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Franck Cammas
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| Born in Aix-en-Provence on 22nd December 1972 |
Role: Watch leader, helmsman, skipper
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We aren't born a competitor, we become it!
And for Franck Cammas, this apprenticeship began very early on, when
his father Yves and his mother Eliane took him on a hike around Mont Blanc, to Vichy for an intensive course of swimming,
to the calanques (rocky inlets), to frolic in an inflatable dinghy with his sister Agnès, to dance lessons and to the music
academy, to the alpine skiing pistes...
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 1st round the world
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 In the rural environment of Aix-en-Provence, the Cammas family lived in the depths of the countryside, at the foot of the
Sainte Victoire massif. Amidst fields, streams, hills and copses, Franck discovered the art of fending for himself, casting
his mind to the future and giving his physical all to a challenge.
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From the Vieux Port to the Round the WorldSo when a book by Eric Tabarly methodically described a round the world race under sail, sea water added a big pinch
of salt to what was already an explosive cocktail, creating a sturdy character with a talent as mathematical as it was artistic.
From the Vieux Port in Marseilles in an Optimist to Pointe-Rouge in a 420, Franck Cammas performed his first
tacks and gradually devoted more and more time and energy into understanding the subtleties of the breezes and waves. Cruising
school, instructorship, then one design racing: the future multihull champion didn't cut corners but instead put his heart
and soul into the tactics, the trimming and manoeuvres... And to progress still further and discover new horizons, he had
to leave the Mediterranean and emigrate to Brittany, to the sailing school of Les Glénans, then onto the Nautical Institute
in Concarneau, Brittany. The sea became a necessity, manoeuvring a boat a blossoming skill, and helming a sixth sense.
So
much so that when a space became available to participate in the Challenge Espoir 1993, Franck Cammas dominated the whole
fleet of one design race contenders hands down. From the very first season, he stood out as the first rookie in the Solitaire
du Figaro... which he won in 1997. The following year he had an encounter which was to lead to a serious change of gear!
Groupama fully supported Franck and committed itself to the multihull circuit, a craft and technique which was different and
trickier to master... From the outset, the young skipper took the scene by storm: a second place for his first Grand Prix
in La Trinité sur Mer and a third during the Route du Rhum 1998.
Unremitting as much on the water as in the
workshops, mindful of the technical developments and the other series, and present alongside architects and technicians, Franck
Cammas spends more than half his time on a boat, whether it be an Orma trimaran, a record multihull, a sports catamaran,
a Swiss one design, a hyper sophisticated 90 foot machine for the America's Cup or an over-canvassed 40 foot catamaran!
World
number two in Formula 18, six time champion on the multihull circuit, three speed records to his credit which remain valid
on Groupama 3, Franck Cammas has had a go at anything that sailing has to offer in terms of diversity, from contact
regatta racing to a round the world without stopovers. Added to this, when he launches himself into a new challenge, it is
virtually guaranteed that he'll succeed... As such the 2009 season is indicative of his talent and his capacity to adapt to
a new craft, a new format and a new course.
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