FRANCE
Syndicate head:
Xavier De Lesquen and Luc Gellusseau
Skipper and tactician:
Le Défi Francais
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(France)
Helmsmen:
Luc Pillot and Philippe Presti (France)
France's history in the cup began in 1970 with a challenge by Baron Marcel Bich. Since then they have had at least one boat in every Cup regatta.
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Their best result was in 1980 when France III, with current Louis Vuitton spokesman Bruno Trouble at the helm, reached the challenger finals.
In 1999, le Defi made the
of the Louis Vuitton Cup with Bertrand Pacé at the helm of the unusually narrow
. Pacé has since
In January 2002, radical French environmentalists said they were planning to
the French challenge because of its $33.7 million sponsorship by the nuclear firm Areva.
They said the French yacht would "never arrive" in Auckland unless the sponsorship deal was scrapped.
The French challenge crew trained with FRA-46 and NZL-32 at the French seaside resort of Lorient.
Le Defi's one and only 2003 generation boat, FRA-69, was built in Vannes and launched in May 2002.
History
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The French are challenging for the America's Cup for the ninth time. Their first foray, in 1970, marked the first occasion in which preliminary heats were sailed to find the challenger. France lost out to Australia who went on to challenge the Americans. This is the second challenge by Le Defi, who reached the semifinals in Auckland in 2000. About 70 per cent of the French population have heard of the America's Cup. It is the best-known sporting event never to have been contested in France.
Crew
Retaining the structure used in 1999, the French have honed their approach. They maintain they have no stars, just a group determined to make an equal contribution.
Le Defi Areva has a good blend of mainly French sailors who come from varied backgrounds. They have called on sailors with Olympic, match-racing and offshore experience. While there are no New Zealanders on board, they do have a wide range of nationalities involved, including two Germans, a Dane, a Dutchman, two Australians and an American. Losing former world match-racing skipper Bertrand Pace (to Team New Zealand) was a blow.
Money
At just $50 million, the French say they have the smallest budget of all the syndicates, but are happy with that and go about their work with no apparent money worries. They have 25 sponsors taking care of the financial commitments, allowing the rest to get out and sail.
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Strengths
Time and experience. The work did not stop after the 2000 challenge. The research and development programme has been ongoing. Key people have been on board all along. As well as their two new boats, the French have used New Zealand's Black Magic as a trial boat.
Prospects
This is a small-budget challenge by a dedicated group carrying the hopes of a proud sporting nation. Their 80 team members are ready to give it their best shot and rate a chance of reaching the semifinals.
New boat (one only):
Designers: Yaka Design Team
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Hull colour: yellow
FRA-46 (from 1999 challenge)
NZL-32 (Team NZ's winner of the America's Cup in 1995)
Club:
Union Nationale pour la Course au Large
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