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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

02.07.2014

In Gitana’s wake, July 2014 discover the 4th episode.

par Gitana

With four months to go till the start of the Route du Rhum Destination Guadeloupe and despite the upcoming summer holidays, the atmosphere remains more studious than ever within Gitana Team. Relaunched mid-May, the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild has been performing a series of sea trials offshore of her Lorient base to ensure she is all ready in early November in St Malo. Her skipper, Sébastien Josse, is making the most of every opportunity that comes his way to rack up some miles in solo configuration, validate on-board systems like the automatic pilot and tame the new T-foil rudders, which now equip the 70-foot trimaran. Indeed, as he likes to tell people: nothing beats hours spent at sea to be at one with your machine.

In Gitana’s wake, July 2014

This month’s news / preparations on every level

Though the sporting and technical aspect are an essential part of Sébastien Josse’s preparations for the Route du Rhum, the latter is also backed up by other aspects such as the diet. That’s why Julien Gatillon, the Michelin-starred chef of Le 1920 – the gastronomic restaurant associated with the Chalet du Mont d’Arbois in Megève, south-east France – was in Lorient in mid-June to discover the ‘cuisine’ aboard the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild during a sea trial and, together with Sébastien, compose the meals which will punctuate his daily life in solo configuration.

Meeting with… / Yvan Zedda

A sea photographer widely recognised and appreciated for his human and professional qualities, Yvan Zedda has been the Gitana Team’s eye on the world for over ten years. By this we mean that he is the official photographer for the team with the five arrows. Refits, launches, race starts and finishes… Yvan has immortalised all the Gitana Team’s highlights. For this portrait, we’ll be climbing aboard with him for a boisterous aerial image shoot offshore of the island of Belle-Ile-en-Mer a few days ago. He alludes to his passion for the sea and his admiration for the sailors.

Technical speak / canting and rotation

A pivotal point on the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild, the mast culminates at 29 metres in height. It’s one of the platform’s key elements and July’s ‘technical speak’ section offers us an insight into the operation and use of this canting spar.

“In Gitana’s wake” takes a break in August, but it returns again in the autumn. See you on 3 September 2014 for the fifth part of our series, with just two months until the start of the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe.

In Gitana’s wake, the principle behind the three sections of the Gitana Team’s web series

Every month, via its ‘web series’ – dans le sillage de Gitana (in Gitana’s wake) – the racing stable fitted out by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild invites you behind the scenes to view the preparation of the skipper of the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild and the very core of the work carried out by the members of Gitana Team.

This month’s news : from refits to the first sea trials, from preliminary races to the qualifier for the Route du Rhum, not to mention the initial months of construction of the future Mono60’ Edmond de Rothschild, each magazine details the daily life of Gitana Team and its skippers via this opening section.

Meeting with : in the offshore racing teams, very often we’re only familiar with the sailors, those who head off to sea. Supporting these navigators though, a group of men and women works behind the scenes, each person just as essential as the next in these genuine collective projects, where team spirit is a guarantee of performance and success. Architects, engineers and specialist technicians in composites, hydraulics, on-board electronics as well as rigging, this section invites us to discover their craft and takes us on a journey into their respective universes.

Technical speak: As is the case for the car or the motorbike, the technical stakes are a core concern in sporting performance. Sailing is a mechanical sport par excellence and today, more than ever, race boats are genuine jewels of technology. With a clear, educational approach, “Technical speak” gives us an insight into the main principles which enable the Formula 1s of the seas and the innovations actioned on a daily basis by the members of the Gitana Team to function. This savoir-faire forms the backbone of the offshore racing stable launched back in 2000 by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild.

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