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.

17.12.2008

Loïck Peyron’s long route.

Quite unlike the title of Bernard Moitessier's famous book, Loïck Peyron has no desire to sail round and round without ever reaching land… Indeed it's the very thought of land which is the daily motivation for the skipper of Gitana Eighty. It's already been a week since the sailor's Vendée Globe dreams and the hopes of Gitana Team were stopped in t…

par Gitana

Quite unlike the title of Bernard Moitessier’s famous book, Loïck Peyron has no desire to sail round and round without ever reaching land… Indeed it’s the very thought of land which is the daily motivation for the skipper of Gitana Eighty. It’s already been a week since the sailor’s Vendée Globe dreams and the hopes of Gitana Team were stopped in their tracks off the Kerguelen Islands. In a split second, after a magnificent performance over the first third of the course in this 6th edition of the solo round the world without stopovers and without assistance, the skipper had to lay down his arms following the breakage of his mast.

After 48 hours’ wait, which was the time required to draw up a plan to recuperate the monohull and the sailor, the decision was made to make for Australia and more specifically the port of Fremantle on the SW coast, some 2,800 miles away at the time. Since then, equipped with a jury rig which Loïck Peyron is improving day by day, Gitana Eighty is continuing to truck on through the Indian Ocean, an ocean which has been living up to its lousy reputation once more… Indeed, last Friday, the Swiss sailor Dominique Wavre announced that he was altering course towards the Kerguelen following the breakage of his keel head. This serious damage sadly brought the sailor’s race to an abrupt end. Just hours later, it was the turn of his compatriot, Bernard Stamm, to signal rudder issues. The Swiss sailor then decided that he would make for Port-aux-Français in Kerguelen, but the particularly harsh weather conditions on his arrival in the Baie du Morbihan were to put paid to the sailor’s determination. Plagued by bad luck his boat was driven onto shore. Further misfortune followed yesterday with the dismasting of the English sailor Mike Golding and the withdrawal from the competition of Jean-Baptiste Dejanty. These two further abandons have been added to what is already an overly long list, which the skipper of Gitana Eighty briefly analyses: “Unfortunately there has been a big epidemic of abandons since me and I’m really sorry for them, with a particular mention for Bernard. However, I’m not being fatalistic when I say that it doesn’t surprise me! When we committed ourselves to taking the start of the Vendée Globe, we all knew that certain boats wouldn’t cross the finish line. We set off in full knowledge of the facts and we just have to hope that we’re not going to be part of it… Personally I don’t think that the pace of this 6th edition is the source of this damage. Sailing is a mechanical sport which is constantly progressing and being perfected, however there is still a random, unknown aspect. We are in an Open class, at the helm of prototypes…”

There is still a long way to go to get to Australia – 1,800 miles this Wednesday 17th December – and after 31 days of intense racing, the end of the voyage is proving to be quite ‘special’ for Loïck Peyron. The reasons for this are that sailors who are racing put up with – or almost relish you could say – the noise and the impact of the sea, but when progress is no longer motivated by the appeal of the competition, it becomes more difficult: “This situation isn’t very pleasant for a whole host of reasons, primarily because I’d really prefer to be racing rather than where I am! Without a mast it’s very uncomfortable to make headway, especially as there’s a steady wind at the moment – around 35 knots since yesterday – and the seas are big and very complicated. Gybing under jury rig are pretty full-on… but luckily there’s not many manoeuvres. Fortunately I’ve got my big collection of books, so I’m trying to pass my time reading them. I’m also mulling over the light winds to come and on rigging up a third sail so as to make better headway in the light conditions” concluded Loïck Peyron.

However, these long days bound for Australia are naturally providing Loïck Peyron and his shore crew with an opportunity to look back at the incident and try to decipher the root of the problem, even though it’ll be several weeks before a conclusion can be drawn about the mast breakage.

Once he’s reached shore, the skipper from Pouliguen is keen to see his nearest and dearest as soon as possible. At that point the Gitana Team will take over from him and organise for the Imoca monohulll to be repatriated to Europe. However, according to the latest estimates, Gitana Eighty is unlikely to make the port of Fremantle before 29th or 30th December.

Follow Gitana Eighty and Loïck Peyron until their arrival in Australia
To enable those internet users who are keen to monitor the course of the sailor as far as Australia, we have set up a link on Google Earth, on the top left hand side of the cartography on our own website.

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