Interview with Franck Cammas
Everyday relations with Groupama:


Partnership:

Franck Cammas :
“Above all, it’s about loyalty. We began a long time ago: it’s been more than 11 years now. Projects then were smaller than they are today. Every year we grew together, me in the sport and Groupama in the scale of its sponsorship for the boats. Today, we have a really big yacht, Groupama 3, and Groupama has gone on to increase its international footprint. We now take Groupama boats around the world while Groupama the company spans the globe in a different way.”

Everyday relations with Groupama:

Franck Cammas :
“First and foremost, it’s about mutual trust. I feel we listen a lot to what each other has to say: we set out our sporting goals. Groupama clarifies its ambitions and challenges in terms of sponsorship and sailing. They have a clear understanding of the challenges we face—with respect to the sport and to being at sea—and have always tried to get involved at the earliest possible stage and handle crisis situations effectively... and there have been many. Groupama has always been there when it counts, while the team and I know the importance of sponsorship, particularly in terms of image and reputation.”


Franck Cammas
Route des Filiales:

“The Route des Filiales was a high point because for once we could really show our boats to Groupama employees, even those who work some distance from the head office in Paris. It was an interesting opportunity to learn more about our culture. We also had the chance to sail around the Mediterranean, which was great for the crew and even more appealing since we could share a few memorable seafaring moments with the Groupama team, who really got to see the scale and scope of what we do.”

Franck Cammas
Jules Verne Trophy:

“Obviously, we aim to do well. We try to leave nothing to chance and focus on areas crucial to a successful round-the-world race. This means carefully monitoring weather forecasts before setting off and reviewing the latest data in detail to make sure we get underway when the time is right. The rest of the work was done before setting off, with a tight-knit crew that has sailed together since the start of the year, navigating different seas, focusing on different records. As a result, we are starting with real peace of mind and are really keen to get underway together—that’s important—and of course we are determined to finish the race this year, after having to pull out last time. So we’ll be going all the way, and doing it as fast as possible!”



Franck Cammas
Volvo Ocean Race:

“Naturally, it’s an amazing experience and a real sign of faith in the crew on the part of a sponsor, committing to such an undertaking, which can be so unpredictable—a circumnavigation is never a sure thing. It’s an adventure: you just don’t know how things are going to turn out. Groupama has set itself apart from other sponsors by renewing its faith in us from the outset. That gives us a real boost and makes us even more determined to do well in the round-the-world event, as well as in the long term, as Groupama has always done! I feel they really understand the challenges we face, what the sport involves and the importance of working in confidence. The long-term approach, starting projects early on, allows us to achieve better results and work with a solid team—that is something really important in ensuring overall performance. I see this as a marvellous adventure that is both ongoing and starting afresh, because there’s a new challenge involved in competing against other types of boat, with monohulls. It’ll be new to us and we’ll be approaching the event with the same sense of team spirit and the same solid relations with our partner—that’s really important.”