Franck Cammas: ocean racing's most successful sailor takes on the Vendée Globe 2028

© Sailing Energy - The Ocean Race

Franck Cammas launches Sailing Generation, an innovative structure that combines ocean racing and Olympic sailing. With three athletes, he builds a winning project for The Ocean Race 2027, the 2028 Olympic Games and his first Vendée Globe 2028. Naturally, he is ending his participation in the next America's Cup with Orient Express Sailing Team.

An ambitious multi-support vision

Franck Cammas, known for his exceptional track record, is preparing for his first Vendée Globe in 2028. For this challenge, he is launching Sailing Generation, a unique structure bringing together ocean racing and Olympic sailing projects. This collective includes Jean-Baptiste Bernaz (Laser world champion), Jérémie Mion (49er) and Paola Amar (Moth), with a double objective¯:

  • Build a state-of-the-art IMOCA capable of winning The Ocean Race 2027 and the Vendée Globe 2028.
  • Accompanying athletes to the Los Angeles Olympic Games.

IMOCAâeuros¯: at the heart of a project centered on Lorient

For his return to solo racing, which he hasn't done since 2010, Franck Cammas is banking on the design of an innovative IMOCA. The boat, destined to take part in the Route du Rhum 2026, The Ocean Race 2027 and the Vendée Globe 2028, will be designed by a Sailing Generation design team. Given that it takes more than 20 months to design and build a next-generation IMOCA, it's a safe bet that the design team has been hard at work for several months.

The Breton skipper insists on the need to build a high-performance monohull, inspired by recent lessons from the Vendée Globeâeuros¯:

"The current edition of the Vendée Globe demonstrates the importance of having a state-of-the-art boat to aim for victory. The design is one of the aspects I'm most enthusiastic about, and I'm convinced we can build a boat that's both innovative and high-performance, designed for the next cycle (2024-2028)."

The IMOCA boats will be based in Lorient, in a dedicated technical center, while the Olympic athletes will continue to train between Marseille and other international bases.

Synergy between Olympic sailing and ocean racing

Sailing Generation aims to build bridges between two worlds that are sometimes compartmentalized. While the initiative has been tried and tested in the past between different ocean racing disciplines, this is the first time that a bridge has been built with Olympic sailing. Franck Cammas emphasizes the complementary strengths of the two disciplinesâeuros¯:

"Olympic athletes like Jérémie or Jean-Baptiste constantly sail in tight regattas, while we in ocean racing develop a different technological and strategic approach. Together, we can push our limits."

An innovative business model

To finance this multi-support structure, Franck Cammas proposes a cross-disciplinary sponsorship model, in which partners benefit from visibility on all projectsâeuros¯:

  • Main sponsorâeuros¯: IMOCA naiming and visibility on other media.
  • Secondary sponsorsâeuros¯: present on Olympic boats, with more accessible entry costs.
  • Inclusiveâeuros¯ partnerships: integrating mixed or 100âeuros¯% female crews, notably for the Class40 project planned for 2028.

According to Franck, this model offers extensive media exposure at lower cost, combining the international reach of the Vendée Globe with that of the Olympic Games.

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