There were supposed to be 6 of them, but in the end, following a withdrawal, only 5 sailors showed up in La Rochelle on Tuesday 22nd September 2015. 5 sailors selected by Julbo to accompany Franck Cammas to Cape Horn on a NacraF20 Carbon FCS equipped with foils.
The mission of our famous French navigator was to validate the behaviour at sea of these 5 applicants. A jury composed of : Julbo / Jeremy Bernard (photographer) / Franck Cammas and Sébastien Laugier (Phileas Images) making the final decision. A day during which physical tests organised by the physical préparateur of the French pole in La Rochelle saw the competitors struggle with rowers or validate their flexibility. In this game, it was the only female candidate who did best, but all 5 had the level required to move on to the next part of the programme: navigation.
It was a windy afternoon on the water in La Rochelle with gusts to 25 knots. It was difficult to control a craft like the Nacra F20 Carbon FCS, especially as it was equipped with a classic mainsail. A smaller sail that will be used for the Horn is still being built. The 3 hour sailing session (20 minutes each) was a tough one. So much so that the Nacra rammed 3 times! However, this didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the participants and enabled Franck Cammas to get a clear idea of how everyone was behaving.
But like in any contest, you need a winner. It is finally Johannes Wiebel who goes on this adventure! This 35-year-old German architect who lives in Switzerland in Munich has a smile on his face. A pure amateur, all that's left for him to do is to land his holiday, receive his complete outfit provided by Gore Tex and take a flight on 8th November in the company of Franck Cammas towards the South of South America.
The challenge remains astonishing: to round Cape Horn in a flying catamaran and to dock there... From Puerto Williams, the expedition will have to reach Puerto Toro. The Nacra F20 Carbon FCS and its stern base will then sail to an anchorage close to the Horn to prepare for the passage of the famous cape where the Pacific and the Atlantic meet. The duo formed by Franck Cammas and his team mate will cover a total of nearly 100 nautical miles by sailing in the icy waters of Patagonia.
Once around the mythical rock, Franck and his team mate, Johannes Wiebel, will disembark on foot on the Horn rock to meet the lighthouse keeper and his family.
A very nice walk in perspective for this happy winner!
Photos: Jeremy Bernard
