the fleet. Except that now he’s 40 years old, and many of his leading rivals are half his age. “It’s good to be able to race against these young guys who are so fit,” he said recently. Too right, except that clearly Scheidt has lost little of his own legendary fitness, even as he enters middle age. He came 2nd at both the French Olympic regatta in Hyeres this April and at Kiel Week in Germany in June.  It will be interesting to see which way Scheidt turns, if he is presented with an opportunity to get back into the Star. Would he stay with the Laser? Whatever happens, Scheidt appears to have the ability and determination to win a sixth Olympic medal three years from now.  Another famous 40-year-old, although previously unknown on the Olympic scene, is Franck Cammas. Best known for his offshore exploits on giant multihulls and last year winning the Volvo Ocean Race as skipper of Groupama, the Frenchman has embarked on a campaign in the Nacra 17 multihull. Cammas has already proven his adaptability to small cats with a 2nd place at the Formula 18 Worlds and it will be interesting to see his progress on the Olympic scene.  Cammas has been sailing with former Laser Radial sailor Sophie de Turkheim. This is the first time there has been a compulsory mixed-gender event in the Olympics, and getting the chemistry right between the male/ female crews will be one of the key factors. There have been notable mixed- sex partnerships in past Olympic cycles, for example Cathy Foster and Pete Newlands who finished 7th for Great Britain at the Los Angeles Games in


"Franck Cammas finds himself up against fellow Volvo Ocean Race skipper Iker Martinez, who has won a gold and silver at previous Olympics in the 49er but is now relishing a new challenge."


63 Image credit:Kiel Week


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