Normandy Sailing Week - Groupama ready for Le Havre action

by Groupama Sailing Team on 11 Jun 2014 For the second consecutive year, Franck Cammas and the crew of Groupama sailing team will tomorrow begin a week of races in Le Havre for Normandy Sailing Week. Aboard the M34 one-design, they'll be attempting to dominate proceedings once more as they battle against the other six competitors, some of whom will be their main rivals in the upcoming Tour de France à la Voile, the start of which will kick off in Dunkirk in July.

As the years pass, the passion remains the same, whether it be for Groupama, Normandy or Le Havre, which is playing host to the fine line-up of sailors throughout the week. At the helm of the Groupama boats for the past 17 years, the company's skipper cannot conceal his delight: 'Sailing and racing in the English Channel is always very tricky. There's a lot of current, it's often windy and there are always some almighty battles.'

Up against the reigning champion, one of the most notable rivals is the Dunkirk team managed by Daniel Souben, winner of the Spi Ouest France and second in the Grand Prix Guyader 2014 behind a certain Groupama 34. Other forces to be reckoned with include Oman Sail and Bretagne Crédit Mutuel.

Another appeal of Normandy Sailing Week for the M34s is the implementation of the one-design rule for the sails: 'For the first time we'll have identical sails. We're going to have to quickly adapt our strategy to these new regulations this year, whilst last year we'd developed our own sails within the context of the class measurement. It's a significant change,' the skipper of Groupama explains.

Though the technical course along the coast doesn't begin until Thursday, Tuesday 10 June will see the M34s set sail on a 200-mile offshore course in which they will have to negotiate course marks off Dieppe, Barfleur, the St Marcouf islands in the Cotentin and finally Omaha Beach, before returning to Le Havre to cross the finish line.

Alongside Franck Cammas, it's Julien Villion who will take up the role of navigator over this offshore course, which will require a great deal of concentration to evade the pitfalls created by the strong tidal currents and a potentially vanishing breeze. The rest of the crew will comprise the now familiar faces, the majority of which won last year's Tour de France à la Voile.

The crew of Groupama 34:
Franck Cammas
Julien Villion
Fabien Henry
Malo Bessec
Arnaud Jarlegan
Matthieu di Russo
Devan Le Bihan