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  • Gitana 18
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    • Retractable Y-shaped foils, adjustable in three dimensions

    Inspired by the appendages of the America's Cup foiling monohulls, these Y-shaped foils have a wingspan of over 5 metres. They are designed to generate powerful lift, increase power and offer a wide range of adjustments to optimise flight at every point of sail and in all conditions. Beyond their impressive size, these foils feature many unique innovations.

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    Revolutionary U-shaped rudders

    These are probably the most visually striking innovations on the new Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. To fly high above rough seas while maintaining control, the team wanted very long rudders that would remain in contact with the water. The challenge is that longer rudders tend to flex under load, severely affecting steering and the efficiency of their lifting surfaces. A new geometry was needed to give these appendages maximum stiffness, resist cavitation and ultimately improve control of the boat and make better use of its power. The result is a set of U-shaped rudders over 4 metres long, a metre longer than those on Gitana 17. Their shape, reminiscent of a tripod or an inverted π, is only the visible part of what makes them so distinctive.

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    A daggerboard optimised to stabilise the boat and limit cavitation

    With its wide span, the daggerboard resembles an aircraft tail assembly, with two adjustable flaps: one on the vertical section and the other on the horizontal section, the distinctive “manta-ray wing”. On Gitana 18, the innovation is to position this wing behind the vertical part of the appendage, rather than directly beneath it, to minimise flow disturbance and cavitation.

    Gitana 18’s daggerboard

    Rig: adjustable spreaders to control mainsail power while sailing

    Gitana 18’s mast is 1.50 metres taller than its predecessor’s. The boom is also shorter, creating a more slender sail plan. The major innovation is a set of spreaders that can be adjusted while sailing to bend the mast fore and aft. Actuated by hydraulic rams, these spreaders can pivot through 35 degrees to adjust the bend in the middle of the mast. This unprecedented system allows the sailor to control mainsail power: adding depth in light winds to take off sooner, or flattening the sail to reduce power at high speed or in strong winds. Adjusting the depth, and therefore the power, of the mainsail can also save a solo sailor time and energy by reducing the need for risky manoeuvres or headsail changes.

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    Central hull:
    an integrated, structural coachroof

    The naval architects and Gitana design team wanted an exceptionally stiff, structurally robust platform. This applies both to the floats, which must withstand heavy loads from the foils and rudders, and to the central hull, which is subject to torsion. The enclosed coachroof is integrated into the hull and contributes to its structural strength. Inside, the cockpit brings all sail-handling controls together, with ergonomics shaped by many hours of design and development. The coachroof also stands out for the number and size of its windows. This configuration meets the visibility requirements of the Ultim class rules and gives sailors the best possible view to keep a visual watch.

    Gitana 18’s coachroof

    16.11.2016

    Edmond de Rothschild attacks the southern latitudes with the leading pack.

    Whilst we’re well into autumn and preparing for winter in Europe, the sailors leading the way in the Vendée Globe made the switch into the southern summer last night by crossing over the equator into the southern hemisphere. Aboard Edmond de Rothschild, Sébastien Josse crossed this imaginary line that lies at zero degrees latitude after 9 days 12 h…

    par Gitana

    Whilst we’re well into autumn and preparing for winter in Europe, the sailors leading the way in the Vendée Globe made the switch into the southern summer last night by crossing over the equator into the southern hemisphere. Aboard Edmond de Rothschild, Sébastien Josse crossed this imaginary line that lies at zero degrees latitude after 9 days 12 hours and 1 minute at sea, some five hours (4hr 59’) astern of leader Alex Thomson. For the skipper of Hugo Boss this translated as a new record time between Les Sables d’Olonne and the equator, a reference that Jean Le Cam had held for the past twelve years, and now stands at 1 day and 4 hours quicker. This figure speaks volumes about the pace set by the leaders over these initial 3,500 miles of the round the world race. At the 14:00 GMT ranking, the latest of the Gitana fleet was lying in 4th some 79.4 miles astern of the British 60-footer.

    A record time at the equator
     “The reference times are tumbling and that’s just the start!” said Sébastien Josse.Leader of the Vendée Globe fleet for the past four days, Alex Thomson was logically first across the equator yesterday shortly after 19:00 GMT. In addition to being top of the leaderboard, the Welsh skipper treated himself to a stellar reference time, improving on the record held since 2004 by Jean Le Cam by 1 day and 4 hours. The fourth solo sailor in his wake, Sébastien Josse also posted a fine performance, making it into the southern hemisphere after just 9 days 12 hours and 1 minute of racing.

    Beyond these speedy times, which given the performances of the new IMOCAs and the fine-tuning of the older generation boats, don’t come as a massive surprise, what’s particularly striking is how close the top five are to one another. Indeed, less than six hours (5hr 47’) separate Hugo Boss and SMA; times which serve as a perfect illustration of the close-contract racing the solo sailors have been embroiled in since 6 November, when they set sail from Les Sables d’Olonne. In a bid to try to emulate one another, the solo sailors are “putting themselves in the red” to really get the best out of their machine: “This is exactly the rhythm I was expecting of the Atlantic! The Vendée Globe is an endurance race and you have to manage the effort and know where to set the bar,”explained the skipper of Edmond de Rothschild. 

    Eight souls in the southern hemisphere
    After the negotiation of the Bay of Biscay, the crossing of the Doldrums became the second tricky section ticked off in this 8th Vendée Globe. And, at the start of this eleventh day of racing, an initial hierarchy has been established.

    Of the twenty-nine competitors in the race, eight boats are sailing in the southern hemisphere this Wednesday afternoon, starting with Hugo Boss, then Banque Populaire, PRB, Edmond de Rothschild, SMA, Maître Coq and further back Quéguiner Leucémie Espoir. In this leading group, the top five are bunched into less than 100 miles and are sailing on port tack this afternoon, abeam of the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, in a SE’ly trade wind, whose intensity varies considerably according to the latitude. The latest forecasts indicate that this breeze will flesh out over the coming hours the further South they get, reaching as much as 20 knots tonight.

    This club of ‘southerners’ has managed to make a break from its pursuers. Not far from the equator, Jean Le Cam is 9th and laments a 350-mile deficit.  

    What does Saint Helena have in store for them?
    The Saint Helena High, which owes its name to the island where Napoleon 1st was exiled in 1815 and died in 1821, is responsible for the rain and the fine weather in the South Atlantic. Indeed, its position and scope dictate the fate of the sailors heading down towards the Southern Ocean.

    The initial forecasts in this zone seem to indicate a rather intriguing passage for the first pack of Vendée Globe sailors: “It’s not completely in line yet, but for now the zone of high pressure is a long way South and fairly spread out to the East. Right now a low is forming at the latitude of Rio and if we manage to slip along ahead of its warm front, we may be able to devour the South Atlantic pretty quickly and make our entry into the Deep South within a good week. It’s crucial we don’t miss the timing to benefit from this favourable sequence of systems.”

    Before he can cast his mind to the Southern Ocean and its train of lows though, the skipper of the five-arrow racing stable is making the most of the tropical conditions to slip along on a beam reach offshore of Brazil: “The heat aboard is stifling. It’s over 40°C down below and outside it’s impossible to stay in the sunshine without protection as you just get burnt! We shouldn’t complain though, as we’ll soon hit the big chill.” 

    Times for the top five between Les Sables d’Olonne and the equator

    1. Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) 9 days 7 hours 2 minutes
    2. Armel Le Cleac’h (Banque Populaire VIII) 9 days 9 hours and 56 minutes, 2hr 54’ behind the leader
    3. Vincent Riou (PRB) 9 days 10 hours and 24 minutes, 3hr 22’ behind the leader
    4. Sébastien Josse (Edmond de Rothschild) 9 days 12 hours and 1 minute, 4hr 59’ behind the leader
    5. Paul Meilhat (SMA) 9 days 12 hours and 49 minutes, 5hr 47’ behind the leader

    Today’s figures
    At 14:00 GMT, Edmond de Rothschild in 4th place
    79.4 miles behind the leader Alex Thomson
    Distance covered over the past 24 hours: 367.20 miles at an average speed of 15.3 knots
    Distance covered over the ground since the start: 3,519.59 miles at an average speed of 14.6 knots

    Ranking on 16 November at 14:00 GMT

    1. Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) 21,138.4 miles from the finish
    2. Armel Le Cleac’h (Banque Populaire VIII) 58.4 miles behind the leader
    3. Vincent Riou (PRB) 69.8 miles behind the leader
    4. Sébastien Josse (Edmond de Rothschild) 79.4 miles behind the leader
    5. Paul Meilhat (SMA) 99.3 miles behind the leader
    6. Morgan Lagravière (Safran) 143.9 miles behind the leader
    7. Jérémie Beyou (Maître CoQ) 158.6 miles behind the leader
    8. Yann Eliès (Quéguiner Leucémie Espoir) 257.9 miles behind the leader
    9. Jean Le Cam (Finistère Mer Vent) 360.3 miles behind the leader

    …

     

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