Field complete

As Groupama skipper Franck Cammas signs up for Trophée Clairefontaine champion of champions event.

The line-up of eight skippers in the 17th Trophée Clairefontaine for Sailing Champions, raced every year at La Trinité-sur-Mer, has now been finalised. Groupama skipper Franck Cammas is the last guest to join the sailing stars, who for this year's event - to be held on 2-3 September - includes Mike Sanderson, winner of the last Volvo Ocean Race.

The eight sailors will each sail with two crew on the spectacular SailingOne one-design catamarans. 25ft/7.65m long these boats are exclusively designed for the Trophée Clairefontaine. As is the case every season since 1990, the form book is open as to who will win. Will it be Loïck Peyron, present holder of the title or Vendee Globe/Route du Rhum and The Transat winner Michel Desjoyeaux? Between these two titans they hold ten victories out of 16 events.

Cammas, winner of the Trophée Clairefontaine in 2000, is likely to be a serious threat Skipper of the trimarans Groupama 2 and Groupama 3, Cammas is unbeaten in this season of the Multicup Ambassador circuit, and will use the Trophée Clairefontaine as a brief respite before going back to work in the build-up to the Route du Rhum, his main objective for this season.

Other skippers competing this year include Pascal Bidégorry winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre race, Champion of the ORMA Multihull Ocean Racing circuit in 2005 on his trimaran, Banque Populaire.

Roman Hagara, double Tornado gold medallist at the two last Olympic Games, finished third in the Trophée Clairefontaine last, on his first participation, will return to La Trinité in 2006 with the intention of winning.

Jean-Pierre Dick, winner of the last two Transat Jacques Vabre races in the monohull class, will like Sanderson be racing his first take on his first Trophée Clairefontaine.

Jérémie Beyou, 2005 winner of the Single-Handed Afflelou Le Figaro and of the SingleHanded French Championship last year on Delta Dore, will also enter the club of the Trophée Clairefontaine champions.

The Trophée Clairefontaine is the only event in the world to unite champions from different disciplines on a totally equal footing, on spectacular yachts exclusively designed and used for this purpose, showing that sailing is both varied and unique, in the spirit of the general policy of the Fédération Française de Voile (French Sailing Federation).