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.

14.06.2013

Edmond de Rothschild gets the edge in Lisbon.

par Gitana

A little less than 48 hours after their arrival in Lisbon, the MOD70s in the Route des Princes were back down to business. On the programme this Friday, there were three races on the River Tagus, at the very heart of the Portuguese capital off Praça do Comercio. The generous northerly breeze of 10 to 20 knots, which blew across the river this afternoon, enabled Edmond de Rothschild and its adversaries to put on a unique show in the dazzling sunshine. Winners of the first race of the day, Sébastien Josse and his men are in the provisional top spot this evening.

The setting for these two inshore races takes your breath away! Contested at the heart of Lisbon, the races are run on the River Tagus, just metres from the docks in the city centre and Praça do Comércio. Though the spectacle for ‘landlubbers’ is nothing short of magnificent, for the sailors, this race zone has proven to be a real enigma, where opportunism is the name of the game more than ever before: “It’s a complicated race zone as there are a lot of parameters to be taken into account: the offshore current as well as the landform, which is significant in this undulating city, makes for a very shifty wind. I think we had a wind variation of over 100° over the course of the day in the different puffs of air! In terms of strength we had between 10 and 20 knots according to the different areas of the race zone,” explained Charles Caudrelier.

Sébastien Col, Edmond de Rothschild’s tactician, went on to give his analysis of the playing field: “It’s an atypical race zone. You have to keep your eyes wide open here! In the second race, I made the mistake of over anticipating and that cost us a place. We saw that the wind was rotating a great deal and you constantly have to adapt and lie in wait to reap the immediate gains. Aboard Edmond de Rothschild, I was lucky enough to be able to rely on a crew which was perfectly into its stride and performed very well in the manoeuvres, and that enabled me to announce my choice of marks and tacks late in the game.”

A helmsman-tactician pairing which works in harmony and a crew which harvests the fruit of its labour both in terms of coordination and power, such appears to be the recipe for Gitana Team’s success today: “Aboard the boat, we’re very happy with our day, even though we stupidly lost second place in one race. In these conditions it’s tough to be consistent. The crew’s behaviour is really positive as we can see that when we’re behind we manage to get back into contact and snatch back some places, as we did in race 3 where we overtook Oman right on the line. The two Sébastiens on the boat (Josse and Col) did a super job at the helm and on tactics and the crew is gaining more and more confidence,” admitted Charles Caudrelier.

Winner of the opening race, third, then second in the final race of the day, Sébastien Josse and his men opened the scoring and Edmond de Rothschild is topping the leaderboard after this first day. They have a two-point lead over Jean-Pierre Dick’s crew, which performed very well in the second half of the afternoon. Spindrift Racing, helmed by Xavier Revil, completes the podium.

Tomorrow the trimarans are due to come together at 1400 GMT to contest three new races on the waters of the Tagus. Winner of this particular exercise in Valencia, just a week ago, the crew of Edmond de Rothschild are naturally keen to put up a repeat performance. However, as we saw this afternoon, there is very little separating them from their rivals, who are anxious to put paid to the Gitana Team’s plans for a double whammy. We’ll learn the outcome tomorrow, shortly after 1700 GMT.

Day 1, results per race:

Inshore 1
1. Edmond de Rothschild / 2. Musandam – Oman Air / 3. Spindrift Racing / 4. Virbac Paprec 70

Inshore 2
1. Spindrift Racing / 2. Virbac Paprec 70 / 3.Edmond de Rothschild / 4. Musandam – Oman Air

Inshore 3
1.Virbac Paprec 70 / 2. Edmond de Rothschild / 3. Musandam – Oman Air / 4. Spindrift Racing

Provisional ranking for the Lisbon Inshore Races

Edmond de Rothschild (Sébastien Josse) / 24 points
Virbac Paprec 70 (Jean-Pierre Dick) / 22 points
Spindrift Racing (Xavier Revil) / 20 points
Musandam – Oman Air (Sidney Gavignet) / 18 points

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