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2006/07/01 - 18h30
A bright sunshine for Groupama 3
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| Christening of maxi trimaran Groupama 3 in Lorient, July 1st 2006 |
| A bright sunshine, a nice breeze and a great sea were there Saturday for the christening of maxi trimaran Groupama 3 in Lorient.
The ceremony was hosted by the very kind and professional Nelson Monfort. The public was composed by special guests, Groupama's
officials and a large number of spectators who preferred the spectacle to the beach, in spite of the hot weather.
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More than ever determined to open to large public, Team Groupama, in collaboration with Cap L'Orient, organized the Groupama
3 christening in the Lorient harbour next to the city centre. At 11:30am, the public was crowded on the docks for the opening
of the ceremony. A giant screen showed interviews and videos introducing the two years of research and construction, as well
as a guided tour inside the boat by the skipper itself. Images of the launch and of the first navigation off the Groix Island
also animated the screen.
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At exactly 12:15pm, the champagne bottle released by Isabelle Giordano, godmother, and Antoine Dénériaz, godfather, broke
on the bow of Groupama 3 central hull. A ceremony which made Franck Cammas and his team happy. As soon as next year, they
will embark on the maxi trimaran for sailing speed records attempts all around the word.
Quotes of the Groupama
3 skipper after a long session of autographs:
"The christening is a transition between a conceptual project and
the "true" life of the boat, its life on water. This ceremony is a significant moment! It is a good opportunity to thank all
the people who invest a lot of themselves in the construction of Groupama 3 and who made this project possible.
The choice
of the godmother, Isabelle Giordano, and of godfather, Antoine Dénériaz, was a personal one: Isabelle, for the cinema and
her stunning smile... Antoine, a great Olympic champion, for the mountains and his simplicity in spite of his exploit and
his gold medal in Turin."
Standing at the skipper's side, a happy godmother Isabelle Giordano: "I am
very happy to be the godmother of such a beautiful boat; happy to kick off this great adventure which will be filled with
exploits. Groupama 3 is a subtle mixture of immensity, gracefulness and lightness. Best of luck to Franck and his team!"
The
godfather, Antoine Dénériaz, gold medal-holder of downhill at the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin added: "It is a
great honour to be the godfather of Groupama 3 and a pleasure to meet Franck Cammas. Being both high level athletes, I realized
that we have a lot in common. Starting by the permanent search of performance, certainly different from sailing to skiing,
but which is very similar at the end. It is the first time that I see a boat of this size and I am really impressed by the
technology on board. I can't wait to see it navigate and to be on board with Franck; can't wait to know how it feels to sail
on such a boat."
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