Posts tagged ‘Groupama Team France’

Jun 4

Au revoir

No not another ode to Yann or a post on Patrick Bauer’s potential move back to Germany, but more on the Americas Cup which continues to be the talk of the island.

Saturday saw the end of the Round Robin Americas Cup Qualifiers which meant that the French team had to exit the competition. Groupama Team France and Jose Mourinho look-a-like Franck Cammas over acheived and made a lot of friends during their stay here but after eight defeats but two suprising wins, they finished bottom of the 1st Round standings and will play no further part in the 35th Americas Cup. Although Cammas has said the team will stay and provide practice competition for the now idle Team Oracle.

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May 28

Ship ahoy

Shiver me timbers. Sorry that’s a pirate term, but still…. I have been very lucky to attend a lot of the biggest sporting events, and I have to tell you that the opening day of the 35th Americas Cup will join the list of very memorable days out, and up there with the Masters, The Open, Ashes test matches, Wimbledon and Olympic events.

The Americas Cup village, built on land that wasn’t even there a year ago, was immaculate and beautifully presented. More than 10,000 people, a sixth of the island’s population, watched the first day’s sail boat racing from various viewpoints and the excitement was plain to see and hear. In Bermuda election year I just wish the politicians would stop trying to score points off each other, and accept that this little island is going to experience something very special and create memories long lasting over these next 6 weeks.

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May 25

Americas Cup 2017 teams – Groupama Team France

One of the last arrivals to Bermuda were the French team Groupama. Team France got here in March and are rank outsiders to win the 35th Americas Cup after finishing a distant last in the preceding World Series event. The team is skippered by 44-year old Frenchman Franck Cammas, who has an impressive sailing CV but will compete in his first ever Americas Cup. Cammas is also an accomplished piano player and skier and has been sailing since he was 10.

Cammas developed the Groupama Team with Michel Desjoyeaux and Olivier de Kersauson in an attempt to take the Americas Cup back to France for the first time.

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