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.

13.04.2011

Edmond de Rothschild Group given a rough ride during the first day.

par Gitana

The first races in the Grand Prix of China were contested near the exit from the Olympic port in Qingdao. A light breeze of eight knots, increasing very slowly over the course of the afternoon and glorious sunshine, despite a persistent veil of mist over the large buildings lining the shore, formed the backdrop for this opening day. Optimum conditions for sailing Extreme 40s then and the race committee for the Extreme Sailing Series made the most of this to launch six races. Winners of the Grand Prix in Oman, contested at the end of February, Pierre Pennec and his men had some difficulty getting into the swing of things today.

“We had mixed results today… We really missed our chance in two of the races. In the first we got off to a poor start because one of our adversaries got in our way and I didn’t manage to get clear of them correctly. Then in the other races, with the exception of the last one where we came second, I made a few mistakes related to judgement and positioning at the start and that cost us dearly on the racetrack. You really have to avoid doing that and that’s why it’s better to accept that you’re going to lose a few places and a few points as a result and then move on,” explained the skipper of Edmond de Rothschild Group on their return to the Olympic port of Qingdao.

The men of Gitana Team already knew it: the level of the fleet of Extreme 40s is very similar and on the Chinese race zone, the slightest error results in an immediate penalty, as was perfectly illustrated in today’s fifth race. The author of a very good start, the catamaran fitted out by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild was leading the way at the windward mark but copped a penalty for reasons Pierre Pennec explains to us: “With this wind strength we were powering across the race zone and you can’t get away with penalties in the ranking. In the 5^th race, during the first beat, we were to leeward but quicker than our direct rival, Artemis. It was only once we’d got past them that we were able to see Alinghi, but it was too late. There was a port-starboard issue at the mark and we picked up a penalty. All of sudden we plummeted from the head of the fleet to last position…”

Edmond de Rothschild Group concluded this first day on a positive note however as they came second in the last race. In the provisional ranking, the pressure’s on with the leaderboard displaying very little difference between the top six boats. Leading the way this evening, the New Zealanders helmed by Dean Baker have just a seven point lead over the sixth boat. Just behind, Pierre Pennec and his crew have a deficit of fifteen points in relation to the leader. However, there are still four days of racing left and a number of races to go so there’s everything to play for.

Tomorrow racing will start at 1300 hours, Qingdao time, namely seven hours earlier in the UK, just as the sun is coming up across the land.

The team speaks out

Hervé Cunningham, bowman
“I’d say that we were using our slick tyres for rallying today, which naturally doesn’t work. The results aren’t very good at the end of the first day. You’re used to better from us but, on a positive note, we know where we went wrong. This evening we’re going to have a good debriefing about the day so we can set off on the right foot tomorrow. It hasn’t been a catastrophic day, far from it, but we were a bit too aggressive and not conservative enough. We have to take risks sometimes but we also have to know how to avoid getting carried away and make sure we don’t lose sight of our goal: to win the 2011 championship. The aim is to be consistent over the year and not get too greedy. If we make it onto the podium here, it’ll be a good result, so now it’s up to us not to spoil the potential we have.”

Thierry Fouchier, headsail trimmer
“We committed some stupid errors today; errors we didn’t make in the Oman Grand Prix. We got hit with two penalties out of the six races run and that’s too many if you want to stand a chance of ranking highly. We’re going to have to find our form again and erase our weaknesses to get back into the match. However, only six races were contested today, which doesn’t amount to much on the scale of a Grand Prix. The level is going up as predicted and you can really see that with a crew like Emirates Team Zealand, who learn quickly and are leading this evening.”

Provisional ranking for the Qingdao Grand Prix on 13 April (after six races)

Emirates Team New Zealand – 49 points
Artemis Racing – 47 points
Red Bull Extreme Sailing – 47 points
The Wave, Muscat – 47 points
Alinghi – 44 points
Luna Rossa – 42 points
Edmond de Rothschild Group – 34 points
Niceforyou – 28 points
Team Extreme – 24 points
Oman Air – 24 points
Team GAC Pindar – 10 points

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