Team France Will Get Oracle’s Design for America’s Cup Yacht
TEAM FRANCE WILL SAIL AN AC45 FROM ORACLE TEAM USA IN THE AMERICA’S CUP WORLD SERIES, AND NOW THEY WILL GET OTUSA’S DESIGN FOR THE 48′ AMERICA’S CUP CLASS.
Clarification, 8 April 2015, from Oracle: “Oracle Team USA is planning to make a design package available to any team that wants it. Details are being worked out. It isn’t yet advanced enough to say whether Team France or anyone else will take it.”
Comment from your editor, Jack Griffin: It looks like there was a misunderstanding between Team France and OTUSA.
Oracle Team USA will provide their America’s Cup Class yacht design to Team France and will collaborate with the French challenge. Interviewed by Patrick Roger on French radio Europe 1 on Monday 6 April 2015, Team France leader Franck Cammas said, “Oracle has decided to share their design and to collaborate with Team France.”
But he also said they have not yet found their funding. He estimates the budget at € 7 million per year – a reasonable amount in the eyes of French sponsors for sailing.
On the other hand, at the beginning of the interview, he says he is at the base of “Groupama Team France” and refers to Groupama as his long time sponsor.
“We’ll be sure to have the best boat, if we compete.” — Franck Cammas
Franck Cammas on the America’s Cup – interview excerpts
Listen to entire interview (in French) below.
Patrick Roger: “…sur la recherche de financement, vous avez réussi ou pas? Combien d’argent manque-t-il encore?”
Franck Cammas: “On n’a pas réussi. On vous dira tout de suite quand on aura réussi. On est en train de faire cette nouvelle propositiion avec ces nouvelles données.”
PR: “C’est quoi la fourchette, pour qu’on comprenne bien ? Est-ce-que ça coûte vraiment très cher de se lancer dans cette aventure ou pas ? C’est quel budget à peu près ?”
FC: “Aujourd’hui c’est sept million par an pour faire la Coupe de l’America et pour être en position de la gagner. En plus, on a une bonne nouvelle, c’est que les américains d’Oracle ont décidé de partager leur plan et de collaborer avec Team France et donc ça nous fait gagner énormément de temps, on aura la certitude d’avoir le meilleure bateau sur l’eau aussi, si on part. Donc, on gagne du temps et on gagne aussi je pense une certaine crédibilité technique avec cet avantage.”
“Sept millions par an c’est vraiment une norme – on est un peu au milieu entre faire le tour du monde en équipage ou le Vendée Globe. C’est quelque chose que les sponsors français qui se sont attaqué à notre sport et à la voile connaissent bien. On n’est pas hors norme comme l’était la Coupe de l’America il y’a quelques années.”
Patrick Roger: “… about funding – have you succeeded in finding the money or not? How much do you still need?”
Franck Cammas: (laughs) “No, we haven’t succeeded. We’ll tell you right away when we have! We’re in the process of making our new proposal with the new information.”
PR: “What’s the range? So we can really understand – is it really expensive to dive into this adventure? What’s the budget, approximately?”
FC: “These days, it’s €7 million per year to be in the America’s Cup with a chance to win. And, we have some very good news: the Americans, Oracle, have decided to share their design and to collaborate with Team France. So that lets us make up a lot of time and we’ll be sure to have the best boat, if we compete. So that will let us make up a lot of time and give us a certain level of technical credibility.”
“Seven million per year is truly a benchmark – it’s about in the middle between a fully crewed round the world race and the Vendée Globe. It’s a level that French sponsors of sailing know well. We’re not out of line, like the America’s Cup was a few years ago.”
