Diam 24 - Full marks for Groupama 24 at the Mult'yco

by Vincent Borde on 27 May 2015 This was the fourth event of the season for the Diam 24s and Groupama 24 dominated again. The crew, made up of Pierre Pennec, Quentin Ponroy and Romain Moteau in the absence of Franck Cammas, who is racing the Nacra 17 in Medemblick, and Arnaud Jarlegan, scored bullets in nine of the twelve races contested between Bénodet and the Glénan Islands. A promising result with six weeks to go till the start of the Tour de France à la Voile.

Having been selected for the Olympic Games (Sydney) in the Tornado, Pierre Pennec loves the multihull and its clear that the feeling is mutual. Recruited by Groupama sailing team at the start of the year, the sailor from La Rochelle has quickly melted into the group, bringing with him enthusiasm, determination and talent. The only one of the five crew who take it in turns to sail aboard Groupama 24 over the three-week Tour not to leave the boat, Pierre Pennec occupies a central role in the team:

'We have a fine team, whatever the chosen crew configuration. For the Mult'Yco, after four intense days of training in Port la Forêt, it was our first race with Romain Moteau. And it's safe to say that it went well, very well even. Beyond the racing on the water, we also enjoyed some very fine moments back on land, being professional but also happy to be together'.

This mindset is important for the Tour:

'Three weeks is long and exhausting. Between the coastal courses, the stadium races, the assembly and dismantling of the boat and finally the distance that needs to be covered to reach each of the stages, it's going to be stimulating. In these conditions, you need to get on well back on shore and very quickly find your bearings as the sporting level will be high. The three crew combinations we have are efficient (Cammas - Pennec - Jarlegan / Pennec - Ponroy - Jarlegan / Pennec - Ponroy - Moteau) and very uniform, as much in terms of weight as mobility and muscle tone'.

With a final race on the schedule in three weeks' time in Le Havre for the Normandy Sailing Week, the crew of Groupama 24 will have one last opportunity to train:

'Nothing beats racing to progress. In Le Havre, we'll be able to get one last rehearsal in with the two crew configurations where Franck will be absent. It's a fine race zone where there is often a swell and a big chop, which is pretty similar to the one we'll encounter in the first part of the Tour,' concludes Pennec.

In the meantime, Groupama 24 will be kitted out in her new livery, which is reminiscent of that of her two big sisters, Groupama C and Groupama 45.