Fire guts Team France’s cup base

Team France are vowing to try to make the next America’s Cup in Auckland despite having their base gutted by fire.

Their headquarters in the sailing stronghold of Lorient was destroyed by a blaze last weekend, with the team saying it was ‘‘extremely fortunate’’ there were no casualties.

Luckily most of the team’s equipment and boats, including the foiling catamaran they used in Bermuda last year, were being stored elsewhere.

‘‘This has no impact whatsoever on our motivation and our campaign for the next edition of the Cup,’’ Team France skipper Franck Cammas said.

‘‘It’s a real shame to witness the destruction of an innovative building built some 20 years ago by the town of Lorient with the aim of accommodating a series of key sailing projects on the international stage.

This fantastic initiative by the town has provided sailors with some high-performance technical means, on a par with the far-reaching ambitions of professional sailing teams.

‘‘I hope that a new building for challenges will quickly see the light of day so that this great idea continues to bear fruit.

‘‘I’d like to pass on my heartfelt thanks to all the firefighters who battled to get the fire under control throughout the night. We’ve also received a massive amount of messages of support, which is really heart-warming. This fire has nevertheless seen something that is a symbol of the majority of my professional career go up in flames.’’