BANQUE POPULAIRE DECIDE TO WITHDRAW FROM THE VENDEE GLOBE

On Friday 17th February, Banque Populaire announced their withdrawal from the 2024 Vendée Globe, as a consequence of the Clarisse-gate. Tip & Shaft investigated to know more.

First of all, a quick reminder : on the 2nd February, Clarisse Crémer made the announcement on social media that “Banque Populaire has decided to race the Vendée without me”, a decision made by the sponsor when facing the risk for her not to be present on the start line in 2024, as she is currently late in the miles race to qualify, following her pregnancy in 2022. The banking group immediately made a declaration and organised an online press conference, trying to explain their version of the story, in particular blaming the lack of flexibility of SAEM Vendée (the organiser) following Banque Populaire’s requests to modify the qualification rules or to guarantee the one available wild card to Clarisse, as a response to Clarisse particular circumstances.

This declaration was not sufficient to convince the media and the general public; in a matter of hours, thousands of negative reactions are posted online, pointing the finger at Banque Populaire, who clearly didn’t anticipate the scale of the reactions. It is a real catastrophe for the “sponsor de la voile”, who has been involved with sailing for over 30 years (translator’s note: Banque Populaire is a major sponsor for French sailing, not only are they funding Offshore sailing, but they also have a contract with the French Federation, funding Olympic sailing as well as sailing schools all around the country: their logo can be seen in many sailing school’s sails everywhere). In the hours and days following Clarisse’s announcement, several crisis meetings are held at the Paris headquarters of Group BPCE (translator’s note: Banque Populaire parent company, a 100 000 staff, 26B€ turnover group). Nicolas Namias, BPCE’s chairman of the board even takes the lead on the issue.

The French federation, through its president Jean-Luc Denéchau, tries to get all involved parties together to find a solution, but according to our information, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the French minister for Sports, is actually rolling up her sleeves and gets on the phone with all parties (sponsor, skipper, and organiser).

Fairly quickly, it is pretty clear to Banque Populaire’s leaders that backpedaling is their only option to get out of this mess. This was confirmed to us by Alain Leboeuf, the SAEM Vendée president, who was in touch with both parties: “I first talked to Clarisse to tell her that in mind of her skills and will, I was convinced that she would make the qualifying list, and that if she didn’t, I would of course consider her circumstances for the wild card. On Banque Populaire’s side, I talked to Mr Namias himself and reminded him how important it is for me that a Banque Populaire boat makes the start line. His answer was: “Don’t worry, I am taking over and I will get Clarisse back””.

The first discussions (on the phone and then in person in Lorient) between Clarisse and Benjamin Maitre, Head of Sponsorship for BPCE seemed to go that way. She was offered to come back, with the possibility of rethinking the project and the team’s way of working. Both parties agreed to meet again quickly and 48 hours later, Laurent Buffard, Head of Communication for BPCE, met Clarisse in Lorient. This time, according to the skipper’s relatives, the conditions changed, the new deal was to come back as if nothing happened, with no changes.

According to our informations, this was a dealbreaker for Clarisse Crémer, who considers that the trust relationship with some members of the sailing team, already damaged in the last months, is now non-existent. She therefore refuses the offer for a come-back in the same conditions as before. Banque Populaire took notice and decided to withdraw from the race, which was the only possible solution for BPCE, who considers that appointing a new skipper would expose them to a new media storm. According to a source involved: “They assumed they would still be subject to many critics if they continued with a new skipper”.

Someone within the Banque Populaire sailing team regretted: “It’s a huge mess”. Even if BPCE insisted that they are willing to continue to “accompany sailing clubs, schools, French teams and the offshore team everywhere in France and worldwide”, some people are concerned about the future, especially if the Arkéa Ultim Challenge-Brest (translator’s note: next year’s Ultim round the world race) doesn’t go well for Armel Le Cleac’h.

The Banque Populaire sailing team owns the former Apivia, which is going to be either chartered or sold – maybe to Clarisse Crémer? – The decision ultimately lies with the sponsor. How about Clarisse? According to our informations, the skipper, who hasn’t publicly talked since her first declaration, still hopes to be able to race the next Vendée Globe and is currently working on this goal.

On the organiser’s side, Alain Leboeuf says he is “really disappointed” about Banque Populaire’s decision to withdraw, which he claims he heard through the sponsor’s statement. “I will have the opportunity to talk to Banque Populaire and Clarisse in due course, but I had already told her when we chatted that if she was to find a new potential sponsor, I would meet them with no reserve”. He also added the following about the qualifying rules he refused to change: “Everything was planned, and this is what I said to the minister. I told her that I previously wished for more than a single wild card, with the possibility of a pregnant skipper in mind. I was also thinking about someone with a handicap that would have had a last minute problem to qualify. Maybe the rules should be even clearer for the Vendée Globe 2028, but nobody should claim we didn’t think about this sort of situation”.
 
staysail

staysail

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"....this was a dealbreaker for Clarisse Crémer, who considers that the trust relationship with some members of the sailing team, already damaged in the last months, is now non-existent...."


What could be more important for a skipper in the non-stop single handed round the world Vendee Globe race than being 100% confident that you can trust everyone around you?

All in all a pretty sorry affair and it seems as if CC was being treated like a pawn in a chess game and not in the manner as merits the Captain of a flagship! Lets hope the organisers and all the other sponsors will reflect about their own behaviour and responsibilities towards the skippers.
 
T

troll99

Anarchist
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staysail said:
Assuming you are a bloke, why not put on a blonde wig and a frock and see if BP will sign you up as girl skipper? At least they wont have to worry about you getting pregnant.
Click to expand...
you know what............it will be a wise marketing move.

The first Trans skipper in the World.
The fastest Trans skipper in the World

The media will love it. Also, no liability uses for sponsors and teams. Win-win for everyone :D

Id snatch the wild card. I'll get special treatment. All rules will be changed for me.
 
M

moody frog

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staysail said:
"....this was a dealbreaker for Clarisse Crémer, who considers that the trust relationship with some members of the sailing team, already damaged in the last months, is now non-existent...."


What could be more important for a skipper in the non-stop single handed round the world Vendee Globe race than being 100% confident that you can trust everyone around you?

All in all a pretty sorry affair and it seems as if CC was being treated like a pawn in a chess game and not in the manner as merits the Captain of a flagship! Lets hope the organisers and all the other sponsors will reflect about their own behaviour and responsibilities towards the skippers.
Click to expand...

This might be a key to the problem.

B.Pop sailing team is not working on the same model as most of the teams.
They work on a Sports Team model such as what is met in Soccer or Cycling : It is run by a Team manager -the same one for ages - and sailors are just jockeys for a specific racing project.
While this previously paid off when they were able to swap jockey at the last minute (e.g Loick Peyron stepping in for injured Le Cleach and winning RdR), the VG qualification rules do not - de facto - allow it.

So, Clarisse cannot expect to run her own show as do other skippers who "sell" an ongoing project against a sponsoring fee, but run their own Co. and cover all cost risks.
So the B.P team manager will have to report to B.P administrators on his employment and crisis management ...

The only other "team" run that way is "Gitana team", who obviously has managed it better, human wise, to the cost of a number of failures on the water.
 
staysail

staysail

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moody frog said:
...

The only other "team" run that way is "Gitana team", who obviously has managed it better, human wise, to the cost of a number of failures on the water.
Click to expand...

I don't see BP as the only "Celebrity Skipper" project where some bloke in the "management" has reckoned he's more important than the skipper. Obviously trust then collapses because in projects like the VG and the VOR/OR everything, result, safety, lives, and publicity, ultimately depends on the Skipper. This is not the first time. Huge PR and team management mistake.
 
staysail

staysail

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huey 2 said:
A Boatbuilding company with a Plan....

press.beneteau-group.com

2023 Gender Equality Index

Groupe Beneteau announces for its 3 French subsidiaries their scores relating to the French FY2022 index of equality between women and men:
press.beneteau-group.com press.beneteau-group.com
Click to expand...

History | BENETEAU

“I believe we are one of the oldest boat building yards in the world to be run by the family as a majority.” Annette ROUX
www.beneteau.com www.beneteau.com
Interesting read. Women have been well involved in Beneteau.
 
H

huey 2

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www.paris-normandie.fr

Une Euroise de cœur au départ de la Transat au Havre grâce à Cap Pour Elles

Tiphaine Ragueneau sera au départ de la prochaine Transat Jacques Vabre, au Havre. À 30 ans, cette vétérinaire qui a grandi entre l’Eure et Paris est lauréate du dispositif Cap Pour Elles qui permet à des femmes d’effectuer leur première course transatlantique. Elle sera en duo avec l’Irlandaise...
www.paris-normandie.fr www.paris-normandie.fr
12733030692352259064

better link
www.sail-world.com

Ireland's Pamela Lee & Tiphaine Ragueneau win Cap pour Elles selection for the TJV Normandy Le Havre

Irish-French duo Pamela Lee and Tiphaine Ragueneau have won the Cap pour Elles selection for this Autumn's two handed Transat Jacques Vabre race from Le Havre in France to Martinique in the Caribbean.
www.sail-world.com www.sail-world.com
 
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