The newsletter Course Au Large reports designers
Juan Kouyoumdjian and Michel Kermarec (Prada '03,
LeDefi '00) have signed with OracleBMW, along with
former LeDefi trimmer/designer Dimitri Despierres.
It's a bad signal from the French K-challenge which
has announced in June the signing of Juan Kouyoumdjian
as co-designer with Phil Kaiko.
"There
is place for only one French Challenge", Loïck
Peyron said in May and, two months after Valencia
was picked to host the next America's Cup, one can
wonder if he was not too optimistic as the three
French projects are very far from their initial
goals.
"Everybody's struggling to raise funds," said Dawn
Riley, team manager of K-Challenge. "We're one of
the strongest teams, and it's really hard because
of the sponsorship market."
"We're day to day right now, whether we can raise
the funds," she said. "Until it's over, it's still
going. I check my e-mail every night. 'Do we have
a sponsor yet?' "
According to the initial plans, the K-Challenge
would have to secure at least 50 percent of its
total budget (€80 million).
"We are finalizing with a partner for 10 to
15 million euros", now explained Stéphane Kandler,
K-Challenge General Manager. "We hope that
it will be approved quickly because our team members
are now free to move".
"The priority is to start soon the design activities",
Kandler added. "Our work will be primarily
focused on research and the nonpriority activities
will be frozen".
In
a similar scenario, the Loïck Peyron's Team
France continuing to work to preserve the hope of
launching a syndicate.
"We always believe in a winning challenge because
we have people with whom we want to work and the
assets are still available", Peyron said. "Everybody
is waiting for ... but the difference is that I'm
not a billionaire and I had to feed my family".
The
situation is not better for the former Défi
Areva. In spite of the last Cup assets, (a base
in Lorient temporarily rented to Bruno Peyron, three
America's Cup Class yachts...), the
economic austerity is the only way forward for the
syndicate.
"We are going step by step", Pierre Mas
said. "What is significant for us is to sail
in Valencia before the end of the year. we are very
close to achieving this goal and it can all start".
A kind of "policy of waiting" which could
be beneficial, taking into account the difficulties
that presently affect the two other projects.
"Today, it is well established that the context
is not clear for the potential investors",
said Pierre Mas, who would have contact with the
K-Challenge during the French "Salon Nautique"
in December. "It is useless to continue each
one on our own, knowing that it's very difficult
for everybody".
A policy of reconciliation which it had been very
hard to implement according to Stéphane Kandler.
"We got a number of lawyer letters from Le
Défi and a categorical ‘Niet’ from the Team
France, even to sit down around a table", he
said. "We are not ready for that".
The
K-Challenge remains faithful to Marseille (12/09/03) (source
: K-Challenge)
"Our
wish to settle down our training base remains the
same", said Stephane Kandler, K-Challenge General
Manager. "We’re even more motivated with the
idea that we can go sail and win the America’s Cup
to bring it back to Marseilles."
Even before the America’s Cup was known to come back
to Europe, that the K-Challenge had already chosen
Marseilles, considered as an ideal site by its team,
in order to settle down its training base.
This will is still the same, with a base opening scheduled
for June 2004 (See plans the left).
Laurent
Bourgnon will join K-Challenge (11/01/03) (source
: Yahoo.fr)
The
Swiss/French skipper Laurent Bourgnon will join the
K-Challenge team after the Transat Jacques Vabre that
he is currently sailing with Philippe Monet on Sopra.
"We offered him a position in the Syndicate board",
said Stéphane Kandler, general manager of K-Challenge.
"Laurent Bourgnon is a charismatic personality
and is someone who has has a long and successful experience
of the big projects".
"He is accustomed to working with the Anglo-Saxons",
he added. "He was adviser for Sir Peter Blake
on his Jules Verne attempt with Enza and he currently
works on the design of Ellen MacArthur's giant multihull".
"He will have a federator role between the various
nationalities in our team, especially between the
French approach and the Anglo-Saxon world", Kandler
concluded. "Laurent Bourgnon has also the advantage
of having a A fresh vision".
Correction
about K-Challenge’s plans (10/13/03) (source
: K-Challenge)
In
a e-mail I received today from K-Challenge it has
been pointed out to me that I incorrectly reported
the plans concerning the Budget.
"The $15 million comment is a horrible misquote",
Dawn Riley said "It should say that K-Challenge
needs an additional $15 million cash by the end of
the year to honor our commitments to our design and
sailing team and to stay on schedule. The budget is
still $80 million."
No
place for three French syndicates (10/08/03) (source
: Libération)
"There
is place for only one French Challenge", Loick
Peyron said in May and, five months later, this opinion
seems more real than ever. While Chris Dickson announces
a $US100 million campaign, the three potential French
teams have yet to secure a budget.
By many considered as favorite in this French competition,
in particular thanks to the charisma and popularity
of Loïck Peyron, Team France is still looking
for a main backer, ready to invest several tens of
million euros in the adventure.
"We went to see first the CAC 40 companies [the
40 "blue chips" weighted index of the Paris Stock
Exchange] because we defend the French colors",
Peyron said. After having received a final refusal
from French oil giant Total, he remains "relatively
optimistic".
Meanwhile, the situation is not better in Lorient.
In spite of the last Cup assets, (in particular a
base and three America's Cup Class yachts), the former
Défi Areva now reconsiders its ambitions.
"A €80 million maximalist solution which
includes Paul Cayard is not realistic in today's environment",
Pierre Mas regretted at the beginning of week. "One
month of sailing in America's Cup yachts costs a million
euros".
"So we developed a program with monohull - with
lighter development program - for the first two years
of preparation", he added. "This way we
reduce the costs to generate a profitable operation
for our partners".
Speaking about contacts "in the United States,
in Japan and in Europe", K-Challenge's Stéphane
Kandler appears to have reduced their €80 million
goals. He just said now that his campaign could continue
if €15 million could be found by the end of the
year.
To leave this dead end, the three syndicate seem to
have the same idea : trying to convince Areva to return
after a positive considered experience (in spite of
the poor performance of the French crew).
"We spent €15 million in 2002 and it would
be necessary to invest two or three more we're done",
observes Jacques-Emmanuel Saulnier, director of communication
and spokesman for the Areva Group. "I don't know
if it is appropriate for our needs".
"Even if it were the case", he added, "none
of the three current projects can provide the guarantee
of success we wait. There is still work to do".
In such a situation , more and more analysts are now
evoking a merger solution which would finally allow
to build a competitive French syndicate.
K-Challenge
sails in San Francisco (09/04/03) (Source
: K
Challenge)
The K-Challenge team sails since yesterday in
the San Francisco Bay on an IACC boat, (USA 49, ex-AmericaOne
from Paul Cayard’s 2000 campaign). This is the first
official training session for the team which will
take place until Sept. 7.
This event is a real new step in the history of this
challenge for the next America’s Cup which was born
18 months ago, and that already has gathered its key
players and set up its design programme. After the
canceling of the Golden Gate Cup by the organizers
because of a last minute problem, the Oracle BMW Racing
team has maintained the invitation for this non-official
competition with 2 races per day on Sept. 5 and 6.
The Alinghi team will also join this event.
And then… surprise for the K-Challenge crew in the
middle of the day in the sailing area, where the training
started going upwind towards the famous Golden Gate
Bridge : SUI 64 (Swiss syndicate Alinghi’s boat who
won the last America’s Cup) came and crossed the K-Challenge’s
boat way and sailed on her side. So that is to say
the training started hard !
Concerning the French team members on board, their
motivation is really impressive : Fabrice Blondel
(2 America’s Cup with the French teams in 2000 and
2003), does not hesitate to give a clear view on his
objectives and his expectations.
"Nine months after the last time I sailed an
IACC boat, I was waiting so hard to be in San Francisco
to sail on those boats again. For me, it is the beginning
of a great adventure, which will allow us to set up
a large project to be able to compete with the best
teams and to go far in the next Cup."
"Training with Oracle represents a really high
level. It’s an honor for us to have been invited to
be their sparring partner before their next match
against Alinghi. This is a proof that K-Challenge
has a real credibility."
"Our goals are of course limited, as sailing
with a 2000 generation IACC boat won’t be that easy,
and we know how fast USA 76 is (Oracle BMW Racing’s
#1 boat). The targets for me will be to lead in the
first tacks on the upwind buoys, and to build a strong
base for the sailing team."
"It will also be a way for all the team to get
to know all the crew members, and to create a common
history which will lead to a general trust in each
other."
"This first event that the team is taking part
to will probably be very strong. I have the feeling
that the America’s Cup will go through a huge 'lifting'.
The organizer wants to make it become a lively structure
and make it last in the future. Organizing a world
circuit where everybody will be able to admire those
fantastic boats will go for sure in the right way
for the evolution of our sport."
The team got ready really quick on the boat on this
first day, and we can notice that we have real specialists
of the America’s Cup on board who want to succeed
together.
Strong images, a "first time" together which
will stay in all crew memories… and four years of
work to come to get the trophy of their dreams.
Before that, they will have to honor Oracle BMW Racing’s
invitation next Friday and Saturday.
Here is the list of the K-Challenge crew in the San
Francisco training :
- Bow : Jan Dekker
- Upwind Trim : John Ziskind
- Midbow : Romain Troublé
- Downwind Trim : Benoît Briand
- Mast : Fabrice Blondel
- Main/Grand Voile : Hartwell Jordan
- Traveler : Thierry Fouchier
- Pit : Nic Clarke
- Pit / runner : Dawn Riley
- Grind STB : Winston McFarland
- Grind Port : Carl Barkow
- Main Grind : Teva Plichart
- Tactics : Thierry Peponnet
- Strategist/Runner : Katie Pettibone/Dana Riley
- Helm/Barreur: John Cutler
- Local Knowledge : Sylvain Barrielle
