Franck Cammas

CO-SKIPPER CHARAL

Born in Aix-en-Provence, he started optimist training courses in Marseille and then started racing. A good student, with a career in the merchant navy in mind, he decided to turn to ocean racing. He went up to Port-La-Forêt in Brittany, to join the famous offshore racing center and in 1997, at the age of 24, he won the Solitaire du Figaro. A year later, he helmed his first trimaran named after his sponsor Groupama, with which he won the Transat Jacques-Vabre twice: in 2001 and in 2003.

These victories were followed by numerous successes and records in multihulls, ORMAs, maxi-trimarans and Ultims.

While he was co-skipper of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, the Ultim of the Gitana ocean racing team, he participated in the design of the new Manuard design, Charal 2, Jérémie Beyou's second hydrofoil IMOCA, which has the ambition of winning the next Vendée Globe. Following Jérémie Beyou's 3rd place in the last Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe, Franck and his crew made the return trip and sailed 558 miles in 24 hours, a record for an IMOCA 60. He is now co-skipper of Jérémie Beyou for the next double-handed races of the IMOCA GLOBE SERIES circuit.