The 70th edition of the Bol d’Or Mirabaud regatta presented by Girard-Perregaux has just ended with a victory by Franck Cammas. Accompanied by a young crew from the Lake Geneva region, the skipper from Aix-en-Provence once again demonstrated his superiority in the multihull category.

Just behind him, Michel Vaucher took second place overall in an M2, followed by the Décision 35 multihulls Alinghi and Romandie.com.

The Team Parmigiani skipper proved with this exceptional ranking that size isn’t everything and that a win in the Bol d’Or Mirabaud is an attainable possibility for these little 28-footers that can go like

The people who
make the «Bol d’Or»
Franck Cammas

«Disarming eyes and a predatory smile» is how a female competitor has described the latest winner of the Bol d’Or Mirabaud. As the anecdote illustrates, Franck makes a strong impression with his personality and manner. Far removed from the lumberjack dimensions of sailors
like Lionel Lemonchois or François Joyon, Franck’s unimposing size can be surprising. Hard to believe that this slender young man measuring one metre seventy and weighing barely more
than sixty kilos is one of the most talented and respected offshore racers in the world. Currently the record holder
for the North Atlantic crossing, among other accomplishments,
he has a racing history to humble any of Brittany’s blue water sailors.

Born in 1972 in Aix-en-Provence, Franck studied science before dedicating himself fully to sailing. There was nothing to suggest that this Mediterranean native would become the skipper he is today. Yet in 1994 he won the Challenge Espoir Crédit-Agricole, a victory that opened the door for his single-handed racing career. His reputation was firmly established in 1997 when he finished first in the Figaro in front of Dominique Wavre, Marc Guessard, Alain Gautier and Michel Desjoyeaux. Dubbed «The Little Prince» or «Mozart», he made racing history by winning this most demanding of single-handed races at only age 24. One year later he was given

a «ride» and took the helm of his first Groupama trimaran, with which he finished 3rd in the 1998 Route du Rhum.

Since then he has acquired an incalculable number of racing titles. His competition history is presented like that of a boxer: 56 races, 49 podiums and 29 victories. His most notable achievements are probably his first place in the Quebec-Saint Malo race in 2000, his wins in the Transat Jacques-Vabre in 2001, 2003 and 2007, his recent North Atlantic crossing record of 4 days, 3 hours and 57 minutes, and of course this year’s victory in the Bol d’Or Mirabaud with Zebra 7 – Girard-Perregaux.

As a renowned multihull specialist, Cammas was approached several months ago by the BMW Oracle Racing team from the USA in preparation for the coming America’s Cup. Hired as a consultant, he brings his exceptional experience to a crew that is more accustomed to single-hulled boats. Some even think he could be the challenger’s future helmsman alongside Russell Coutts.

The «Bol d’Or»
racing boats
The Décision 35

Since its inception in 2004 the Décision 35 class has become a benchmark in the sailboat world, particularly for one-design racing. Multihull racing on Lake Geneva began to lose steam soon after
the turn of the 21st century as a handful of boat owners
engaged in an ever more absurd arms race while the others lost interest in pouring colossal sums into sailboats with a limited programme of regattas.

Initial discussions on a new, identical multihull class were already held in Auckland at the beginning of Alinghi’s victorious campaign. The idea continued to germinate in the minds
of the protagonists. The Formula 40 hecatomb during the 2003 Bol d’Or finally convinced everyone of the necessity of finding a new concept. Soon afterwards, an agreement in principle was signed amongst
several boat owners and blueprints were drawn up.
A design team composed