10.12.2010
Press Release relating to the announcement of the crew selected by Franck
Cammas to participate in the Volvo Ocean Race aboard Groupama 4
A year ago, just days before Groupama 3 was to set sail on her second
attempt to conquer the Jules Verne Trophy, Groupama announced its
participation in the next two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race with Franck
Cammas.
“Our commitment to the Volvo Ocean Race until 2015 is an expression of our
Group’s approach to development, which has been strongly internationalised
over the past 3 years, explained Jean Azéma, managing director of Groupama.
We’ve chosen this Round the World race to promote our image and thus write a
new page in our shared history, for the wider benefit of Franck Cammas and
Groupama. Given its longevity on the circuit, its human dimension and its
international course, the Volvo Ocean Race is synonymous with Groupama’s
values as a builder, humanist and something that is lasting.”
Since November 2009, the Groupama Sailing Team has continued to become
stronger, to work on the design of the future Groupama 4 as well as sail
aboard Groupama 70, winner of the last edition of the crewed Round the World
with stopovers, which went by the name of Ericsson 4.
For his part, the Groupama skipper has successively won the Jules Verne
Trophy and the Route du Rhum aboard Groupama 3. His has been a packed
schedule, but one which didn’t prevent him from playing an active role in
the selection of the crew, who will participate in the Volvo Ocean Race.
The first to be named is Irish sailor Damian Foxall, who has already
participated in three editions of the Volvo (2001, 2005 and 2008). At 41
years of age, this most French of Anglophones resides in Lorient. Winner of
the Barcelona World Race with Jean-Pierre Dick, Damian is very enthusiastic:
“From the outset, I was involved in selecting the crew alongside Franck. It
was necessary to define the skills set we wanted to gather together. The
greatest challenge is to work effectively as a team and to drive Groupama 4
at 100% of her potential at each of the nine stages, with very little time
during the stopovers. In the nine months, the fatigue accumulates. At the
end, you really feel like you’ve done a circumnavigation of the globe.”
Damian will take up the position of helmsman, trimmer and crew manager.
According to Franck Cammas: “When Damian is on a project, it is often the
winning one. As such it’s better to have him with us rather than against
us”.
At 31 years of age, the Australian Phil Harmer will participate in his third
edition of the Volvo Ocean Race (2005 and 2008). Phil lives in the Hamble in
the United Kingdom. “I’m really lucky to be in the Groupama Sailing Team.
Since the call from Damian, who I sailed with on Green Dragon, I’ve had
other offers, but I don’t want to leave. All the work that has gone into
this is fantastic, both in technical and human terms. To date, no other team
is in a position do better.”
Phil will take up the role of helmsman, trimmer, pitman and master
sailmaker.
According to Franck: “Phil is a specialist in sails and manœuvres. A very
good trimmer, he’s also a master sailmaker, which is an essential skill to
have in the crew.”
Swede Magnus Woxen is preparing for his fifth Volvo (1997, 2001, 2005 and
2008). Aged 39 and living in Stockholm, “Baggy” as he is commonly known,
doesn’t lack humour: “It may be because Damian found my French to be “très
bien” that he contacted me. Groupama draws its strength from over ten years’
experience. Of course competing in the Volvo is something new for them. I’m
bringing them the experience I’ve gained from my four successive Volvos.
It’s a fusion of skills.”
Magnus will take up the position of helmsman, trimmer and mast consultant.
According to Franck: “Magnus is a Volvo Ocean Race specialist. He really has
a good command of what we know least about the Volvo Ocean Race. Any
discussions and negotiations with him are interesting as he really has a
fresh way of looking at things. That’s what gives this crew its charm and
richness”.
The first Frenchman to be selected by Franck, Jean-Luc Nélias is an old
acquaintance as they competed together in a double-handed transatlantic
aboard a Figaro. A native of Finistère this 48 year old has taken up the
position of navigator on numerous boats but solely on one leg of the last
edition of the Volvo, aboard Green Dragon: “It’s a race which has had a lot
of bearing on my life but was hard to access as there weren’t many French
sailors doing it. I’d applied to Anglo-Saxon teams several times, but never
with any success. Franck very quickly invited me to join the Groupama
Sailing Team in Lorient. It’s a lot of work but also a great pleasure.”
Jean-Luc will take up the position of navigator.
According to Franck: “Jean-Luc Nélias had never raced in the Volvo but, like
me, he’d dreamed of doing it. We’ve just won the Route du Rhum, with him as
router, so it augurs well”.
At 36, Charles Caudrelier is an old friend of Franck’s. Winner of the
Solitaire du Figaro and the Transat Jacques Vabre with Marc Guillemot, he’s
well aware of the new challenge which awaits him: “I wouldn’t have sailed
with any old team because, to my mind, the Volvo is very difficult on a
human level. All alone on a boat going around the world is something that
fascinates people, but you only have to take care of yourself in that
situation. When there are eleven people going around the world and it lasts
a year, it’s very hard”.
Charles will take up the position of helmsman, trimmer, navigator and person
in charge of performance.
According to Franck: “I’ve known Charles for a very long time; we even lived
in the same house for two years! He’s someone who performs extremely well,
as was proven in his victory in the Figaro and he is very involved in our
project”.
The only French sailor to have participated in the Volvo Ocean Race since
Eric Tabarly in 1993, Sébastien Josse is just 35 years of age. Based in the
Morbihan, Brittany, the former skipper of ABN AMRO 2 is plunging back into
extreme sailing: “Since my early days in ocean racing, I’ve alternated
between crewed races and solo races. It’s a cycle. The hardest thing in a
Volvo remains living on top of one another. It’s a bit like living in a
travelling caravan of old. For two years, you’re with the same people and a
few kit bags in various hotels. 90% of our time is devoted to racing and the
team while the rest is kind of on hold”.
Sébastien will take up the position of helmsman, trimmer and head of
on-board systems.
According to Franck: “Sébastien Josse is one of the rare Frenchmen to have
skippered one of the Volvo Ocean Race boats recently. We’re really lucky to
have him in the Groupama Sailing Team”.
Triple winner of the Mini Fastnet, Yann Riou will take up a special position
aboard Groupama 4. At 36, this electronics and computer buff will be a Media
Crew Member: “The role of Media Man essentially consists of taking video
images, making a selection of shots and an initial edit and sending it to
the organisation and the communication team so the images can be broadcast.
Several minor tasks come on top of that: preparation of the food – as the
boat’s official cook, and the small domestic chores – as an extreme cleaning
operative”.
As such Yann won’t be allowed to touch a single sheet or a single sail.
According to Franck: “It was necessary to have a very good sailor in the
role of media man as you have to be familiar with living and working on this
type of boat. Yann’s offshore sessions aboard the Groupama trimarans and in
the Mini mean that he has the appropriate profile.”
At 51, Jacques Caraës is the most senior member of the crew. A holder of the
Jules Verne Trophy aboard Groupama, he also competed in the Whitbread with
Eric Tabarly in 1993. Right now he’s ready to pull on his foulies again:
“Having once had the experience, I know that this race makes men physically
and mentally exhausted. The teams who retain the same composition throughout
the race programme are rare. The replacements bring good humour and
freshness, as well as strengthening the harmony and solidarity within the
Team. The Volvo boats have become so extreme that I don’t mind distancing
myself from the foredeck. Racing is wearing for everyone, including the
media man. It’ll be a welcome feature for there to be two of us supporting
each other in this role”.
As such Jacques will replace Yann Riou.
According to Franck: “I know Jacques very well through having done several
Jules Vernes with him, even though only one got all the way round. He’s
someone who is extremely solid, who’s already done several round the worlds
and who, added to that, is always pleasant on a boat.”
A special feature of this eleventh edition of the Volvo Ocean Race is that
three crew must be under thirty years of age at the moment of the race
start.
A Swede who’s just squeezed into the under-thirty category, Martin Krite is
a professional navigator. As such, he participated in the last edition of
the Volvo Ocean Race aboard Ericsson 3. However, he is also a pastor:
“Religion is important to me. I have a personal faith and that influences my
everyday life, not solely when I’m at sea. However, I’m in the team as a
sailor and not as a pastor. If one of the guys wishes to have a discussion
with me about this, I’ll be happy to answer any questions they may have.
However, I don’t want to impose my belief on them.”
Martin will be bowman and boat captain
According to Franck: “Martin never complains and is very tough. As a Swede,
he’s not afraid of the cold or the sea spray. Pleasant, always positive,
hard-working and courageous, he forms part of the crew of under-thirty year
olds who have experience in this domain”.
It’s rare to see a boat competing in the Volvo Ocean Race which doesn’t have
any New Zealanders aboard. The Groupama Sailing Team is no exception to the
rule with the arrival of Brad Marsh, aged 27. A member of Ericsson’s shore
crew and a sailor aboard the Class America Team New Zealand during the Louis
Vuitton Cup, he’s very determined: “I was very enthusiastic at the idea of
discovering the French aspect of ocean racing as well as the French culture.
The way a project is managed is so different. The French concentrate a great
deal on the detail; they’re extremely focused. It’s very interesting to be
able to witness it from the inside and to learn alongside people like Franck
Cammas.”
Brad will be a bowman and in charge of the rigging.
According to Franck: “Brad has recently arrived in the team. He was a member
of Ericsson 3’s shore crew so he hasn’t sailed in the race. However, he’s an
enthusiastic sailor who will work in a complicated and at times dangerous
position, where he’ll need courage. I think he has that.”
Martin Strömberg will be the third Swede on the boat. At 28, he’s already
got one Volvo Ocean Race under his belt, aboard Ericsson 3: “We don’t speak
French very well but we do speak English. One amusing thing is that when the
three of us are together on deck, the others have christened it the “Ikea
watch”. We have a real potential for victory, even though the team has never
done the Volvo. Some of us have done it several times and there’s also
Franck’s multihull experience. Ultimately, we’ve got a fair number of round
the worlds on the clock between us. Frank is always there to get the boat
and the crew performing at their very best. I find that very agreeable and
stimulating”.
Martin will be a trimmer, pitman and sailmaker.
According to Franck: “Martin has a big build and that’s definitely something
we need on the boat. He’s someone who is very calm and at the same time very
rigorous, who does his job very well”.
Don’t go thinking that you have to be from outside France to have the
necessary skills to race around the world at less than thirty years of age.
The proof comes in the shape of Erwan Israël who will be competing in his
first Volvo Ocean Race. A familiar face on the Figaro circuit, he’s now
discovering the VOR 70: “The boats are powerful and constantly pushed to
perform at 100%. We mustn’t let ourselves be overwhelmed by the big seas on
deck. The sea trials are exhilarating. The participation of a French team
will enable young French sailors to be trained up for the Volvo Ocean Race.
I’m happy to be one of those.”
Erwan will be a trimmer and helmsman, as well as being in charge of the
manœuvres in the inshore races and also the safety.
According to Franck: “Erwan is an excellent racer. He’s young too and I hope
he will race some of the legs. It’s our role to train them in the Volvo
Ocean Race.”
Last but not least, Sébastien Marsset is a Mini specialist. Groupama 3’s
technician, he’s the youngest member of the team at 25: “It’s a
circumnavigation of the globe which in itself is not insignificant. It’s a
competition with a compelling human story. Whether it is within the shore
team or the sailing team, it’s going to be rich. What’s evident is that I
have a lot to learn from the others. I have to try to absorb their
experience. Ultimately I’m becoming fairly well integrated and haven’t had
to endure any ragging. They say that I’m the sportiest amongst us, but I
train like the others”.
Sébastien will be a trimmer, pitman and in charge of the deck hardware and
safety.
According to Franck: “Seb came to us with a CV, which was a bit lacking in
substance, but his attitude and motivation are excellent for the team. He
started out working with the shore crew and during a few sea trials proved
that he was motivated, along with performing increasingly well in the
manœuvres and boat management.”
Besides these twelve sailors, the Groupama skipper is relying on the heads
of department to bring the Groupama group’s participation in the Volvo Ocean
Race to a successful conclusion.
At 57, Luc Gellusseau is the first of them to join the Groupama Sailing
Team. In charge of relations with the organisers and, in particular, the
special race rules for the Volvo Ocean Race, he keeps an eye on each stage
of the project – training, construction of Groupama 4, manufacture of the
sails and constitution of the crew – to ensure that the decisions made
conform to the race rules.
Watch leader aboard Telefonica during the last edition of the race, Laurent
Pagès, 34 years of age, joined the Groupama Sailing Team back in August 2009
and is in charge of the sail programme: “The number of permitted sails has
been reduced in relation to the 2008 edition. That means that you have to
re-examine things from every angle in terms of strategy, development and
design. There’s a whole in-depth study to be carried out with North Sails
and our own team in order that we perform as well as possible on the start
day, as well as throughout the nine months of racing”.
Loïc Dorez, head of the design office, Pierre Tissier, head of boat
construction, Hervé Le Quilliec, in charge of logistics, Australian Ben
Wright, head of the shore crew and finally Olivier Mainguy, in charge of the
rigging, complete this team led by Stéphane Guilbaud, team manager, who has
worked alongside Franck Cammas since 1997, the year when he won the
Solitaire du Figaro: “The team has evolved in stages. There has been a
steady succession of projects since 1998, which are increasingly ambitious
every time. We’ve been lucky to be supported by Groupama, which is also
forging ahead. Our aims are now international, which explains why a third of
Groupama Sailing Team is from overseas. However, our basic rules have not
changed and continue to revolve around humility, common sense and an ability
to adapt. The team remains the most important value to be defended and
Franck is a leader to us more than ever.”
Indeed Franck Cammas retains the determination and sporting ambition which
have been his strength for what has already been a long period of time.
After winning virtually all the possible races and records in a multihull
(barring The Transat), the Groupama skipper explains this switch of
direction: “To participate in the Volvo Ocean Race is a decision we’ve made
together with Groupama, who has supported me for the past thirteen years.
Together we’ve sought an event which can exert its influence over Groupama’s
image internationally and enable us to progress and confront what I imagine
to be the best in crewed ocean racing. We know that there’s a lot happening
overseas and one way of progressing is to go and do battle with the best.
That’s why we’re taking part.”
A few words about the Volvo Ocean Race
11th edition / 10 ports / 39,270 miles spanning 4 oceans
First race in Alicante on 30th October 2011
Start of the first leg between Alicante and Cape Town on 5th November 2011
Last race in Galway on 7th July 2012
French stopover in Lorient from 16th June to 1st July 2012
11 crew per boat including one media crew
Ranking in points, 20% of which are awarded for the races during stopovers
Groupama 4, first French boat to participate since Eric Tabarly, on La
Poste, back in 1993.
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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