On November 30th, Franck Cammas, helmsman/skipper of Groupama Team France in the America's Cup, seriously injured his foot . After several months of rest and rehabilitation, the French skipper will be at the helm of the one-design AC45 Groupama Team France in New York for the 2nd edition of the race e event of the 2016 Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series, the preliminary circuit to the America's Cup.
In order to be able to compete again, there was only one criterion set between the Aix-en-Provence sailor and his coach, Bertran Pacé: Franck Cammas' mobility. "From the moment Franck was sufficiently mobile during the multiple training sessions aboard the GC32s, whose reactions are very violent, he will be even more so on the AC45. So the decision was quickly made: Franck will be the helmsman for Groupama Team France in New York explained the coach to justify this decision.
For his part, Franck Cammas detailed "Sailing in a regatta in New York will punctuate five extremely intense months and a convalescence that I tried to control as much as possible. I was positive as soon as I knew that my foot was saved. From then on, I invested myself in my rehabilitation as well as in other activities with the team. I think that this dynamic has put me in a virtuous circle, beneficial to my recovery. However, we must not forget the painful moments when the pain made me grit my teeth. I put myself in the red to try to recover as soon as possible. When you know that the group is training, progressing and you can't share all that, it's frustrating and sometimes it created some tension. I had to get back up to speed. It was a lot of effort and self-doubt. Today, while I am still cautious about jumping on the net, I am more motivated than ever and happy to be able to compete with a talented team. I have missed competing. I would also like to thank Adam Minoprio who played a great role as a substitute in Oman. It was very positive for the whole team."
A motivated team for the New York event
Franck Cammas will be the helmsman/skipper of the team of 5 sailors. He will be accompanied by the quartet that performed in the last Omani event, in February 2016. On the wing trimming, we will find Thierry Fouchier from Marseilles, Thomas Le Breton on tactics, Hervé Cunningham on headsail trimming while Devan Le Bihan will be n° 1.
From his victory in Muscat and his 4 e place in the general ranking two points behind the podium, the team has not stopped training in the bay of Quiberon and Lorient.
"We have been looking to improve everything related to tactical situations. The guys must have the right reflexes at the right time; for a good cohesion in the maneuvers, there is nothing like the repetition of the sequences. In the same sense, we have put a lot of emphasis on the starting phases. Timing is a matter of perception, so it must be worked on regularly. That's how the notion of time/distance becomes more relevant explained Bertrand Pacé.
"The group clearly wants to continue its progress and to be among the best teams on the circuit. We have a lot of assets, let's trust them. In New York, in May, there can be a bit of thermal wind, but above all a lot of current in front of the Statue of Liberty. The East River and the Hudson River converge and we can have up to three knots of current. We'll have to know how to play with all that and be relevant in the way we sail our AC45 Groupama Team France! explains Franck Cammas on the objectives of Groupama Team France.
The Groupama Team France crew in New York from 6 to 8 May 2016 âeuros¨
- Helmsman/skipper : Franck Cammas
- Adjustment of the wing : Thierry Fouchier
- Tactics: Thomas Le Breton
- Headsail adjustment : Hervé Cunningham
- Forward crew member : Devan Le Bihan
- Substitute : Olivier Herledant
The regattas will take place between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. local time on Saturday, May 7 and Sunday, May 8 (i.e. between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. French time).
