Groupama 1 then HIQ then Sjovillan then Akron Aoton.
Groupama 1 was built at the CDK, JMV Industries and B & B yards, and launched in 1998. She marked the rise of the second generation of ORMA trimarans designed by VPLP. Sistership of Alain Gautier’s Brocéliande (launched the previous year), Groupama 1 featured floats from Laurent Bourgnon’s Primagaz, small foils, a pivoting mast and sharper bows than her ancestors.
Franck Cammas was 25 at the time and had absolutely no multihull experience when he took the helm of his first trimaran. But it only took him a few short months to start winning. From 1998 to 2001, Groupama 1 entered 20 races and achieved 17 podium places… and then made a series of wins in the ORMA Grand Prix.
Throughout her career the trimaran was optimized so she could carry a crew of ten for the Grand Prix without comprising her capacity for sailing short-handed or even solo. Sold in 2005, she continued to compete brilliantly in Scandinavia and is currently in Greece.
