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Class C

Swiss Capsize Ends Title Fight • Franck Cammas & Louis Viat win the Little Cup

Franck Cammas : "we’re proud to bring the Little Cup back to France for our team, our fans, and for Groupama"

samedi 28 septembre 2013Redaction SSS [Source RP]

Toutes les versions de cet article : [English] [français]

For the first time in 7 days, Franck Cammas’ Groupama C had a case of ‘the slows’. And for the first time in 7 days, Billy Besson and Jeremie Lagarrigue aboard Hydros II beat Cammas to the starting line and to the top mark.

Their task wasn’t as difficult as it may sound ; Cammas and Viat didn’t even launch their boat, preferring to remain ashore in the gusty Easterly breeze. With a 2-0 lead in the Finals of the 2013 International C-Class Catamaran Championship and time running out for Besson, the Swiss team sailed without competitions, foiling upwind on the first leg of the race.

They bore away at the first mark of the 6-leg course, playing it conservatively in 15-18 knots of breeze when disaster struck.

“With Groupama sitting on shore, we made the mistake of perhaps taking it too easy,” explained Lagarrigue. “These boats are not designed to go slow, and when we set up for the gybe we stalled the rudders, and the rest is history.”

Lagarrigue said they would probably have been alright were it not for a big gust of wind hitting their massive wing at that moment.

“Billy jerked the rudders to get through the stall and broke the tiller, losing control at the most critical time,” said Lagarrigue.

Hydros II’s wing pitched over its now-submerged bows in a pitch-pole capsize, destroying most of the wing’s structure and further damaging the steering system while dozens of spectator craft looked on.

The team’s support crews quickly righted the boat, and Besson and Lagarrigue showed the strength of their spirit as they completed four more legs of the course with their wingsail disintegrating to pieces above them. Groupama finally made it onto the course as Hydros sailed through the finish line, to the applause of hundreds of onlookers on shore and on the water.

“What a shame to see it end like this,” said 2007 and 2010 Little Cup Champion Fred Eaton, who finished 6th overall at the 2013 event. “Jeremie and Billy showed they are true warriors today, and all of Team Canada is sad we didn’t get to see them battle it out with Groupama in breeze more suitable for their boat,” said Eaton.

Cammas was overjoyed to become the first French C-Class Champion in history, even though it came at the expense of long time friends Lagarrigue and Besson.

“These conditions are some of the toughest possible for a C-Class, and while we’re sad it ended this way for Billy and Jeremie, we’re proud to bring the Little Cup back to France for our team, our fans, and for Groupama,” Cammas said.

A complete News Release will follow tomorrow morning ; More news, interviews, photos, and video will follow later in the week. Please follow the International C-Class Facebook and Twitter pages (links below) for more content from the 2013 Little Cup and news about the next International C-Class Catamaran Championship.


Voir en ligne : Press info www.i-cccc.com


Overall Results :

  • 1 – Groupama C – Cammas/Viat
  • 2 – Hydros Lombard Odier I – Besson/Lagarrigue
  • 3 – Cogito – Guck/Kramers
  • 4 – Canaan – Gooderham/Pavey
  • 5 – Hydros Lombard Odier II – Heemskerk/Tentij
  • 6 – Fill Your Hands – Eaton/Clarke
  • 7 – Patient Lady VI – Bentemps/Gahinet
  • 8 – Aethon – Clark/Moore
  • 9 – Invictus – Phipps/Bader
  • 10 – Alpha – Patience/Aviles
  • 11 – Wild Horse – Cayola/Balieto


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