Having arrived in April 2019 within Team Gitana with Charles Caudrelier, Franck Cammas announced the news on Instagram. “2022 will be a year of new challenges!
I made the decision to move away from the Gitana team in order to be able to take up other challenges that have always driven me or to contribute to new projects that are still just as motivating and allow me to surpass myself. I will continue to work with the Gitana Team from time to time by sailing in pre-season crewed races, but also by supporting Charles Caudrelier on the technical and routing aspects, in particular for the Route du Rhum 2022. I would like to warmly thank Ariane de Rothschild and his family who trusted me to work on an exciting and ambitious project. I would also like to thank each member of the team, with whom I have great pleasure in working and who have enabled us to achieve such great victories over the past 3 years. I can’t wait to tell you a little more about my future projects… See you in a few weeks! »
Caudrelier: “I am losing a very valuable co-skipper”
At 49, Franck Cammas, winner of the last Transat Jacques Vabre in Martinique with Charles Caudrelier, is not leaving Team Gitana completely: he will in particular prepare and coach Charles Caudrelier who is due to start his first race on 6 November solo in the Ultimate, the Route du Rhum.
But we will no longer see him at the helm of the Ultimate signed Guillaume Verdier. “It’s a big change and I’m losing a very valuable co-skipper in the person of Franck,” admits Charles Caudrelier. But he won’t be very far away and will accompany me on land and at sea throughout my preparation. His immense experience and wisdom in multihulls will be valuable assets. In 2010, I routed him for his victory so I hope that this year, the roles will be reversed…”
With the departure of Franck Cammas, the Ultime class loses one of its best representatives. Moreover, this class owes him a lot since he was the first to dare to appear on the starting line of the Route du Rhum 2010 at the helm of a maxi-trimaran designed to be helmed by 12 crew members. After setting a record time in the Jules-Verne Trophy, Cammas showed the way by winning in Guadeloupe.
On Instagram, François Gabart also sent him a short message: “You pushed us all up, and for that, thank you!”
“We cross our fingers that there is a French project”
In September-October 2024, we risk seeing Franck Cammas on the side of Barcelona, the Spanish city chosen by the New Zealand Defender to host the oldest sports trophy in the world. The Aixois has already tasted the America’s Cup, in 2017 in Bermuda with Groupama and has never hidden that he really wanted to go back there.
“We follow what is happening there, I belong to Team France, we exchange a lot to follow certain files. The Team France association is a partner of the “Women Pathway” program of the Sail GP France where we help in the detection and training of women capable of being on board. We follow all this and we cross our fingers that there is a French project. I hope it’s not dead, ”he said on the Telegram website last February.
Candles, Dubois, Cammas, Delapierre…
Indeed, even if the secret is still well kept, we know that a French challenge for the next America’s Cup was formed around Stéphane Kandler (ex-boss of K-Challenge in Valence in 2007), Bruno Dubois (Team Manager of France SailGP) and Franck Cammas who could take on the role of coach-sports manager, the helm could be entrusted to Quentin Delapierre, current skipper of the French F50 in SailGP.
The latter, 8th in the Tokyo Olympics in Nacra 17 with Manon Audinet, also announced on May 3, still on the Telegram site, that he was giving up the 2024 Olympics in France to devote himself to the SailGP circuit.
A few days earlier, Kevin Peponnet, helmsman of the 470 mixed with Aloise Retornaz, had also given up his Olympic preparation. Neither of the two will make us believe that he is giving up the Olympic dream, especially with the Olympics being contested in France, just to have fun in F50 on the SailGP circuit… We suspect that all these little people have already embarked on the adventure of the 37th edition of the America’s Cup.
Kandler: “We have assembled the best French team of all time”
A month ago, Stéphane Kandler made no secret of his intentions by posting this message on Linkedin: “The America’s Cup is my childhood dream. After working very closely with several French teams, I decided in 2001 to launch my own challenge in the 32nd edition in Valencia. Starting from a blank sheet, this epic will have deeply marked me and proved that France is one of the rare countries which has everything to win it. Sometimes you have to know how to wait for the right moment to leave. It’s now been a year since we assembled an incredible group to present ourselves on the starting line with the best French team of all time, which brings together top talent and exceptional technological means. The 2022-2024 international competition program will be intense and fantastic with 4 additional trophies to be won: America’s Cup, Womens America’s Cup, Youth America’s Cup and the SailGP circuit”.
During the last edition of the America’s Cup, in March 2021 in Auckland (Editor’s note: victory of Team New Zealand against the Italians of Luna Rossa), there was no French challenge.
Four challengers have already registered for the 37th edition in 2024: Ineos Brittania (GBR), American Magic (USA), Alinghi Red Bull Racing (Switzerland), Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (Italy). The closing date for registrations is set for July 31, 2022. The French have just sent their registration file…
We just have to wait for the official announcement.
“Within a few weeks”, according to Franck Cammas.
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