Julbo, the French sports eyewear company and Franck Cammas, renowned offshore sailor, have joined forces to recruit a teammate who for a Cape Horn expedition on a F20 Nacra Carbon FCS. The challenge that will take place in November 2015 is not a trivial one.
What are the Julbo sessions? One pro, one amateur, one dream destination.
Carving along the Powder Highway in Canada on skis, hurtling down the slopes of the Acatanango volcano in Guatemala on a mountain bike, travelling across Hawaii on towering breakers, kitesurfing the waves of Tahiti: who never wanted to do that? Julbo has already made the dreams of many amateur enthusiasts come true by allowing them to experience and share their passion with one of the pro athletes from our team. Now it’s the turn of the “sailing set” for their challenge.
The skipper Franck Cammas
He has won the Route du Rhum, the Volvo Ocean Race and the “little America’s Cup”. Franck Cammas is also head of the French challenge, Groupama Team France, for the 35th Americas Cup, which will be held on 48ft foiling catamarans in Bermuda in 2017. This talented sailor, nicknamed the “little Mozart of sailing”, spends more time on a boat than ashore. When Julbo, who have been with him as a kit supplier for over 17 years, proposed realising one of his dreams, Cammas already had some thoughts: “I have three dreams, the first was realised; it was to win the Volvo Ocean Race. The second is to do the America’s Cup, and we are actively working on that with my team. My third dream is to round the Horn on a flying catamaran.”
For Julbo, the theme of this year’s Sail Session was set. It will be an expedition to Cape Horn in a Nacra F20 Carbon FCS.
The teammate: this is where the adventure becomes extraordinary
Julbo and Franck Cammas have decided to recruit a teammate who will win a place on this challenge on the edge the world after a contest.
The challenge that will take place in November 2015 is not a trivial one. Candidates should therefore demonstrate a strong background in sport catamarans or dinghy sailing. Candidates are invited to apply at https://www.julbo-eyewear.com/en/quizz/sail-session, before September, their nautical CV and a video presentation combining a face to camera interview and images of them sailing.
Franck Cammas and Julbo will select the most suitable people, who will then be invited to a training session in Lorient in September.
The challenge: to round the Horn in flying catamaran and dock there
That is easier said than done. The adventure will begin well before. The first challenge will be the logistics of transporting the Nacra F20 Carbon FCS to Puerto Williams in Chile. The weather will also be important in this challenge on the edge of the world. The land of fire is regularly swept by storms coming up from Antarctica and the Furious Fifties.
From Puerto Williams, the expedition will head to Puerto Toro. This village of about 50 people is the southernmost city of the world (excluding research stations). It is located 3875 km from the South Pole. It is also the only village to be located below the 55th parallel.
The Nacra F20 Carbon FCS and its support boat will then sail to an anchorage near the Horn to prepare for the passage round the famous cape where the Pacific and Atlantic meet. The duo of Franck Cammas and his teammate will travel a total of nearly 100 nautical miles by flying catamaran in the freezing waters of Patagonia.
Cammas and his crew will not be content to simply round the legendary rock. Once the sporting challenge is accomplished, the human adventure will take over on foot and they will land on the rock of the Horn and go and meet the lighthouse keeper and his family.
The challenge in numbers
Recruitment of the teammate from July 1 to September 1
Testing for the five finalists in September 2015 in Lorient
10 days of adventure in the channels of Patagonia in November 2015
100 nautical miles
The Nacra F20 Carbon FCS: 6.20m long
Top speed: 30 knots (almost 55 km/h)
