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.

15.05.2009

Gitana Extreme is on the action.

Today was like the first day back at school with the start of racing always proving to be a source of pressure: the desire to do well and the eagerness of meeting, or in the present case, measuring yourself against future playmates, positively palpable. With a second place in the provisional general ranking after the five races contested this after…

par Gitana

A fairytale setting, an atypical race zone and capricious weather conditions, which continued to ease throughout the course of the afternoon: this briefly sums up the first day’s racing in Venice. However, the description wouldn’t be complete without the five adrenalin pumping races, which were eventually launched by the organisers. Indeed, despite a wind rarely in excess of eight knots and dropping off to less than three knots over the final tacks, the battle very much raged between the ten Extreme 40s participating in the 2009 circuit.

With two second places and above all one fine race victory, Yann Guichard and his three crew have had a fabulous day. They’re currently in second place in the provisional ranking, four points behind the American, James Spitill and with just a one point lead over Masirah.

« You could say that it’s been a positive first day! With the exception of the 4th race of the day, where due to a poor start, we made a series of bad tacks and brought up the rear of the fleet, we knew how to put in a steady performance and that paid off. In addition, we knew the starts would be vital: the team that pull out all the stops on the line always manage to hold onto their lead » explained the skipper of Gitana Extreme the minute he was back on dry land. « However, we also noticed that, given the highly unstable weather conditions, both in terms of strength and direction, on the race zone, there was still everything to play for before the finish. It was worth defending every metre. I’m very happy with the teamwork today. The manoeuvres are clean, there’s no agitation onboard despite what are often pretty ‘full-on’ situations, and the cohesion between the guys is just as I hoped it would be. These first races were important in enabling us to gauge our performance in relation to the competition and we’re right on the money » concluded Yann Guichard, a happy skipper after a successful introduction!

Like this Friday, tomorrow racing will kick off shortly after 1430 hrs.

Crew of Gitana Extreme – LCF Rothschild Group

Yann Guichard (skipper-helm)
Pierre Pennec (mainsail traveller trimmer, tactics), Christophe Lassegue (headsail trimmer, control of manoeuvres)and Hervé Cunningham (headsail trimmer, control of manoeuvres)

Ranking on the first day (after 5 races)

1/ BMW Oracle Racing (James Spithill) – 40 points
2/ Gitana Extreme- LCF Rothschild Group (Yann GUICHARD) – 36 points
3/ Oman Sail Masirah (Pete Cumming) – 35 points
4/ Holmatro (Carolijn Brouwer) – 31 points
5/ Oman Sail Renaissance (Loïck Peyron) – 30 points
6/ Luna (Erik Maris) – 26 points
7/ Groupama 40 (Gildas Philippe) – 25 points
8/ BT (Nick Moloney) – 21 points
9/ iShares – Shirley Robertson – 17 points
10/ Ecover – Mike Golding – 13 points

Retourner aux articles

Heritage