Franck Cammas - Skipper

Number of participations in the Volvo Ocean Race: 0 

Jacques Caraës - Back-up media crew member

Born on 19^th August 1959 - Lives in Lannilis (France, Finistère)

Number of participations in the Volvo Ocean Race: 1

"I know Jacques very well through having done several Jules Vernes with him, even though only one got all the way round. He's someone who is extremely solid, who's already done several round the worlds and who, added to that, is always pleasant on a boat."

Franck Cammas

Track record

• 2010: Co-holder of the Jules Verne Trophy - Groupama 3

• 2005: Co-holder of the Jules Verne Trophy - Orange 2

• 2001: The Race - Club Med (1st)

• 1993-1994: Whitbread - La Poste (3rd)

• 1987: America's Cup - Challenge France

• 1983: America's Cup - France III

One for all and all for one

"Having once had the experience, I know that this race makes men physically and mentally exhausted. The teams who retain the same composition throughout the race programme are rare. The replacements bring good humour and freshness, as well as strengthening the harmony and solidarity within the Team. As far as I'm concerned, I know a fair number of the guys in the team, even though I haven't always sailed with them."

At the front or behind the scenes

"I'm more used to being the protagonist on deck manoeuvring as I'm a specialist of the foredeck. Although it's frustrating on a maritime level, it's a good thing to have a dedicated media person. The Volvo boats have become so extreme that I don't mind distancing myself from the foredeck. However racing is wearing for everyone, including the media man. It'll be a welcome feature for there to be two of us supporting each other in this role."

An ambitious project

"The French are returning to the Volvo Ocean Race after all these years and are doing battle with the `cream' of international sailing: it's a very bold move because the level of the adversaries is very high. Franck Cammas is tackling it all with a lot of professionalism, as per usual with him!" 

Charles Caudrelier - Helmsman / trimmer / navigator

and in charge of performance

Born on 26^th February 1974 - Lives in La Forêt Fouesnant (France, Finistère)

Number of participations in the Volvo Ocean race: 0 

"I've known Charles for a very long time; we even lived in the same house for two years! He's someone who performs extremely well, as was proven in his victory in the Figaro and he is highly motivated about getting involved in this project."

Franck Cammas

Track Record 

• 2010: Tour d'Espagne (Tour of Spain) - Safran (1st)

• 2009: Transat Jacques Vabre - Safran (1st)

• 2005: Tour de France à la Voile - Marseille (2nd)

• 2004: Solitaire du Figaro - Bostik (1st)

The Volvo Ocean Race

"It's a race which fired my inspiration when I was young. It's the best there is in crewed ocean racing and being able to participate is a real privilege. I've sailed with Franck a great deal before. My profile appealed to him. That helped me because, as a Frenchman who's only done solo sailing, it would have been very difficult to integrate an Anglo-Saxon team."

The Groupama team

"It's a race which fired my inspiration when I was young. It's the best there is in crewed ocean racing and being able to participate is a real privilege. I've sailed with Franck a great deal before. My profile appealed to him. That helped me because, as a Frenchman who's only done solo sailing, it would have been very difficult to integrate an Anglo-Saxon team."

Round the world naval officer

"My training as an officer in the merchant navy comes in useful everyday. Technically I trained as an engineer, which helps me in the domains of electrics, electronics and mechanics. I also learnt to sail by dead reckoning, which gives me the chance to get away from the boat's GPS indicators. In my capacity as back-up navigator, I'm in charge of the calibration, which means gathering the performance data measured on board. You then have to group the data together and study it so as to be able to compare the trimming and improve the boat's performance. It's a long and necessary job, but fortunately there are some people onshore who help me with it." 

Thomas Coville - Helmsman / trimmer /

in charge of the keel and hydraulics 

Track record :

• 2010 : Route du Rhum - La Banque Postale (3rd) - Sodebo

• 2010 : Co-holder of the Jules Verne Trophy - Groupama 3

• 2007 : Solo North Atlantic record holder (5 days 19 hours 29 minutes and 20 seconds) - Sodebo

• 2004 : The Transat Plymouth-Boston (2nd)

• 2001-2002 : Volvo Ocean Race - DJuice (6th)

• 1999 : Transat Jacques Vabre (1st) 

Naval battle

 "During my participation on DJuice in 2002, I remember the pressure of the group and the intensity of the racing that I'd never experienced before. Throughout the entire event, we were racing neck and neck with the others. Ultimately, in the Volvo Ocean Race, it's the length of the event that is the most frightening aspect. The most difficult thing will be maintaining the level of excellence required by Franck for nine months. That's what I fear the most: having to manage energy levels and the physical and mental states throughout the duration and the distance of the event."

Crew cohesion

"In the Volvo Ocean Race, in order to get a couple of miles ahead, you have to fight hard and really give it your all. As watch leader, you ask a lot from the sailors. Between the fatigue, the technical issues, the affinities... things can easily jam up. Ultimately it's the human element, the cohesion between people and the respect between people on shore as well as on the water, which will ensure that in the end all these stumbling blocks are managed and accepted. That's what happened on Groupama 3. All the personalities and individualities were completely smoothed out in the service of a single project, a single boat and a single victory. It's exactly this atmosphere that I'm keen to rediscover whilst sailing with Franck. It's rare in a sailor's life to achieve such a perfect set-up. And as Franck has managed to construct it, I am keen to experience it again."

You never know

"I've dreamt about it since I was 16 years of age. For me, the Whitbread was a combination of confronting the Anglo-Saxons and the rest of the world and setting off on an adventure. Each stage represented a discovery and a voyage in its own right. Today, as professional sportsmen, our job is to limit the adventure. Nevertheless, however hard you work to limit the adventure, there will always be an element of uncertainty and risk. That's what makes the challenge exciting."

A family adventure

Damian Foxall - Helmsman / trimmer and crew manager

 Born on 7^th March 1969 - Lives in Lorient (France, Morbihan)

"Damian Foxall is the most French of Anglophones. Each time he's part of a project, the latter often wins, so it's better to have him with us rather than against us."

Franck Cammas

Track record

• 2008-2009: Volvo Ocean Race - Green Dragon (5th)

• 2007: Barcelona World Race - Paprec-Virbac (1st)

• 2006: Archipelago Raid (1st)

• 2005-2006: Volvo Ocean Race - Ericsson (5th)

• 2004: K Challenge America's Cup

• 2003/2004: Winner of the Jules Verne Trophy aboard Cheyenne.

• 2001-2002: Volvo Ocean Race - TYCO (4th)

• 1997: Solitaire du Figaro (1st rookie, 9th overall)

A Challenge

"To join in the Volvo Ocean Race is a real challenge and that's what motivates me. If it was easy, everyone would do it. However, for me, the greatest challenge remains working effectively as a team, driving the boat at 100% of its potential at every stage, with very little time during the stopovers. What's difficult is the fatigue which accumulates after 7-8 months. At the end you know that you've done a circumnavigation of the globe."

The crew

"There will be eleven of us aboard and fourteen in the team. This enables us to have a bit more leeway in the event of a problem. From the start of the project, I've been involved in the selection of the crew with Franck and Laurent. It was necessary to define the expertise we wanted to see within the team."

The Groupama Touch

"The team will be able to reach its maximum. It has everything it needs in terms of time to achieve its goals. Added to that it has considerable experience of the ocean, which is a real bonus in a team that has never participated in the Volvo Ocean Race before. One of the benefits for me of being in a French team, based in Lorient, is that I can go to work in the car rather than in a plane!"

Erwan Israël - Trimmer / helmsman / inshore manoeuvres

and in charge of Safety

 Born on 14^th October 1980 - Lives in Paris (France, Paris)

"Erwan is an excellent racer. He's young and French too and I hope he will race some of the legs. There are only a few French sailors in this domain so it's also our role to train them in the Volvo Ocean Race." 

Franck Cammas

Track record

• 2009: Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice - TFS Pages-Jaunes

• 2009: Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland - K-Challenge

• 2008: World match racing championship (2nd)

• 2007: Cap Istanbul - Figaro Défi Mousquetaires (4th)

• 2007: Tour de France à la Voile - TPM COYCH (1st)

• 2006: Solitaire du Figaro - Delta Dore (3rd rookie, 21st overall)

At the Volvo school

"I've never done the Volvo Ocean Race and I don't doubt that it will be a difficult race. The boats are powerful and constantly pushed to perform at 100%. What I'm most afraid of is the ambient humidity. We mustn't let ourselves be overwhelmed by the big seas on deck. However, for the time being, I'm having a ball! Each sea trial is exhilarating. The boat quickly reaches impressive speeds for a monohull. The participation of a French team will enable young French sailors to be trained up for the Volvo Ocean Race. I'm happy to be one of those. I don't know what the future holds but I'd certainly like to continue with this type of racing."

On the road

"The most difficult thing during the next two years will be being away from my family. We'll be dotted about the four corners of the globe, constantly focused on the race. However, it'll also be an opportunity to share some fabulous moments with them."

The specialist

"I've done a lot of match racing, especially in the America's Cup, with teams who have a very high level. I think it's this slightly unusual profile which worked in my favour during my selection for the Groupama team: a mixture of offshore and racing."

Philip Harmer - Helmsman / trimmer / pitman and master sailmaker

Born on 26^th June 1979 - Lives in the Hamble (United Kingdom)

Number of participations in the Volvo Ocean Race: 2

"Phil is a specialist in sails and manoeuvres. A very good trimmer he's also a master sailmaker, which is an essential skill to have in the crew."

Franck Cammas

Track record

• 2010: Tour de France à la Voile - Oman Sail (5th)

• 2008-2009: Volvo Ocean Race - Green Dragon (5th)

• 2005-2006: Volvo Ocean Race -Brunel (7th)

• 2000: Louis Vuitton Cup / America's Cup - Young Australia (10th)

The Volvo Ocean Race

"For me this race is a real challenge from a physical as well as a mental point of view, to the extent that the race changes you. From a personal point of view, this edition promises to be quite different for me. I now have a wife and baby so safety is going to be of even greater concern aboard."

Integrating the Groupama team

"I got lucky! It's down to Damian Foxall that I'm here. We sailed together aboard Green Dragon during the last edition of the Volvo Ocean Race. Last May, he called me to come and sail aboard Groupama 70 and I've been here ever since! Even though I've had some other offers, I don't want to leave. All the work that has gone into the sails, not to mention the integration of families, is fantastic. To date, no other team could do better."

What is the French Touch?

"Cheese and coffee!!! Seriously though, it's a great experience, with the possibility of learning a new language and the opportunity to sail with new people. I had the pleasure of sailing with Jean-Luc Nélias during the last stage of the VOR 2008 - 2009 and he made such a good first impression on me that I'm very happy to be back with him in the team."

Martin Krite - Bowman and boat captain

Born on 8^th December 1980 - Lives in Lund (Sweden)

Number of participations in the Volvo Ocean Race: 1

"Martin never complains and is very tough. As a Swede, he's not afraid of the cold or the sea spray. Pleasant, always positive, hard-working and courageous, he forms part of the crew of under-thirties who have experience."

Franck Cammas 

Track record

• 2008-2009: Volvo Ocean Race - Ericsson 3 (4th)

• 2000-2006: America's Cup - Victory Challenge

The Volvo Ocean Race

"For me, the Volvo Ocean Race is the greatest challenge a sailor can take up. I hope we'll get better results this time. That's my aim and I believe that Groupama stands a very good chance of victory in the next edition."

Hard, hard to be up forward

"I'm the bowman and apparently there aren't many candidates for the role. There are few bowmen who are experienced because they retire from the position for the most part. The bowman works on the boat's foredeck. Indeed I position myself in the path of the waves so the guys in the cockpit can stay in the dry! My role consists of changing the sails, preparing them and, if need be, climbing the mast."

Sailor and pastor

"Religion is important to me. I have a personal faith and that influences my everyday life, not solely when I'm at sea. However, I'm in the team as a sailor and not as a pastor. If one of the guys wishes to have a discussion with me about this, I'll be happy to answer any questions they may have. However, I don't want to impose my beliefs on them."

Brad Marsh - Bowman and in charge of the rigging

 Born on 3rd September 1983 - Lives in Auckland (New Zealand)

"Brad has recently arrived in the team. He was a member of Ericsson 3's shore crew so he hasn't sailed in the race. However, he's an enthusiastic sailor who will work in a complicated and at times dangerous position, where he'll need courage and I think he has that."

Franck Cammas

Track record

• 2007-2009: Volvo Ocean Race - Ericsson Racing Team (Shore crew)

• 2006-2007: Louis Vuitton Trophy - Team New Zealand (Round Robins)

The Volvo Ocean Race with Groupama

"I joined the team when Groupama bought Ericsson 4. I came to Lorient to help them with the handover of the boat and I integrated the project as a member of the shore crew. They recently asked me to become a member of the sailing team. It's a radical change for me and something I'm very happy about."

The French Team

"I was very enthusiastic at the idea of discovering the French aspect of ocean racing as well as French culture. The way a project is managed is so different. The French concentrate a great deal on the detail; they're extremely focused. It's very interesting to be able to witness it from the inside and to learn alongside people like Franck Cammas."

Like a fish in water

"Aboard the boat I'm a bowman like Martin Krite. In terms of position on the boat, I'm often on the foredeck, which is also the wettest part of the boat. At the end of the Volvo Ocean Race, there's a distinct possibility that my lungs will be transformed into branchiae, because you're constantly soaked."

Sébastien Marsset - Trimmer / pitman - deck hardware and safety

 Born on 15^th December 1984 - Lives in Nantes (France, Loire-Atlantique)

"Seb came to us with a CV which may not be very long, but his attitude and motivation are excellent for the team. He started out working with the shore crew and during a few sea trials proved that he was motivated, as well as performing increasingly well in the manoeuvres and boat management."

Franck Cammas

Track record

• 2009: Marie-Agnès Péron Trophy - Mini 6.50 (2nd)

• 2009: Chrono 6.50 - Mini 6.50 (3rd)

• 2008: UK Fastnet - Mini 6.50 (1st)

• 2006: Select 6.50 - Mini 6.50 (14th)

The Volvo Ocean Race

"It's a circumnavigation of the globe which in itself is not insignificant. It's a competition with a compelling human story. Whether it is within the shore team or the sailing team, it's going to be rich. In an inshore position, I'm chief wincher. I coordinate the people on the grinders and the ratios in which you use the grinders and winches. In an offshore position, the work will vary between that of a pitman and a trimmer; these two posts being fairly similar."

Sébastien, the younger

"I was working on Groupama 3 as a technician on the nets. At the same moment the Volvo project came up, so I applied as I fell within the under-thirty ruling. Of course I'm the youngest of the team, but age doesn't have too many repercussions between us. What's evident is that I have to learn from the others and try to absorb their experiences. Ultimately I'm becoming fairly well integrated and haven't had to endure any ragging! They say that I'm the sportiest amongst us, but like the others I'm doing training with our physical préparateur, Santi. After that it's true that I have to practise a sport at least once a day to unwind."

Jean-Luc Nélias - Navigator

 Born on 8^th June 1962 - Lives in Quimper (France, Finistère)

Track record

• 2005 : Calais Round BritainRace/ Sill and Véolia (1st)

• 2003 : Transat Jacques Vabre/ skipper BELGACOM (2nd)

• 2003 : Grand Prix de Fécamp/ skipper BELGACOM (1st)

• 2000 : Championnat Orma/ skipper BELGACOM (4th)

• 1999 : Tour de France à la voile and Tour de Bretagne à la voile (1st)

• 1988 : Transat Québec -St-Malo/Elf Aquitaine (1st)

The Volvo Ocean Race

"It's a race that has always had a bearing in my life, but it was hard to access as there weren't many French sailors doing it. I'd applied to Anglo-Saxon teams several times by email, but never with any success. Then, during the last edition, I had the opportunity to do the leg between Stockholm and Saint Petersburg on Green Dragon."

Integrating the Groupama Team

Navigator or documentalist

"I'm the navigator aboard. As a result I spend a lot of time down below working with the computers to gather weather information and simulate the boat's trajectory. I prepare several scenarios, and once the documenting work is done, we discuss it with Franck. Together we define a strategy but when it comes to making a decision, he has the final word."

Yann Riou - Media Crew Member

 Born on 20th February 1974 - Lives in Lomener (France, Morbihan)

"It was necessary to have a very good sailor in the role of media man as you have to be familiar with living and working on this type of boat. Yann's offshore sessions aboard the Groupama trimarans and in the Mini mean that he has the appropriate profile."

Franck Cammas

Track record

• 2009: Mini Fastnet (1st)

• 2008: Mini Fastnet (1st)

• 2008: Spi Ouest France - Open 750 with F.Cammas (2nd)

• 2007: Mini Fastnet (1st)

• 2006: Spi Ouest France - Open 750 (1st)

The Volvo Ocean Race? But yes, of course!

On board paparazzi

"The role of media man essentially consists of taking shots, videos first and foremost, making an initial edit, selecting the shots and sending them off to the organisation and the communication team so the images can be used and broadcast. That's my primary role aboard. Several minor elements come on top of that: the preparation of the food - the boat's official cook, the small domestic chores - an extreme cleaning operative!"

Martin Strömberg - Trimmer

Born on 3^rd April 1982 - Lives in Gothenburg (Sweden)

Number of participations in the Volvo Ocean Race: 1

"Martin has a big build and that's definitely something we need on the boat. He's someone who is very calm and at the same time very rigorous, who does his job very well."

Franck Cammas

Track record

• 2008-2009: Volvo Ocean Race - Ericsson 3 (4th)

• 2007: IMS Swedish National (2nd)

• 2006-2007: America's Cup - BMW Oracle Racing (Master sailmaker)

• 2004: Volvo Baltic Race - VO 60 Sony Ericsson (1st)

• 2004: ISAF Student World Championship (1st)

A dream

"Aboard the boat I'm a trimmer / pitman. For me doing the Volvo Ocean Race is a challenge. It's also a long-held dream I've had, which took shape for the first time during the last edition of the race."

Groupama compared to another team

Franck Cammas

The Ikea team

"There are two of us Swedes aboard. We don't speak much French but we communicate in English. One amusing thing is that when all two of us are on watch, the others have christened it the "Ikea watch"!!

Bruno Jeanjean - Replacement navigator / Bowman

Born on 2 September 1962  - Lives in Palavas-les-Flots (France, Hérault)

Number of participations in the Volvo Ocean Race: 0

 « Bruno is a competent, motivated and enthusiastic man. He always wears a smile and he’s easy to get along with: it’s very pleasant to have him aboard because in addition to his skills, he brings a positive feel to the boat »

Franck Cammas

Track record

• 2010: Co-holder of the Jules Verne Trophy - Groupama 3

• 2007: Co-holder of the Miami-New York record - Groupama 3

• 1994 : World Match Racing Champion

• 1987/1992/1996: America’s Cup

Groupama 2, Groupama 3 and Groupama 4

« I’m a native of Palavas-les-Flots, a small village next to Montpellier, southern France, and today I’m the director of its port. Since 2005 I’ve put myself at the disposal of Groupama during my free time. With Groupama 2 we’ve experienced some very fine victories. I also took part in getting Groupama 3 into operation and formed part of the crew which won the Jules Verne Trophy in 2010. Today, on Groupama 4, I’m a replacement crew on the boat’s foredeck. »

Groupama: a trademark

Groupama sailing team: one big family