Tour de France à la voile - Groupama 34 throws title into the ring

by Vincent Borde on 3 Jul 2014 Undisputed winner in 2013 of the Tour de France a la Voile, between Dieppe and Marseille ahead of Courrier Dunkerque and Bretagne Crédit Mutuel, the crew of Groupama 34 is throwing its title into the ring in the 2014 edition. Up against eight competitors, along a course that doesn't have a single leg in the Atlantic, Franck Cammas and his eleven crew will be vying with stiff competition, albeit lacking in number. With a notably different set-up to last year, the sailor who has sported the colours of Groupama for the past 17 years will only be competing on the Mediterranean section of the event, leaving Fabien Henry to skipper Groupama 34 with Tugdual Becquemie at the helm.

Thus far, the years have been much of a muchness for Groupama sailing team on the M34, the one-design on which the Tour de France à la Voile is raced. Runaway winners of the event in 2013, Franck Cammas and his crew finished second in the Spi Ouest France before going on to win the Grand Prix Guyader and Normandy Sailing Week in quick succession. In 2014, they repeated this performance, only Courrier Dunkerque getting ahead of them in the Easter event contested in La Trinité-sur-Mer, south-west Brittany.

In these conditions, the question on the lips of both observers and competitors is as follows: will Groupama 34 pull off the double?

In sporting terms, the team is fairly similar to that of 2013. However, it's worth noting a change in navigator with the arrival of Julien Villion, who replaces Erwan Israël, the latter having headed off to sail with Yann Guichard on the Transatlantic record attempt aboard the maxi trimaran Spindrift. Already part of the crew last year, but in a different post, Julien has successfully raced as navigator in the first three events of the season. The second change is the arrival of Tugdual Becquemie, who will be at the helm of Groupama 34 in the English Channel, as Franck Cammas will be competing in the European Nacra 17 Championship in La Grande-Motte during the same period. An excellent helmsman, the sailor from Hyères, who won the Tour in 2012 aboard TPM, had the chance to observe Groupama 34 last year whilst sailing with Nicolas Troussel on Bretagne Crédit Mutuel. Well integrated into Groupama sailing team, he has the Groupama skipper's complete trust. And if ever he is in any doubt, he can count on the support of his friend Fabien Henry, who will take up the role of skipper in Franck's absence.

In the other posts aboard, the crew remains unchanged: Tanguy Cariou and Fabien Henry calling tactics, Maxime Paul at the helm, adjusting the rig and trimming the mainsail, Devan Le Bihan, Arnaud Jarlegan, Matthieu di Russo and Louis Viat trimming the headsails and finally Christophe André and Malo Bessec on the bow. Very quick last year, handling the manoeuvres to perfection, Groupama 34 boasts the same assets this year.

Technically though, there is a major change afoot which could reshuffle the cards, particularly at the start of the course: this relates to the one-design sails. Indeed, last year, each crew was able to select its own master sailmaker, who could design his or her own choice of sails, provided they respected the surface areas and dimensions outlined in the class measurement. In this way, Groupama put its trust in Maxime Paul, who works at North Sails in Vannes. This year, in regard for economics and complete equality and following an invitation to tender, the class has entrusted a single sail loft with the design and creation of six sails to equip the M34s. As such, it's the Swiss sail loft Europe Sails, which is tasked with kitting out the nine competitors in the Tour. Only having received these sails at the start of the season, it's on the Tour itself that the competitors will use them for the first time and be able to compare their performances. This change, similar to that of the engine in a racing car, is of the utmost importance. Indeed, beyond the sails themselves, the crews will have to be on top of their game to adapt them to the boat as a whole. Like a chassis, they are going to have to adapt the tension of the rig to the sail forms according to the strength of the wind and the sea state. These fine, subtle adjustments are one of Groupama sailing team's strengths and notably that of Maxime Paul, who is unrivalled in his ability to find the perfect balance.

Logistically, the Tour de France à la Voile is a pretty weighty thing to manage. Not as tough as the Volvo Ocean Race obviously, but still, the event is trying for the sailors, who alternate between technical inshore courses and offshore races. In these conditions, material support must be provided, as much in terms of transport as the dietetics and the physique. With regards to the transport, Volvo Truck Bretagne is placing a towing vehicle at the team's disposal for the trailer. In terms of diet, Laetitia Brière will be at the stove, taking into account the tastes of each person, as well as and above all their nutritional needs. Meantime, Chloé Briand, masseuse and osteopath, has been supporting the crew since the start of the season and will provide welcome relief to their bodies, bruised by the long hours spent at sea, out on the rail or manoeuvring in what are sometimes tricky positions.

All set then, Groupama sailing team is now just waiting for one thing: the start of the race, which will set sail from Dunkirk on Saturday 5 July. And may the best crew win!

The crew of Groupama 34
1. Franck Cammas, helmsman and skipper in the Mediterranean
2. Fabien Henry, co-skipper in the English Channel, tactician and pitman
3. Tugdual Becquemie, helmsman in the English Channel
4. Tanguy Cariou, tactician
5. Julien Villion, navigator
6. Maxime Paul, helmsman and trimmer
7. Devan Le Bihan, trimmer
8. Arnaud Jarlegan, trimmer in the Mediterranean
9. Matthieu di Russo, trimmer in the English Channel
10. Louis Viat, trimmer
11. Christophe André, bowman
12. Malo Bessec, bowman