It’s been a while now that the ocean racing sailor has looked at least as much like a CNES engineer wearing a raincoat as he does Captain Haddock. But we always imagine him as a more or less solitary wolf with a strong character, and not just in the sea spray. However, there are numerous crewed or double-handed events, starting with the Transat Jacques-Vabre, undoubtedly the most famous.
Departing from Le Havre, on October 29, Franck Cammas (50 years old) will aim for a fifth victory – a record – alongside Jérémie Beyou (47 years old), crowned once. They will sail towards Martinique on the Imoca Charal 2whose ultimate objective remains the Vendée Globe 2024. If the two skippers participate in the development of this dragster of the seas, it is Beyou who will board alone in a little over a year.
Until then, this year 2023 is dedicated to double-handed racing, and the Transat Jacques-Vabrelasting around two weeks, will be the duo’s fourth and longest, after 2nd place in the Guyader Bermudes 1,000 Race, 12th position at the end of a Rolex Fastnet Race and victory in the Défi Azimuth.
Easy cohabitation?
Jérémie Beyou surprised the small world of sailing by announcing in July 2022 that Franck Cammas was joining him on the adventure Charal 2. Very experienced, the two men had already challenged each other in Figaro and in Orma. They had also sailed together during the French crew championships or during a stage of the Volvo Ocean Race. But nothing to do with the cohabitation started last year, and which materializes this year with double races. “It’s super interesting to have someone on board who comes with a different eye, complementary skills to progress,” appreciates Beyou.
The two men were not surprised when they found themselves in the middle of the vastness of the sea, on a ship 18 meters long. “It’s still not a very large environment,” smiles Cammas. There aren’t that many ocean racers. Like many others, we are both based in Lorient, so we often meet. »
“We know each other, there are no surprises to expect,” continues the fifty-year-old of Provençal origin. Sometimes the planets were well aligned and we achieved great results, like the Azimuth that we won. On the Fastnet, we had a lot of problems [pénalité pour départ volé puis casse de la voile de brise] and we make some mistakes. But in terms of the pure performance of the boat, we are quite happy. We know that we can play with those who can win the events. »
Who does what on the boat?
“We are interchangeable, that’s important,” says Franck Cammas. “On the start, I steer and Franck manages all the positioning as well as the adjustment of the boat,” explains Jérémie Beyou, from Finistère. When it comes to maneuvers, I’m mostly at the front, handling the sails and rigging them. Franck is mostly behind hoisting them up, managing the ropes. Afterwards, if there is a maneuver to be done quickly, and Franck is on deck, in raincoats, and I am inside, Franck will go in front because he knows how to do it too. »
Since there are two of them on the boat, it would be stupid not to take advantage of it. Also, when one is sleeping, the other can wake him up if there is a need to perform a maneuver, in order to be three or four times faster than in a solo race.
“The advantage of the double is that there is always someone on deck who keeps the boat moving at 100% and who is wide awake to perform well,” says Beyou. We are almost never in management. Whereas solo, there are times when you have to leave the boat alone because you have to rest and therefore you can degrade performance a little. In doubles, we are at full throttle all the time and that makes the races even more intense. »
How to manage moments of tension?
According to the two friends, there are few. “We didn’t have many problems either,” assures Cammas. Over a two-week race, much longer than the previous ones, the risks of damage are mathematically increased. Hence the importance of keeping your nerves strong. “The goal at the start is to have sailed enough to know each other well, not to have a lot of need to talk to each other, so that there is not a lot of debate in the way of steering the boat,” continues Cammas. .
Some things, like weather analysis, can be done alone, while the other person rests. For everything else, we discuss. “It works well,” asserts Beyou. We stayed on the Azimut where things went well. We made the right decisions and managed to stay calm in our plans, without making big mistakes. We must capitalize on this now. » “There are no fundamental disagreements,” he continues. That said, both must be truly lucid and wide awake. »
When and how long do we sleep?
As a general rule, sailors organize themselves during periods of watch. “We do it a bit by feeling,” says Cammas. There’s one resting, changing, eating, whatever, and the other is on deck trying to move the boat as quickly as possible. » No need to set the alarm. It is the colleague who takes charge, generally after “two or two and a half hours of rest”. Yes, it’s short. And yes, the cabin is small. “One or two square meters,” adds Beyou.
And be careful: rest does not necessarily mean sleep. “There can be computers, food, cleaning,” Cammas lists. “I sleep well anyway,” laughs Beyou. You have to manage yourself and look out for others. Solo, when you’re angry, it doesn’t bother many people. But together… I know I’m quite nervous, I have to be careful not to pollute Franck with my mood swings. Sometimes it’s better for me to go to sleep. »
What are we talking about, other than work?
Not much, obviously, according to Beyou. “When there’s an interesting sporting result that comes up, we discuss it, but quickly, we return to the subject of the race, the competitors, the strategy: ‘What sail do you think they put on?’ ; “What move do you think they’ll make?” » The discussions are all the more limited as the two friends share two common passions: cycling and F1. However, the season of the first discipline has already ended. As for the second, when the Jacques-Vabre begins, there will be four GPs remaining but infinitesimal interest.
For individual leisure, the range is reduced. “It moves so much in a boat that it’s hard to read a book,” notes Cammas. We can have music or podcasts. But there is so much noise that you have to wear headphones. » “I listen to less and less stuff, because it never stops,” says Beyou. I still have a very extensive playlist, not very hard. It’s already hard on the boat, I’m going to listen to soft pop [sourire]. I also like historical stories, like “The March of History”. It allows me to take my mind off the boat. » But not for long, we understand that.