Although 2008 was a year principally influenced by Groupama 3’s reconstruction following her capsize in the Indian Ocean on 18th February, 2009 will provide a wealth of opportunities for Franck Cammas and his crew to get out on the water, with three record attempts in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and finally around the World. In addition to these ocean-going journeys, Team Groupama will be participating in the entire iShares circuit and will compete in five events in France, England, Germany, Switzerland and Holland. |
| After a relaunch scheduled for 9th February 2009, Groupama 3 will sail off Lorient, Brittany for three weeks: “Following the breakage of the port float, we’ve built two new floats whose outboard sides are made of monolithic carbon. They are heavier as well as stronger. In order to avoid making Groupama 3 heavier overall, the team has worked a great deal on other sectors so as to save weight. We’ve been particularly focussing on energy generation which will consume less and enable us to carry less diesel” explains Stéphane Guilbaud, team manager.As regards performance, you can trust in Franck Cammas: “We’ve been working on the finer detail on deck, with the positioning of aerodynamic housing which has already been tested on Groupama 2. Added to that, we’ve been studying the hydrodynamics and finally the ergonomics so as to make manoeuvres easier.”Sporting her brand new livery, Groupama 3 will cover nearly 30,000 miles in 2009. In order to get the very most out of the trimaran’s potential Franck Cammas will be gathering together a top-level crew. The trimaran already holds four records including the prestigious North Atlantic record of less than 100 hours and the most distance covered in 24 hours after racking up 794 miles: “We’re going to use our time on the water in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic to select the crew for the Jules Verne Trophy. The core crew remains unchanged but some have headed off to work on other projects. We’re going to embark sailors who have already gone around the World, preferably in a multihull” continues the skipper of Groupama 3, who is following the Vendée Globe closely. Very much at home in a competitive environment, Franck Cammas is also training up a Groupama crew who will participate in the iShares Cup organised by Mark Turner and Ellen MacArthur: “I participated in two events in 2007 and 2008 aboard these 40 foot catamarans. They are really lively and very sensitive boats. We’re going to race in France, Germany, Holland, England and Switzerland. Tanguy Cariou will be in charge of putting together the crew and the training when I’m sailing on Groupama 3” explains Franck, who concludes: “I’d like to thank Groupama for fuelling our ambitions for the twelfth year in succession. Aside from Fleury Michon with Philippe Poupon, no other shipowner has given so much meaning to the word loyalty. I am very proud and all the more determined to succeed in 2009.” |
| Traditionally the Nautic (Paris International Boat Show) provides sailors who are not racing with the opportunity to present their projects. Franck Cammas, skipper of Groupama, is no exception to the rule and it gave Frédérique Granado, director of Groupama’s external communication, the chance to speak about their partnership: “We are about to start our twelfth year alongside Franck Cammas. This relationship clearly illustrates Groupama’s long-term commitment which is based on both loyalty and ambition. When Franck and his crew had to give up on their Jules Verne Trophy record attempt, we reaffirmed our commitment the day after the capsize. Today we are looking forward to seeing Groupama 3 sailing, both in France and abroad. As such we are going to share our commitment with Groupama colleagues based in Turkey, Greece, Italy, Tunisia, Spain and Portugal”. |