Franck Cammas

Cammas is a star in the sailing world thanks to a career bursting with world records and historic offshore sailing victories in events such as the Transat Jacques Vabre, the Route du Rhum and the ORMA trimaran world championships.

It’s easy to see why Cammas was picked to lead France’s first entry into the Volvo Ocean Race since Eric Tabarly’s La Poste competed in the 1993-94 Whitbread Round the World Race.

It was a decision that was well rewarded. After a three year campaign alongside sponsors Groupama, Cammas brought the team to victory. Such was their success, the team finished outside of the podium positions just once in nine legs.

Cammas was born 1972 in Aix-en-Provence to parents Elaine and Yves, both teachers, before the family moved to Marseille.

Like many youngsters growing up in France, a country that holds sailing on the same level as major sports like football and rugby, Cammas learnt to sail as a child, taking to the waters of Marseille’s Vieux Port in an Optimist dinghy.

Two years of studying maths followed on from general education but the call of the sea was too much for the young Cammas, and so he began what was to become one of the most glittering sailing careers of recent times.

In 1997, at the age of 24, Cammas announced his arrival on the offshore sailing world stage with a win in the Figaro du Solitaire, a 1,600-mile race around Europe, beating many of France’s best solo sailors in the process.

Famed for his success in multihulls, Cammas decided to take his career down a different path in 2009, announcing a switch to monohulls for a shot at winning the Volvo Ocean Race.

He is known for his perfectionism and ruthless single-minded drive and determination. Crew members have learnt that he’s not a man to crack jokes with. “Perfect is never good enough", Groupama crew member Damian Foxall once recalled. “It’s that demand for excellence and it has helped us all raise our game.” As of 2017 Cammas was involved in the America's Cup as a skipper for Groupama Team France.

A recipient of the prestigious Legion d’Honneur, Cammas also loves mountaineering and cycling, famously finding time before the start of the 2011 race to complete the Etape du Tour.